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UTAH VALLEY'S DENNISON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah Valley junior middle blocker Madison Dennison has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 3-9. This is her first WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the second of her career.
The Pleasant Grove, Utah, native put up a career-high 17 kills on .387 hitting in a 3-1 victory over WAC foe Seattle U on Saturday in the Wolverines' only match last week. Dennison also added six blocks and a career-best six digs. The victory, which marked the third consecutive for Utah Valley, helped propel the Wolverines into a four-way tie for second place in the league standings with a 3-2 league record. Dennison, who leads the WAC and ranks fifth in the nation in total blocks (108), has 17 more blocks than any other player in the WAC.
Other nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Carol Grasso averaged 5.25 kills and 2.25 digs as the Roadrunners went 1-1 on the week ... Megan Klavitter of Chicago State averaged 3.89 digs, 0.67 service aces and 0.33 assists per set as the Cougars won their first-ever WAC match ... Grand Canyon's Jordyn Sanchez averaged 3.50 kills and 1.70 digs per set last week ... Emma Hagedorn of UMKC averaged 3.78 kills on .433 hitting and 1.11 blocks per set as the ‘Roos went 2-0 last week ... NM State's Sasha-Lee Thomas averaged 3.83 kills on .320 hitting and 1.00 blocks per set in a pair of wins last week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State currently leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.154), assists (13.15) and kills (14.19), while UMKC is tops in hitting percentage (.265). Utah Valley leads the league in blocks (3.01), Seattle U is tops in service aces (1.63) and UT Rio Grande Valley leads the WAC in digs (16.69).
Individually, UMKC's Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.440), while teammate Kaylyn Brandt leads the league in assists (10.97). CSU Bakersfield's Carol Grasso is tops in kills (3.89), service aces (0.44) and points (4.55), while Utah Valley's Madison Dennison leads the WAC in blocks (1.57) and UT Rio Grande Valley's Fatoumata Dacosta is tops in digs (4.99).
In WAC matches only, UMKC leads the league in hitting percentage (.266) and kills (14.15), while NM State is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.126) and assists (13.05). UT Rio Grande Valley leads the league in blocks (3.13), CSU Bakersfield is tops in service aces (2.00) and Utah Valley leads the WAC in digs (17.19).
Individually in WAC matches, Hagedorn leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.458), while Grasso is tops in kills (4.50), service aces (0.83) and points (5.56). Brandt leads the league in assists (11.10), while Dennison is tops in blocks (1.71) and teammate Nakisha Willden leads the league in digs (6.52).
CHICAGO STATE WINS FIRST-EVER WAC MATCH
Chicago State came back from a two-set deficit to capture its first WAC victory in program history on Oct. 6 with a 3-2 win over Grand Canyon. The win snapped a 47-match losing streak in WAC play dating back to the 2013 season and marked the Cougars' first conference win since Nov. 12, 2011, when the team posted a 3-2 victory at NJIT as a member of the Great West Conference.
NM STATE EXTENDS WAC WIN STREAK TO 19 MATCHES
With a sweeps of UT Rio Grande Valley last week, NM State extended its WAC winning streak to 19 matches. The Aggies went 14-0 in WAC play last season, their first-ever unbeaten conference record since joining the WAC in 2005. NM State's last WAC loss came on Nov. 15, 2014, a 3-1 defeat at UMKC.
UTRGV MATCHES LAST YEAR'S WIN TOTAL
At 12-7, UT Rio Grande Valley has already matched its win total from a year ago and has a minimum of 12 matches remaining this season. The program Division I record for wins is 19 (1996, 2003).
SEATTLE U'S IVANIS RECORDS 1,000TH CAREER DIG
Seattle U senior libero Iris Ivanis recorded her 1,000th career dig in the fourth set of the Redhawks' loss at Utah Valley on Oct. 8. The Pozega, Croatia, native transitioned to libero this season currently and leads Seattle U and ranks fourth in the WAC with 296 digs. She is the only active player in the WAC with more than 1,000 career digs.
UTRGV'S SILVA CURRENTLY HOLDS BEST SEASON BLOCKING AVERAGE
UT Rio Grande Valley freshman middle blocker Barbara Silva is currently averaging 1.28 blocks per set, the best single-season average in program history. Sophomore teammate Alexandra Ecker is close behind in a tie for second place with 1.14 blocks per set.
UTRGV'S DACOSTA ON PACE TO ENTER RECORD BOOK FOR DIGS
UT Rio Grande Valley senior libero Fatoumata Dacosta currently ranks 22nd nationally and leads the WAC with 359 digs this season. She has posted double-digit digs in all but two matches, has 20 or more digs in eight of 19 matches and had a career-high 32 digs against Utah Valley on Sept. 22. With a minimum of 12 matches remaining this season, at her current pace she would finish the season with 586 digs, good for second all-time in program history and ninth in the WAC record books.
UTAH VALLEY POSTS 20 BLOCKS AGAINST CSUN
In a Sept. 17 five-set battle against CSUN, Utah Valley recorded 20 blocks against the Matadors, the second highest output in program history and one shy of the record of 21. Junior middle blocker Madison Dennison led Utah Valley at the net against CSUN, putting up a career-high 12 blocks in the contest.
UTRGV'S WATSON APPROACHING 1,000 CAREER KILLS
UT Rio Grande Valley senior right side hitter Alisha Watson currently has 899 career kills, good for ninth place all-time in program history. She looks to become just the seventh player in program history to surpass 1,000 career kills. Watson also ranks fourth all-time in career service aces (110) and ninth in block assists (143).
UTAH VALLEY'S DENNISON POSTS CAREER HIGH 12 BLOCKS
Utah Valley preseason All-WAC selection Madison Dennison posted the first two double-doubles of her career for the Wolverines with a 12-kill, 10-block outing against Utah State on Sept. 13 and a 12-kill, 12-block performance against CSUN on Sept. 17. Dennison's 12-block outing against the Matadors was a new career high and a WAC season high.
UTRGV'S WATSON SURPASSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS
UT Rio Grande Valley senior right side hitter Alisha Watson tallied her 1,000th career point on Sept. 17 against Florida Gulf Coast. She now has 1,087 points during her four years with the program and is one of just two active players in the WAC with more than 1,000 career points.
CHICAGO STATE SNAPS 21-MATCH LOSING SKID
When the Cougars defeated Savannah State on Sept. 9, they snapped a 21-match losing skid that dated back to Sept. 19, 2015, when the team defeated Western Illinois in non-conference action.
SEATTLE U'S MAMIC SURPASSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS
With 15.5 points at UCF on Sept. 11, Seattle U senior outside hitter Matea Mamic surpassed 1,000 career points. Mamic now has 1,134 career points and is one of two active players in the WAC with more than 1,000.
NM STATE'S JORDAN PICKS UP 400TH CAREER VICTORY
NM State head coach Mike Jordan picked up his 400th career victory on Sept. 2 with a sweep of Valparaiso at the Trojan Invitational. In his 19th year at the helm, Jordan boasts a 412-181 (.695) record and is the winningest coach in program history.