This week in WAC Volleyball - Nov. 16
This week in WAC Volleyball - Nov. 16
FELIZ, MOSHER AND EMILIANO NAMED TICKETSMARTER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Chicago State outside hitter Yanlis Feliz and NM State middle blocker Lia Mosher have been named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Volleyball Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Nov. 8 through 14. UT Rio Grande Valley setter Luanna Emiliano tabbed the WAC Freshman of the Week honors.
Feliz, a redshirt-sophomore from Pedernales, Dominican Republic, had another whopping offensive week tallying 43 kills with an average of 6.14 per set this past week. She opened the week with a 21-kill match as the Cougar swept Grand Canyon on the road. She then posted 22 to close the regular season as they fall short against NM State, Saturday.
Mosher, a redshirt-senior from Ruidoso, N.M., was opposite of Feliz in the title-clinching match. She recorded 10 total blocks this past week to average 1.11 per set. Six of her 10 blocks came from Saturday's 3-1 win over Chicago State where she averaged 1.50 blocks per set.
Emiliano, from Belo Horizon, Brazil, recorded a total of 77 assists to average 11 per set. The freshman also contributed defensively tallying 34 digs and 4 blocks over seven sets. She hit a defensive milestone with a career-high of 19 digs on Thursday's win over Tarleton. She now has 21 double-doubles this season.
Other offensive nominees included: California Baptist's Tesa Oaks posted 16 total kills and five service aces in seven sets this past week… Grand Canyon's Annabelle Kubinski had a clean offensive week posting seven kills with no errors against Chicago State, Thursday… NM State's Cat Kelly averaged three kills per set this past week, posting 15 kills on Saturday's 3-1 against Chicago State… Sam Houston's Ashley Lewis averaged 4.75 kills per set posting a total of 19 kills in Thursday's 3-1 win over Stephen F. Austin… Tarleton's Elise Smith totaled 22 kills only committing one error over seven sets this past week… UT Rio Grande Valley's Sarah Cruz averaged 5.29 kills per set with 37 over seven sets, contributing to two wins this past week… Utah Valley's Tori Dorius averaged 3.33 kills per set only committing two errors in the Wolverine's two sweep wins this past week.
Other defensive nominees included: Abilene Christian's Madison Lawler averaged five digs per set with 35 over seven sets this past week… California Baptist's Paige Johnstone posted an average of 4.14 digs per set with a total of 29 over seven sets, 20 of which came from their three-set match against Utah Valley, Thursday… Chicago State's Andrea Calderon averaged four digs per set with 28 over seven sets… Grand Canyon's Teagan DeFalco Finished the week averaging 2.67 digs per set… Sam Houston's Hannah Baker totaled 26 digs with 26 over four sets…Tarleton's Ana Costas averaged 4.14 digs per set with 29 over seven sets… UT Rio Grande Valley's Luana Emiliano averaged 4.86 digs per set contributing to UTRGV's two wins this past week… Utah Valley's Sadie Hamson posted the highest blocking stats this past week with 1.83 per set contributing to the Wolverines' two sweeps this past week.
Other freshman nominees included: California Baptist's Laura Walewska posted 1.20 kills per set to go along with three total blocks last week… Chicago State's Berenice Almeyda tallied 11 kills, nine digs and three blocks across seven sets last week… Grand Canyon's McKenzie Wise averaged 4.00 kills and 2.33 digs per set this past week… Sam Houston's Hannah Baker totaled 26 digs over four sets while getting two aces from the service line.
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State leads the WAC in overall hitting percentage (.262), kills per set (13.73) and assists per set (12.63). Sam Houston leads in digs per set (17.72). Utah Valley are leads in blocks per set (2.65). California Baptist and Grand Canyon leads in service aces per set (1.79).
Individually, NM State's Lia Mosher leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.407), while Chicago State's Yanlis Feliz is the leader in kills per set (5.25) and points per set (5.80). Tarleton's Lorin McNeil leads the league in blocks per set (1.27) and Grand Canyon's Teagan DeFalco paces the WAC in digs per set (5.21). Grand Canyon's Klaire Mitchell is the top assister, posting 10.34 per set. Grand Canyon's Teagan DeFalco leads in service aces per set (0.40).
