UTAH VALLEY’S TREANOR EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Utah Valley freshman outside hitter Macky Treanor has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 26-Sept. 1. This is the first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor for Treanor.
The Salem, Utah native tallied 46 kills, 27 digs and three service aces over three matches en route to earning all-tournament team honors at the La Quinta Inn & Suites Invitational last week. Treanor posted WAC-bests of 5.11 kills per set and a .447 hitting percentage in her first weekend of collegiate volleyball. In her first collegiate match against Arizona State, she posted her first career double-double with a team-high 10 kills to go along with 12 digs. Treanor then set a program single-match three-set record with 20 kills in a sweep of North Dakota State. She didn’t commit an attack error en route to a stellar .571 attack percentage. She also notched three aces. Treanor closed out the weekend just shy of a double-double against No. 24 Wichita State, finishing with 16 kills and nine digs.
Other nominees included: Bakersfield’s Debora Araujo was named to the Wildcat Classic all-tournament team after posting a pair of double-doubles and averaging 4.50 kills and 3.17 blocks per set ... Valeria Desiderio of Chicago State was named to the all-tournament team at the UIC Invitational after averaging 3.40 kills and 2.60 digs over three matches ... Grand Canyon’s Lanie Muys earned all-tournament honors at the Wildcat Weekend after averaging 1.78 kills and 0.84 blocks ... Alyssa Schultz of Idaho posted her first career double-double and earned all-tournament team honors at the Wyoming Invite where she averaged 3.38 kills on .437 hitting and 1.50 blocks per set ... Kansas City’s Sydney Crimmins was named to the all-tournament team at the Arkansas Invitational after averaging 3.56 kills, 2.33 digs and 1.0 blocks per set ... Lauren Loerch of New Mexico State earned all-tournament team honors at the Cal Molten Classic after averaging 2.73 kills, 2.0 digs and 0.8 blocks per set ... Seattle U’s Martina Samadan averaged 4.11 kills on .412 hitting, 0.89 digs and 0.78 blocks and was named to the all-tournament team at the Wildcat Weekend ... Alisha Watson of Texas-Pan American was named to the all-tournament team at the Marriott Houston Westchase Classic after averaging 1.58 kills, 2.33 digs, 0.50 blocks and 0.42 service aces over the three matches.
NUMEROUS WAC PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS IN OPENING WEEKEND
The WAC had 12 of its players named to all-tournament teams in the opening weekend of play. Mariah Alvidrez and Debora Araujo of Bakersfield were all named to the all-tournament team at the Wildcat Classic. Idaho and Seattle U also had two players earn honors, as Alyssa Schultz and Meredith Coba were named to the Wyoming Invitational all-tournament team, while Seattle U’s Martina Samadan and Iris Ivanis were named to the Wildcat Weekend all-tournament team. Valeria Desiderio of Chicago State was named to the DePaul Invitational all-tournament squad, while Lanie Muys of Grand Canyon earned Wildcat Weekend all-tournament honors. Sydney Crimmins of Kansas City was named to the Arkansas Invitational all-tournament team, while New Mexico State’s Lauren Loerch was named to the all-tournament team at the Cal Molten Classic. Alisha Watson of Texas-Pan American earned all-tournament honors at the Marriott Houston Westchase Classic, while Utah Valley’s Macky Treanor earned all-tournament honors at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites Invitational.
WAC STAT LEADERS
After the first weekend of play, Bakersfield leads the WAC in assists (13.75), kills (14.67), service aces (2.0) and digs (17.25). Utah Valley is tops in hitting percentage (.268), while Texas-Pan American leads the league in opponent hitting percentage (.169). Kansas City leads the WAC in blocks (3.33).
Individually, Utah Valley’s Macky Treanor leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.447), kills (5.11) and points (5.67). Meredith Coba of Idaho leads the league in assists (10.94), while Julia Menhart of Chicago State is tops in service aces (0.70). Kansas City’s Melissa Hartsel leads the WAC in blocks (1.67), while Mackenzie Phelps of Grand Canyon is tops in digs (5.67).
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.
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 (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
The Roadruuners went 2-1 at the Wildcat Classic last weekend, defeating Charlotte (25-17, 28-30, 25-15, 29-27) and Charleston Southern (25-13, 25-15, 25-16), and falling in five sets to host Davidson (25-22, 25-20, 19-25, 18-25, 14-16) ... Mariah Alvidrez and Debora Araujo were selected to the all-tournament team ... Alvidrez averaged 5.17 digs, 1.42 assists and 0.33 service aces, while Araujo averaged 4.50 kills, 3.17 digs and 4.96 points per set over the three matches ... The win over Charlotte was Bakersfield’s first season-opening win since making the jump to Division I in 2007 ... CSUB’s 2-1 record marks the best start for the Roadrunners since 2005 ... Fernanda Gonçalves is now 10th on the all-time career assist leaderboard at CSUB ...
