BAKERSFIELD’S SAWYER EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Bakersfield junior outside hitter Kelsee Sawyer has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 13-19. This is her first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Temecula, Calif., native averaged 5.12 kills and 0.50 digs per set as the Roadrunners went 2-0 last week. Sawyer opened the week with 11 kills on a .296 clip in a sweep of Seattle U. She followed it up with a career-high 30 kills on .443 hitting in a five-set win over Utah Valley on Saturday. The 30 kills are a WAC season high and are the second-most by a Bakersfield player at the Division I level, while her .443 hitting percentage is a season high. Sawyer entered the week averaging 3.27 kills on .189 hitting.
Other nominees included: Natalie Tardy of Grand Canyon averaged 4.50 kills and 2.00 digs per set in a pair of losses ... Missouri-Kansas City’s Melissa Hartsel averaged 2.17 kills on .451 hitting to go along with 1.42 blocks per set as the Kangaroos went 3-0 on the week and extended their win streak to 14 matches ... Kassandra Tohm of New Mexico State averaged 2.43 kills on .552 hitting to go along with 0.43 blocks per set as the Aggies went 1-1 on the week ... Seattle U’s Martina Samadan averaged 4.43 kills on .463 hitting and 1.14 blocks per set as the Redhawks went 1-1 on the week ... Maria Kliefoth of Texas-Pan American averaged 2.71 kills on .375 hitting and 1.57 blocks per set as the Broncs went 1-1 last week ... Utah Valley’s McKenna Tait averaged 5.23 digs and 0.85 assists per set as the Wolverines went 1-2 on the week.
MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY SETS SEVERAL PROGRAM RECORDS
Missouri-Kansas City currently has the best overall (18-3) and WAC (6-0) records in the conference. The 18 wins is tied for second-most in program history, while the 6-0 WAC start is the best conference start in school history. The Kangaroos are also on an 14-match winning streak, the longest win streak in school history, and on Oct. 13 defeated Missouri for just the fourth time in school history and the first time since 1994.
BAKERSFIELD’S SAWYER, O’HAGAN BOTH SURPASS 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Bakersfield junior outside hitter Kelsee Sawyer surpassed 1,000 career points on Oct. 18 at Utah Valley. Her teammate senior middle blocker Molly O’Hagan reached the 1,000-point plateau against Chicago State on Oct. 2. O’Hagan now has 1,059 career points, while Sawyer has 1,003.
KLIEFOTH, DURHAM AMONG UTPA’S ALL-TIME BEST BLOCKERS
Texas-Pan American senior Maria Kliefoth and junior Haley Durham are among the best blockers in program history. Kliefoth ranks sixth in both block assists (207) and total blocks (243), and ninth in blocks per set (0.66). Durham is first in blocks per set (0.83), and seventh in both block assists (186) and total blocks (231).
UVU’S ATOA PICKS UP 200TH DIVISION I VICTORY
Utah Valley head coach Sam Atoa recorded his 200th Division I victory on Oct. 4 in a win over Texas-Pan American. Atoa is now 202-140 (.591) in 12 seasons at the Division I level and 340-171 (.665) overall in his career in 16 years at Utah Valley.
SAMADAN POSTS SEATTLE U’S FIFTH-BEST HITTING PERCENTAGE
In a five-set win over Montana on Sept. 18, junior middle blocker Martina Samadan hit .645 in the match. It was the fifth-highest individual single-match hitting percentage in program history.
CHICAGO STATE SNAPS 64-MATCH HOME LOSING SKID
When it defeated IU Northwest on Sept. 12, Chicago State snapped a 64-match home losing skid that dated back to Oct. 13, 2007, when it defeated Air Force in five sets. The Cougars have already tripled their win total from the 2013 season.
WAC STAT LEADERS
As a team, Missouri-Kansas City leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.220), assists (12.76), kills (13.72) and digs (17.84). Meanwhile, New Mexico State leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.145), Seattle U is tops in blocks (2.65), while Chicago State leads the league in service aces (1.61).
