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CSU BAKERSFIELD'S GRASSO NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CSU Bakersfield senior outside hitter Carol Grasso has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 24-30. This is her second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the third of her career.
The São Paulo, Brazil, native posted her 11th and 12th double-doubles of the season and averaged 3.75 kills, 3.88 digs, 0.62 service aces and 0.62 blocks per set last week in leading the Roadrunners to a pair of crucial road wins to remain in second place in the WAC standings. Grasso opened the week with 18 kills, 15 digs, five service aces and two blocks in a four-set win over UT Rio Grande Valley. On Saturday, she finished with 12 kills, 16 digs and three blocks in a win at NM State to end the Aggies' 24-match WAC winning streak that spanned two seasons. Grasso currently leads the WAC in points (4.65), kills (3.85) and service aces (0.56) per set. In WAC play only, she's even better, averaging 5.22 points, 4.10 kills and 0.85 service aces per set.
Other nominees included: Chicago State's Juma Armando averaged 4.44 kills and 3.56 digs per set as the Cougars went 0-2 last week ... Emma Hagedorn of UMKC averaged 3.00 kills on .460 hitting, 1.00 blocks and 0.38 service aces as the Roos went 2-0 on the week ... NM State's Tatyana Battle averaged 3.00 kills, 2.43 digs, 1.00 service aces and 0.71 blocks per set as the Aggies went 1-1 last week ... Katarina Marinkovic of Seattle U averaged 5.89 kills, 2.44 digs, 0.56 assists and 0.56 service aces as the Redhawks went 1-1 on the week ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Bojana Mitrovic averaged 3.58 kills, 2.25 digs and 1.17 blocks per set as the Vaqueros went 2-1 on the week ... Lexi Thompson of Utah Valley averaged 4.38 kills, 2.50 digs and 1.12 blocks per set as the Wolverines went 1-1 on the week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State currently leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.155), assists (13.08) and kills (14.21), while UMKC is tops in hitting percentage (.257). Utah Valley leads the league in blocks (2.97), Seattle U is tops in service aces (1.63) and UT Rio Grande Valley leads the WAC in digs (16.23).
Individually, UMKC's Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.450), while teammate Kaylyn Brandt leads the league in assists (11.07). CSU Bakersfield's Carol Grasso is tops in kills (3.85), service aces (0.56) and points (4.65), while Utah Valley's Madison Dennison leads the WAC in blocks (1.48) and teammate Nakisha Willden is tops in digs (4.99).
In WAC matches only, NM State leads the league in opponent hitting percentage (.138), assists (12.93) and kills (14.12), while UMKC is tops in hitting percentage (.249). Utah Valley leads the WAC in blocks (2.96), CSU Bakersfield is tops in service aces (1.95) and UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in digs (15.76).
Individually in WAC matches, Hagedorn leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.471), while Brandt is tops in assists (11.26). Grasso leads the league in kills (4.10), service aces (0.85) and points (5.22), while UT Rio Grande Valley's Barbara Silva is tops in blocks (1.52) and Willden leads the league in digs (5.67).
CSUB SNAPS NM STATE'S 24-MATCH WAC WINNING STREAK
With a four-set win over the Aggies at the Pan American Center on Oct. 29, CSU Bakersfield snapped NM State's 24-match WAC winning streak. Last season, the Aggies posted their first-ever unbeaten WAC record since joining the league in 2005. NM State's last WAC loss had come on Nov. 15, 2014, a 3-1 defeat at UMKC.
UTRGV'S WATSON RECORDS 1,000TH CAREER KILL VS. GCU
UT Rio Grande Valley senior right side hitter Alisha Watson recorded her 1,000th career kill in the second set of last Saturday's victory at Grand Canyon to become the seventh player in program history to surpass 1,000 career kills. She now has 1,003 career kills. Watson also ranks third all-time in career service aces (125), seventh in service aces per set (0.30) and eighth in block assists (162).
UMKC'S HAGEDORN LEADS NATION IN HITTING PERCENTAGE
In the latest NCAA statistics, UMKC's Emma Hagedorn leads the nation in hitting percentage at .450. She is more than 100 points better the next closest hitter in the WAC, teammate Madison Mosier, who is hitting .335 on the season.
UTRGV'S THREE-PRONGED ATTACK
UT Rio Grande Valley has three players averaging three or more kills per set in Ragni Steen Knudsen (3.68), Bojana Mitrovic (3.33) and Alisha Watson (3.04). Only three teams in the Top 25 - Texas, Florida and Ohio State - can say the same.
UTAH VALLEY TIES PROGRAM RECORDS FOR FIVE SET MATCHES
With a five-set victory over UT Rio Grande Valley on Oct. 22, Utah Valley tied the program record for five-set victories in a season at the Division I level with five. The Wolverines also tied the program record for most five-set thrillers in a season with eight, as they are now 5-3 in 2016 in five-set matches, which includes a 3-2 mark in WAC play.
SEATTLE U'S MAMIC RECORDS 1,000TH CAREER KILL
Seattle U senior outside hitter Matea Mamic became the only active player in the WAC with 1,000 or more kills when she recorded her 1,000th career kill against NM State on Oct. 22. Mamic, who now has 1,003 career kills, is the third Redhawk in the Division I era (since 2008) to achieve the feat.
UTRGV OFF TO BEST START IN DIVISION I HISTORY
At 17-10, UT Rio Grande Valley is off to its best start at the Division I level. The Vaqueros have a minimum of five matches remaining this season and need just two more victories to tie the program Division I record for wins at 19 (1996, 2003). UTRGV has six conference wins for the first time in its Division I history.
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 322 digs. She is the only active player in the WAC with more than 1,000 career digs at 1,100.
UTRGV'S DACOSTA ON PACE TO ENTER RECORD BOOK FOR DIGS
UT Rio Grande Valley senior libero Fatoumata Dacosta currently ranks 14th nationally and leads the WAC with 488 digs. She has posted double-digit digs in all but three matches, has 20 or more digs in 10 of 27 matches and had a career-high 34 digs against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Oct. 11. With a minimum of five matches remaining this season, at her current pace she would finish the season with 578 digs, good for second all-time in program history.