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NM STATE'S BATTLE NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NM State sophomore outside hitter Tatyana Battle has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 31-Nov. 6. This is her first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Albuquerque, N.M., native had a career night, posting her seventh double-double of the season in a crucial road win at UT Rio Grande Valley to give the Aggies at least a share of the WAC regular-season title. Battle posted a career-high 28 kills on .333 hitting to go with a career-high 18 digs in a 3-2 victory over the Vaqueros. The sophomore also added three blocks and a service ace in the win. However, it was her six kills in the fifth set that propelled the Aggies to the road victory. Battle entered the week averaging 3.60 points, 3.13 kills, 2.11 digs and 0.26 blocks per set. Last week she nearly doubled her production, averaging 6.20 points, 5.60 kills, 3.60 digs and 0.60 blocks per set.
Other nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Kate Dunbar-Lowe averaged 4.00 kills on .500 hitting, 0.50 digs and 0.50 blocks per set as the Roadrunners went 2-0 last week ... Randahl Powers of Grand Canyon finished with 19 kills in a win over Chicago State to snap an 18-match losing skid ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Alisha Watson averaged 2.33 kills, 1.00 digs and 0.67 blocks per set as the Vaqueros went 0-2 last week ... Sierra Starley of Utah Valley averaged 9.38 assists, 2.38 digs, 1.38 blocks, 1.00 kills and 0.50 service aces per set as the Wolverines went 2-0 on the week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State currently leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.157), assists (13.18) and kills (14.28), while UMKC is tops in hitting percentage (.255). Utah Valley leads the league in blocks (3.00), Seattle U is tops in service aces (1.63) and UT Rio Grande Valley leads the WAC in digs (16.03).
Individually, UMKC's Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.443), while teammate Kaylyn Brandt leads the league in assists (11.08). CSU Bakersfield's Carol Grasso is tops in kills (4.00), service aces (0.60) and points (4.85), while Utah Valley's Madison Dennison leads the WAC in blocks (1.50) and teammate Nakisha Willden is tops in digs (4.99).
In WAC matches only, NM State leads the league in opponent hitting percentage (.146), assists (13.15) and kills (14.28), while UMKC is tops in hitting percentage (.246). Utah Valley leads the WAC in blocks (3.02), CSU Bakersfield is tops in service aces (2.00) and UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in digs (15.68).
Individually in WAC matches, Hagedorn leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.453), while Brandt is tops in assists (11.24). Grasso leads the league in kills (4.33), service aces (0.89) and points (5.50), while Dennison is tops in blocks (1.49) and Willden leads the league in digs (5.61).
NM STATE CLINCHES AT LEAST A SHARE OF WAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
With a 3-2 win at UT Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 5, NM State clinched at least a share of its second-straight WAC regular-season title. If the Aggies win one more match, they win the title outright.
CSUB TIES PROGRAM RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE WINS
With a pair of wins last week, CSU Bakersfield has now won six straight matches. This ties the school Division I record for consecutive victories in a season which was established during the 2013 season.
UTRGV'S SILVA BREAKS SEASON BLOCKING RECORDS
On Nov. 5 against NM State, UT Rio Grande Valley freshman middle blocker Barbara Silva broke the program single-season record for total blocks and now has 142. Earlier this season she broke the program record for block assists and now has 130. Silva is currently averaging 1.26 blocks per set, the best single-season average in program history. Sophomore teammate Alexandra Ecker is close behind in third place with 1.07 blocks per set, while junior Bojana Mitrovic ranks fourth with 0.94 blocks per set.
UTAH VALLEY BREAKS PROGRAM RECORDS FOR FIVE SET MATCHES
With a five-set victory in-state foe Weber State on Nov. 1, Utah Valley set a program record for five-set victories in a season at the Division I level with six. The Wolverines also set a program record for five-set thrillers in a season with nine, as they are now 6-3 in 2016 in five-set matches, which includes a 3-2 mark in WAC play.
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 on Oct. 29 at Grand Canyon to become the seventh player in program history to surpass 1,000 career kills. She now has 1,024 career kills. Watson also ranks third all-time in career service aces (126), seventh in service aces per set (0.30) and eighth in block assists (167).