In WAC matches only, NM State tops in hitting percentage (.273) and assists per set (13.31), while Utah Valley leads in blocks per set (2.83). Sam Houston leads in digs per set (18.50). Grand Canyon is the top squad in service aces per set (1.79).
Individually in WAC play, NM State's Lia Mosher leads in hit percentage (.407), while Tarleton's Lorin McNeil is the top blocker at 1.52 per set. Chicago State's Yanlis Feliz is the leader in kills (5.63) and points (6.20) per set. Grand Canyon's Klaire Mitchell leads the WAC in assists per set (10.60) and fellow Lope Teagan DeFalco is the front runner in digs per set (5.43). California Baptist's Hana Okuhara leads in service aces per set (0.46).
WEEK AT A GLANCE
Sam Houston and NM State earned their division titles following their last conference match win.
Sam Houston went against the then second ranked Stephen F. Austin and clinched the Southwest Division title with a 3-1 win on the road.
NM State and Chicago State fought for the West Division title when they went head-to-head in their last match of the regular season. The Aggies came out on top with a 3-1 win at home.
We head to Las Cruces, N.M., for the 2021 WAC volleyball tournament. The first service between Sam Houston and Abilene Christian will be on Thursday, at 10 a.m.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
A trio of WAC programs are among the nation's best at defending home court. Grand Canyon, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin each carry home winning streaks of 10 matches or longer. Grand Canyon currently sits at 8-0 inside GCU Arena this season and is riding a 14-match win streak. Last weekend, Sam Houston won its eighth and ninth matches at home this season to push the Bearkats streak to 10 matches. Meanwhile, Stephen F. Austin carries the longest home winning streak in the WAC at 22 matches, managing a 10-0 record inside Shelton Gym this season.
COUGARS REACH HISTORIC MARK
Chicago State earned their 13th win of the season two weekends ago to give the Cougars their most wins since 1987 and eclipse the program's mark for most wins in a season since it became Division I in 1988. In an incredible turnaround, CSU finds itself just one match back of a tie for first place in the West Division after a season in which they finished 0-8 in WAC play.
TOURNAMENT HONORS
With twelve of the thirteen WAC schools first week of play coming at a pre-conference tournament, there was plenty of opportunities to shine against unfamiliar opponents. 11 athletes from five WAC schools earned honors for their play last weekend, including a trio of tournament MVP's. Abilene Christian's Lindsey Toney, Grand Canyon's Klaire Mitchell and Sam Houston's Morgan Janda each claimed MVP honors at their respective tournaments. Below is the complete list of athletes who garnered all-tournament team recognition:
Breanne Chausse, Sam Houston - Bearkat Invitational
Luanna Emiliano, UT Rio Grande Valley - New Orleans Invitational
Hannah Eskes, Grand Canyon - Idaho Volleyball Classic
Christine Graf, California Baptist - Georgia State Invitational
Morgan Janda, Sam Houston - Bearkat Invitational (MVP)
Ashley Lewis, Sam Houston - Bearkat Invitational
Klaire Mitchell, Grand Canyon - Idaho Volleyball Classic (MVP)
Madison Rohre, Abilene Christian - ACU Invitational
Luisa Silva Dos Santos, UT Rio Grande Valley - New Orleans Invitational
Lindsey Toney, Abilene Christian - ACU Invitational (MVP)
McKenzie Wise, Grand Canyon - Idhao Volleyball Classic
In week two of non-conference play, eight WAC athletes earned all-tournament honors, including Grand Canyon freshman McKenzie Wise who was named MVP of the GCU Invitational.
Berenice Almeyda, Chicago State - Windy City Classic
Jada Birkel, Abilene Christian - Wildcat Classic
Andrea Calderon, Chicago State - Windy City Classic
Teagan DeFalco, Grand Canyon - GCU Invitational (Outstanding Libero)
Hannah Eskes, Grand Canyon - GCU Invitational
Yanlis Feliz, Chicago State - Windy City Classic
Sydney Reed, Grand Canyon - GCU Invitational
McKenzie Wise, Grand Canyon - GCU Invitational (MVP)
WAC teams continued the trend in week three as eight athletes were named to all-tournament teams, highlighted by NM State's Shaney Lipscomb who earned MVP honors at the Colonel Challenge.
