SEATTLE U’S LANE EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Seattle U sophomore setter Kerry Lane has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5. This is her first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Tucson, Ariz., native averaged a WAC-best 11.00 assists to go along with 1.43 blocks, 1.29 digs and 0.43 service aces per set as the Redhawks went 2-0 on the week. Lane opened the week with 36 assists, tied for the most in a three-set match this season, plus added a season-high four kills to go along with two service aces, four digs and three blocks in a sweep of Texas-Pan American. She also set the team to a .293 hitting percentage, the second-highest for the Redhawks in 2014. On Saturday, she finished with 41 assists, a career-high seven blocks, five digs, two kills and a service ace as Seattle U handed New Mexico State its first conference loss since Oct. 19, 2013. Lane, who entered the week averaging 9.29 assists and 0.49 blocks per set on the season, leads the WAC in assists per set in conference matches (11.08) and has led the Redhawks to the highest hitting percentage in WAC matches (.249).
Other nominees included: Molly O’Hagan of Bakersfield averaged 3.14 kills, 1.14 blocks, 1.00 digs and 0.57 service aces per set as the Roadrunners went 1-1 on the week ... Grand Canyon’s Natalie Tardy averaged 4.57 kills and 2.25 digs per set as the Antelopes went 1-1 on the week ... Emma Hagedorn of Missouri-Kansas City averaged 2.67 kills on .353 hitting, 1.89 blocks and 0.44 digs per set as the Kangaroos tied the school record for consecutive wins at nine matches ... New Mexico State’s Nathalie Castellanos averaged 2.33 kills on .429 hitting to go along with 0.56 digs per set as the Aggies went 1-1 on the week ... Alisha Watson of Texas-Pan American averaged 3.33 kills, 1.33 digs and 0.67 service aces per set in a pair of losses last week ... Utah Valley’s Lauren Bakker averaged 2.75 kills on .395 hitting and 1.62 blocks per set as the Wolverines went 1-1 on the week.
MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY OFF TO BEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Missouri-Kansas City, which won a pair of WAC matches last week, has the best overall (13-3) and WAC (2-0) records in the conference. The 13-3 mark is the best start in school history. The Kangaroos are also on a nine-match winning streak, tied with the 1992 team for the longest win streak in school history.
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 200-138 (.592) in 12 seasons at the Division I level and 338-169 (.667) overall in his career in 16 years at Utah Valley.
BAKERSFIELD’S O’HAGAN REGISTERS 1,000TH CAREER POINT
Bakersfield senior middle blocker Molly O’Hagan reached the 1,000-point plateau on her career when she tallied 15 points against Chicago State on Oct. 2. She now has 1,017 points and 815 kills on her career.
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 (196) and total blocks (231), and ninth in blocks per set (0.65). Durham is first in blocks per set (0.83), and seventh in both block assists (180) and total blocks (220).
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 (.209), assists (12.61), kills (13.50) and digs (18.42). Meanwhile, New Mexico State is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.146) and blocks (2.67), while Chicago State leads the league in service aces (1.65).
Individually, Bakersfield’s Danika Youngblood leads the WAC in kills (3.56) and points (3.92), while teammate Luiza Martins is tops in assists (10.98). Utah Valley’s Lauren Bakker leads the league in hitting percentage (.334), while teammate McKenna Tait leads the conference in service aces (0.55). Missouri-Kansas City’s Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC in blocks (1.26), while teammate Taryn Miller is tops in digs (5.91).
In WAC matches only, Missouri-Kansas City leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.095), assists (12.89), kills (13.44), blocks (3.33) and digs (19.67). Meanwhile, Seattle U is tops in hitting percentage (.249) and service aces (1.83).
Individually in conference matches only, Youngblood leads the WAC in kills (4.19) and points (4.66), while New Mexico State’s Gwen Murphy leads the league in hitting percentage (.414). Hagedorn is tops in blocks (1.89), while Miller leads the league in digs (5.44). Seattle U’s Kerry Lane is tops in assists (11.08), while Texas-Pan American’s Alisha Watson leads the conference in service aces (0.80).
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.
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.
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.