Bakersfield plays at Radford on Wednesday, before traveling to Harrisonburg, Va., for the JMU Classic this weekend, where it will face Presbyterian, host James Madison and Wyoming.
CHICAGO STATE COUGARS (0-3, 0-0 WAC)
The Cougars opened the season at the DePaul Invitational last weekend, falling to McNeese State (18-25, 18-25, 18-25), Providence (16-25, 23-25, 25-16, 14-25) and host DePaul (15-25, 13-25, 15-25) ... Valeria Desiderio was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 3.40 kills and 2.60 digs per set over the three matches ... Desiderio posted her eighth career double-double vs. Providence, finishing with 13 kills and 10 digs ... In her collegiate debut against McNeese State, freshman Mackenzie Lotter was just shy of a double-double, recording 30 assists and nine digs ... Julia Menhart tallied five service aces against Providence and leads the WAC with 0.70 service aces per set ... With 298 career wins, head coach Toby Rens sits two victories short of 300 ... Lotter ranks fourth in the WAC in assists (9.10) ... The Cougars host Indiana State on Tuesday in their home opener, then play in the UIC Invitational this weekend, where they will face Denver, Marshall and host UIC.
GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (0-2, 0-0 WAC)
GCU went 0-2 at the Wildcat Weekend, dropping a heartbreaker to host Weber State (25-23, 19-25, 25-16, 23-25, 9-15) and falling in four sets to Texas Tech (20-25, 20-25, 25-22, 20-25) ... Lanie Muys earned all-tournament honors ... Mackenzie Phelps had a WAC-best 36 digs vs. Weber State and leads the WAC in digs per set (5.67) ... Jessica Posse posted double-doubles in both matches, finishing with 26 assists and 11 digs at Weber State, and posting 25 assists and 13 digs vs. Texas Tech ... Hayleigh Friemoth finished with 11 kills and 12 digs against Texas Tech ... Posse ranks fourth in the WAC with 0.44 service aces per set, followed closely by teammate Marilyn Agae with 0.43 ... As a team, Grand Canyon ranks second in the WAC with 16.33 digs per set and fourth in service aces with 1.22 per set ... The Antelopes travel to the Nevada Tournament this weekend, where they will face Illinois State, UC Davis and Weber State.
IDAHO VANDALS (3-1, 0-0 WAC)
The Vandals went 3-1 at the Wyoming Invitational last weekend, defeating Montana State (25-15, 25-19, 25-21), Drake (25-14, 30-28, 20-25, 26-24) and Stetson (25-19, 22-25, 25-17, 25-17), but falling to host Wyoming (25-23, 28-26, 21-25, 16-25, 12-15) ... Alyssa Schultz and Meredith Coba earned all-tournament team honors. Schultz averaged 3.38 kills on .437 hitting and 1.50 blocks per set, while Coba averaged 10.94 assists, 1.75 digs, 0.88 kills and 0.81 blocks ... Schultz had career highs of 17 kills and 10 blocks vs. Wyoming for her first career double-double ... Head coach Debbie Buchanan is one win shy of 200 with a career record of 199-189 (.512).... Idaho’s .398 hitting percentage against Montana was its highest in a match since November of 2004 ... The Vandals travel to Flagstaff, Ariz., for the Northern Arizona Fiesta Classic this weekend, where they will face Cal State Northridge, San Diego State and the host Lumberjacks.