Katie Birtcil, NM State - Colonel Challenge
Teagan DeFalco, Grand Canyon - Portland State Tournament
Annabelle Kubinski, Grand Canyon - Portland State Tournament
Shaney Lipscomb, NM State - Colonel Challenge (MVP)
Darian Markham, NM State - Colonel Challenge
Makayla Pollard, Utah Valley - Lumberjack Classic
Kazna Tanuvasa, Utah Valley - Lumberjack Classic
Hannah Waters, Lamar - Lamar Invitational
The final week of non-conference tournament action resulted in seven more all-tournament honors, including Ariana Pagan who was named MVP of the SFA Tournament.
Katie Birtcil, NM State - Stetson Invitational
Kayla Brannon, Tarleton - Islander Classic
Payton Cerny, Stephen F. Austin - SFA Tournament
Carmen Kinsey, Tarleton - Islander Classic
Shaney Lipscomb, NM State - Stetson Invitational
Ariana Pagan, Stephen F. Austin - SFA Tournament (MVP)
Leah Powell, Stephen F. Austin - SFA Tournament
SFA AND UVU SELECTED AS PRESEASON FAVORITES
With the addition of several new programs to volleyball in the Western Athletic Conference, Stephen F. Austin is the coaches' pick to take home the regular season trophy in the Southwest Division while Utah Valley earned the nod in the West Division.
Southwest Division preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin heads to the WAC following a 13-1 overall record and a regular season title in the Southland Conference just last year. The Lumberjacks landed four of six possible first-place votes and 24 total points to finish atop the poll. Sam Houston was closely behind as they earned the remaining two first-place votes and 21 points. Tarleton saw its name in the third spot with 15 points followed by Abilene Christian who came in fourth with 13 points. UT Rio Grande Valley and Lamar rounded out the poll, finishing with 11 points and six points, respectively.
Coming off their first WAC Tournament Championship in school history, Utah Valley received four of the seven first-place votes and 34 total points to earn the top spot in the West Division. NM State earned the remaining three first-place votes to finish in second place with 33 points, followed by Grand Canyon which was slotted in third with 26 points. California Baptist picked up 20 points as they were selected fourth while Dixie State finished with 16 points to claim fifth. Chicago State collected 10 points for the sixth spot and Seattle U completed the West Division poll with six points of its own.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Utah Valley senior outside hitter Kazna Tanuvasa was selected as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year. NM State had the most players named to the preseason All-WAC team as the Aggies garnered four spots. Carly Aigner-Swesey, Victoria Barrett, Shaney Lipscomb and Lia Mosher each represent NM State on the Preseason All-WAC team. Joining them are Grand Canyon's Hannah Eskes and Klaire Mitchell, Sam Houston's Morgan Janda and Ashley Lewis and Stephen F. Austin's Taya Mitchell and Leah Powell. Along with the Wolverines, Chicago State, Dixie State and Tarleton each landed one player on the Preseason All-WAC Team. The Cougars' Yanlis Feliz, the Trailblazers' Megan Treanor and the Texans' Lauren Kersey each earned honors.
WELCOME TO THE WAC
The Western Athletic Conference is a little bit bigger this season as Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin have all joined the party. Due to the increase from eight teams to 12 teams, the league will play in a divisional format this season.
FALL 2021 WAC TOURNAMENT
The Fall 2021 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 18-20 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. and will include the top eight eligible squads.
FALL 2021 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
November 18, 2021 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1 - No. 1 Seed vs. No. 8 Seed, 10 a.m. MT
Match 2 - No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed, 1 p.m. MT
Match 3 - No. 2 Seed vs. No. 7 Seed, 4 p.m. MT
Match 4 - No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed, 7 p.m. MT
November 19, 2021 (Semifinals)
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 4 p.m. MT
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 7 p.m. MT
November 20, 2021 (Finals)
Match 7 - Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 7 p.m. MT
2021 NCAA TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship return to its normal 64-team format following a 48-team bracket in Spring 2021. The bracket will consist of 32 automatic qualifiers and 32 at-large teams. The final site of the 2021 NCAA Championship will be Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The semifinals will be held on December 16 while the championship will be held on December 18.