Individually, Bakersfield’s Danika Youngblood leads the WAC in kills (3.67) and points (4.04), while teammate Luiza Martins is tops in assists (11.21). Utah Valley’s Lauren Bakker leads the league in hitting percentage (.350), while teammate McKenna Tait leads the conference in service aces (0.48). Seattle U’s Martina Samadan leads the WAC in blocks (1.29), while Missouri-Kansas City’s Taryn Miller is tops in digs (5.66).
In WAC matches only, Missouri-Kansas City leads the WAC in kills (13.72) and digs (17.04). Meanwhile, Seattle U is tops in blocks (2.96) and service aces (1.52). Utah Valley leads the league in hitting percentage (.272), New Mexico State is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.147) and Bakersfield leads the WAC in assists (12.89).
Individually in conference matches only, Youngblood leads the WAC in kills (4.22) and points (4.69), while Missouri-Kansas City’s Emma Hagedorn leads the league in hitting percentage (.421). Seattle U’s Stephanie Stoll is tops in blocks (1.41), while Mackenzie Phelps of Grand Canyon leads the league in digs (5.69). Martins is tops in assists (11.44), while Texas-Pan American’s Alisha Watson leads the conference in service aces (0.52).
NEW MEXICO STATE FAVORED IN WAC PRESEASON POLL
The WAC coaches selected New Mexico State as the team to beat in 2014. The Aggies received six first-place votes, while Seattle U received the other two. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The Aggies earned 48 total points, followed by Seattle U with 43. Utah Valley was picked to finish third with 35 points, followed by Missouri-Kansas City in fourth with 27 points, just ahead of Bakersfield in fifth with 26 and Grand Canyon in sixth with 22 points. Texas-Pan American and Chicago State rounded out the poll with 16 and seven points, respectively.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Utah Valley junior middle blocker Lauren Bakker, who last year ranked second in the league in blocks per set (1.31) and ninth in hitting percentage (.272), was selected as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
New Mexico State and Utah Valley placed the most players on the preseason All-WAC team with three apiece, while Seattle U, UMKC and Grand Canyon had two each. Joining Bakker on the preseason team are teammates Kalani Norris and McKenna Tait, New Mexico State’s Taylor Livoti, Gwen Murphy and Bradley Nash, Seattle U’s Iris Ivanis and Martina Samadan, UMKC’s Sydney Crimmins and Emma Hagedorn, Grand Canyon’s Shannon Dugan and Mackenzie Phelps, Bakersfield’s Molly O’Hagan, and Haley Durham of UTPA.
2014 WAC TOURNAMENT
The 2014 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 20-22 at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif., and will include the top six eligible teams in the regular-season standings.
WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Nov. 20 (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.
Friday, Nov. 21 (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.
Saturday, Nov. 22 (Championship)
Match 5 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 5 p.m.
WAC TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets for the 2014 WAC Volleyball Tournament, which will be held Nov. 20-22 at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif., are on sale now. All-session tickets, which are general admission seating and include admission to all five matches, are $25. Tickets can be purchased through both the Bakersfield website (gorunners.com) and the Vallitix website (vallitix.com).
Single-session tickets, which allow access to one day’s worth of matches, will be available for purchase on Monday, Nov. 17.
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
Of the seven first team All-WAC players in 2013, three return for the 2014 season, led by Preseason Player of the Year Lauren Bakker of Utah Valley. Also returning from the first team are Gwen Murphy of New Mexico State and McKenna Tait of Utah Valley.
Five of the seven second team honorees return, including Sydney Crimmins and Taryn Miller of UMKC, Iris Ivanis and Martina Samadan of Seattle U, and Bakersfield’s Molly O’Hagan.
Of the six All-Freshman Team honorees a year ago, five return – Ivanis and Kerry Lane of Seattle U, Kaylyn Brandt of UMKC, Alisha Watson of UTPA and Nakisha Willden of Utah Valley.