GRAND CANYON’S TARDY EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Grand Canyon freshman outside hitter Natalie Tardy has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2. This is her second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and of her career.
The Phoenix, Ariz. native averaged a WAC-best 4.90 points, 4.20 kills, 3.40 digs and 0.60 blocks per set and led the Antelopes to a victory over Missouri-Kansas City, handing the Kangaroos their first WAC loss of the season and first loss since Sept. 9, snapping a 17-match winning streak. In the five-set win, Tardy finished with 21 kills, 17 digs and three blocks for her seventh double-double of the season. With the score tied 14-14 in the fifth set, she had back-to-back kills to end the match and give the Lopes the win. Tardy entered the week averaging 3.60 kills, 2.68 digs and 0.30 blocks per set.
Other nominees included: Bakersfield’s Luiza Martins led the Roadrunners to a 1-1 record last week, averaging 10.70 assists, 4.57 digs and 0.57 kills per set ... Taryn Miller of Missouri-Kansas City averaged 7.56 digs and 0.67 assists and became the all-time program leader in career digs last week ... New Mexico State’s Nathalie Castellanos led the Aggies to a 2-0 record last week after averaging 2.75 kills on .404 hitting, 0.62 blocks and 0.62 digs per set ... Matea Mamic of Seattle U averaged 4.29 kills, 1.43 digs and 0.43 blocks per set as the Redhawks went 1-1 last week ... Texas-Pan American’s Haley Durham averaged 2.57 kills, 0.86 digs and 0.43 blocks per set as the Broncs went 0-2 on the week ... Macky Treanor of Utah Valley averaged 4.12 kills, 1.38 digs and 0.38 blocks per set as the Wolverines went 1-1 on the week.
MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY’S MILLER BECOMES PROGRAM’S ALL-TIME LEADER IN DIGS
On Oct. 30, Missouri-Kansas City junior libero Taryn Miller broke the UMKC school record for career digs, passing Nicole Kerkman’s mark of 1,611. Miller now has 1,662 digs in her three-year career. Additionally, her 585 digs this season rank second on the UMKC single season list, 59 shy of the school record. Miller has recorded 30 or more digs in a match six times this season.
MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS
When it defeated Bakersfield on Oct. 30, Missouri-Kansas City notched its 21st win of the season, breaking the previous record of 20 held by the 1999 team. UMKC currently sits atop the WAC standings with a 21-4 overall record and a 9-1 WAC mark. On Oct. 13, the Kangaroos defeated Missouri for just the fourth time in school history and the first time since 1994.
UVU’S BAKKER TIES ALL-TIME PROGRAM SOLO BLOCKS RECORD
With a solo block at New Mexico State on Nov. 1, Utah Valley junior middle blocker Lauren Bakker tied the UVU all-time record for career solo blocks with 46. She needs just one more solo block to become the program’s all-time leader in that category. Bakker is also 11 total blocks shy of becoming the Wolverines’ all-time leader in that category (427) and 11 shy of becoming the school’s all-time leader in block assists (381).
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 1,113 career points, while Sawyer has 1,025.
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 (212) and total blocks (248), and ninth in blocks per set (0.66). Durham is first in blocks per set (0.83), and seventh in both block assists (196) and total blocks (243).
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 203-144 (.585) in 12 seasons at the Division I level and 341-175 (.661) 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 (.227), assists (12.71), kills (13.65) and digs (17.95). Meanwhile, New Mexico State leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.151), Seattle U is tops in blocks (2.70), while Chicago State leads the league in service aces (1.46).
Individually, Bakersfield’s Danika Youngblood leads the WAC in kills (3.70), while teammate Luiza Martins is tops in assists (11.12). Seattle U’s Martina Samadan leads the league in hitting percentage (.364) and blocks (1.32), while Utah Valley’s McKenna Tait leads the conference in service aces (0.46). Grand Canyon’s Natalie Tardy is tops in points (4.12), while Missouri-Kansas City’s Taryn Miller leads the WAC in digs (5.79).
In WAC matches only, Missouri-Kansas City leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.138), kills (13.55) and digs (17.62). Meanwhile, Utah Valley is tops in hitting percentage (.249), Bakersfield leads the league in assists (12.76), and Seattle U is tops in blocks (2.97) and service aces (1.55).
Individually in conference matches only, Youngblood leads the WAC in kills (4.10) and points (4.54), while Missouri-Kansas City’s Emma Hagedorn leads the league in hitting percentage (.398). Martins is tops in assists (11.17), while Grand Canyon’s Hannah Hankins leads the conference in service aces (0.51). Samadan is tops in blocks (1.42), while Mackenzie Phelps of Grand Canyon leads the league in digs (5.91).
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.