KANSAS CITY KANGAROOS (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
The ‘Roos opened the season 2-1 at the Arkansas Invitational last weekend, defeating Northwestern State (25-20, 25-14, 25-20), but falling to New Mexico (21-25, 27-29, 23-25) and host Arkansas (23-25, 22-25, 31-33) ... Sydney Crimmins was named to the all-tournament team after recording the top three kill totals of her career with 13 against New Mexico, 10 at Arkansas and nine vs. Northwestern State (10) ... She also registered a career-high nine digs against New Mexico ... As a team, UMKC leads the WAC in blocks (3.33) and ranks third in assists (12.78) ... Melissa Hartsel leads the WAC with 1.67 blocks per set, while Crimmins ranks fourth in kills per set (3.56) and fifth in points (4.33) ... Taryn Miller ranks third in the conference in digs (4.78), while Jessica Hendin is third in service aces (0.56) and ninth in digs (3.22) ... The ‘Roos host Kansas on Tuesday for their home opener, then play at the Maryland Invitational this weekend, where they will face Penn, LIU Brooklyn and the host Terrapins.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies opened the season 2-1 last weekend at the Cal Molten Classic, sweeping Nevada (25-21, 25-18, 25-12), before falling to host Cal (16-25, 18-25, 19-25) and UC Santa Barbara (25-22, 20-25, 19-25, 25-17, 13-15) ... Lauren Loerch was named to all-tournament team after averaging 2.73 kills on .312 hitting, 2.00 digs and 0.82 blocks per set over the three matches ... Taylor Livoti posted a double-double of 22 assists and 12 digs in the loss to the Gauchos ... Desiree Scott currently ranks tied for fourth all-time at NM State in career hitting percentage (.321) ... Scott and Loerch rank tied for eighth in the WAC in hitting percentage (.312) ... Stephanie Ziegler ranks eighth in the WAC in digs (3.36), while Gwen Murphy is tied for ninth in blocks (1.00) ... Freshman Aleisha Coates ranks ninth in the conference in service aces (0.36) ... The Aggies head to Honolulu for the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic this weekend, where they will face No. 9 Hawai’i, No. 10 UCLA and Santa Clara.
SEATTLE U REDHAWKS (2-2, 0-0 WAC)
The Redhawks went 2-1 at the Wildcat Weekend, defeating Texas Tech (25-20, 25-19, 25-22) and UC Riverside (25-13, 25-21, 25-17), but falling to host Weber State (21-25, 20-25, 21-25) ... Martina Samadan and Iris Ivanis were both named to the all-tournament team ... The Redhawks hit .411 against UC Riverside, the highest hitting percentage in a single match in program history ... Samadan posted the eighth-highest single-match hitting percentage in school history (.583) against the Highlanders ... Samadan ranks second in the WAC in points (5.06), third in kills (4.11) and hitting percentage (.412), and tied for fourth in service aces (0.44) ... On Monday, the Redhawks dropped their home opener to Eastern Washington (18-25, 22-25, 21-25) ... Martina Samadan and Iris Ivanis paced Seattle U with 13 kills each ... The Redhawks play at No. 5 Washington on Tuesday, then travel to Spokane, Wash., for the Gonzaga Invitational this weekend, where they will face Arizona State, UNLV and the host Zags.
TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN BRONCS (2-2, 0-0 WAC)
The Broncs went 1-2 at the Marriott Houston Westchase Classic, sweeping Omaha (25-21, 25-22, 25-23), but falling to Louisiana (21-25, 17-25, 25-22, 19-25) and host Houston Baptist (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 12-25, 13-15) ... Alisha Watson earned all-tournament team honors after averaging 1.58 kills, 2.33 digs, 0.50 blocks and 0.42 service aces ... Haley Durham tied her career-high with seven blocked shots against Louisiana and ranks third in the WAC with a 1.35 per set average ... Watson notched five service aces against Omaha ... On Monday UTPA defeated Lamar in five sets (25-23, 19-25, 27-25, 16-25, 15-13) ... Diara Reynolds posted a team-high 14 kills, including the match-winner ... UTPA leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.169)and ranks third in digs (15.12) ... The Broncs travel to Conway, Ark., for the Sugar Bear Classic this weekend, where they will face Jackson State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Louisiana-Monroe and host Central Arkansas.
UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
The Wolverines went 1-2 to open the season at the La Quinta Inn & Suites Invitational, defeating North Dakota State (25-14, 25-19, 25-19), but falling to Arizona State (21-25, 18-25, 10-25) and No. 24 Wichita State (22-25, 23-25, 19-25) ... Macky Treanor was the lone Wolverine named to the all-tournament team after averaging WAC-bests of 5.11 kills on .447 hitting to go along with 3.00 digs ... Treanor posted her first career double-double in her first collegiate match with a team-high 10 kills and 12 digs against the Sun Devils ... Treanor set the program three-set single-match record with 20 kills against the Bison, when she didn’t commit an attack error for a stellar .571 attack percentage. She also notched three aces ... The Wolverines host No. 25 Brigham Young on Tuesday, then travel to Tucson, Ariz., for the Arizona Desert Classic this weekend, where they will face Eastern Kentucky, Butler and the host Wildcats.