UMKC'S HAGEDORN FOURTH NATIONALLY IN HITTING PERCENTAGE
In the latest NCAA statistics, UMKC's Emma Hagedorn ranks fourth nationally in hitting percentage at .443. She is more than 100 points better the next closest hitter in the WAC, teammate Madison Mosier, who is hitting .340 on the season.
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 NETS SIX CONFERENCE WINS FOR FIRST TIME EVER
UT Rio Grande Valley has recorded six conference wins for the first time in its Division I history. The Vaqueros have a minimum of three matches remaining this season and need just two more victories to tie the program Division I record for wins at 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 380 digs. She is the only active player in the WAC with more than 1,000 career digs at 1,110.
UTRGV'S DACOSTA ON PACE TO ENTER RECORD BOOK FOR DIGS
UT Rio Grande Valley senior libero Fatoumata Dacosta currently ranks 20th nationally and ranks second in the WAC with 518 digs. She has posted double-digit digs in all but three matches and had a career-high 34 digs against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Oct. 11. With a minimum of three matches remaining this season, at her current pace she would finish the season with 578 digs, good for second all-time in program history.
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.
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, putting up a career-high 12 blocks in the contest.
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. The WAC's active career leader in points, she now has 1,243 points during her four years with the program.
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.
CHICAGO STATE SNAPS 21-MATCH LOSING SKID
When Chicago State defeated Savannah State in straight sets at the Alabama State Tournament on Sept. 9, the Cougars 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 1,185 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 418-183 (.696) record and is the winningest coach in program history.
2016 WAC TOURNAMENT
The 2016 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 17-19 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M., and will include the top six eligible teams in the regular-season standings.
All-session passes are $25 for adults, $10 for youth (ages 3-12) and free for children (two and under) and students from participating WAC schools with a valid ID. Single-session passes are $12 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 3-12). Tickets can be purchased by calling the Pan American Center box office at (575) 646-1420.
The complete schedule is below.
Thursday, Nov. 17 (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. 18 (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. 19 (Championship)
Match 5 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 7 p.m.
NM STATE FAVORED IN WAC PRESEASON POLL
The WAC volleyball coaches selected NM State to win the WAC regular-season crown in 2016 as the Aggies received six of the first-place votes and 48 total points to earn the top spot in the poll. CSU Bakersfield earned one first-place vote and 38 total points, followed by Seattle U with one first-place vote and 34 points in third place. UMKC was picked to finish fourth with 31 points, followed by Utah Valley in fifth with 27 points. UT Rio Grande Valley was picked sixth with 24 points, while Grand Canyon and Chicago State round out the poll with 15 and seven points, respectively.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Aggie junior middle hitter Sasha-Lee Thomas was the pick for WAC Preseason Player of the Year. NM State placed the most players on the preseason All-WAC team with four, while UMKC had three, and CSU Bakersfield and UT Rio Grande Valley had two apiece. Joining Thomas on the preseason team are teammates Jordan Abalos, Brianna Ainsworth and Tatyana Battle, UMKC's Kaylyn Brandt, Emma Hagedorn and Madison Mosier, CSU Bakersfield's Carol Grasso and Sydney Haynes, UT Rio Grande Valley's Bojana Mitrovic and Alisha Watson, Grand Canyon's Natalie Tardy, Seattle U's Matea Mamic and Utah Valley's Madison Dennison.
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
Of the seven first team All-WAC players in 2014, two return for the 2016 season - UMKC's Madison Mosier and UT Rio Grande Valley's Bojana Mitrovic. Two of the seven second team honorees return, including CSU Bakersfield's Carol Grasso, Seattle U's Matea Mamic and Preseason Player of the Year Sasha-Lee Thomas of NM State.
Five of the six All-Freshman Team honorees from a year ago return - Brianna Ainsworth and Tatyana Battle of NM State, Alexandra Ecker and Dubravka Vukoja of UTRGV and Maja Stojanovic of Seattle U.
2016 NCAA TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
The NCAA Division I championship bracket will be announced Sunday, Nov. 27. First & Second Round single-elimination competition will be held Dec. 1-3 on 16 campus sites. The winning team from each of the 16 second rounds advances to the Regionals, which will be held Dec. 9-10 at four non-predetermined sites. The winning team from each of the four Regionals will advance to the championship final. The 2016 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The National Semifinals will be held Dec. 15 and the National Championship will take place Dec. 17.