Post by IdahoBoy on Nov 10, 2006 21:17:28 GMT -5
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hawai‘i middle hitter Juliana Sanders has been named the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 6. This is the third career WAC Player of the Week for the junior, having been named player of the week twice in 2005.
The Kane’ohe, O’ahu (Castle) native, hit .621 on the week, averaging 3.33 kills and 2.00 blocks per game in the two road wins for the Rainbow Wahine. The junior hit .611 with 12 kills and six blocks at Nevada (Nov. 2), then hit .636 with eight kills and six blocks at Utah State (Nov. 4). Sanders is now hitting .397 on the season, averaging 2.41 kills and 1.31 blocks per game. With the wins over Nevada and Utah State the Hawai‘i.
Other nominees included: Alisha McKee of Fresno State had 17 kills in two losses last week ... Karly Sipherd of Nevada had 20 kills and 17 block assists for the Wolf Pack last week, as Nevada went 1-1 ... Krystal Torres of New Mexico State had 41 digs in two matches as the Aggies swept WAC foes Boise State and Idaho... Colleen Burke of San Jose State 13 kills in a win at Fresno State.
KAMANA`O BREAKS WAC RECORD –The No. 16 University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team swept through the Nevada Wolf Pack 30-24, 30-24 and 30-23 in a nationally televised match (CSTV) at the Virginia Street Gym Thursday. In the first game, Kanoe Kamana`o broke the WAC career assists record, finishing with 35 assists, to raise her total to 5,904.
Kamana`o also added five blocks and five digs on the night, while Juliana Sanders hit .611 with 12 kills and six blocks. Sarah Mason led all players with 13 kills and four blocks while hitting .333. Jayme Lee led Hawai‘i with 11 digs while Elise Duggins added eight.
She could now possibly move up the ranks to challenge the NCAA record (6,650 by Tammy Robertson, UAB). She currently ranks 23rd on the NCAA list.
BATTLE FOR FIRST – No. 20 New Mexico State will travel to No. 14 Hawai‘i in a battle for first place in the WAC. The match on the 12th will feature the two ranked teams in a rematch of the five-game thriller that took place in Las Cruces, N.M., on Oct. 13. New Mexico State's win snapped Hawai‘i’s 114-match conference winning streak. The two teams come into the week tied atop the WAC standings at 11-1.
SHUTOUT STREAK – New Mexico State has thrown seven-straight shutouts. The Aggies have swept their last seven matches. The last time that New Mexico State lost a game was game three against Hawai‘i on Oct. 13. The last time the Aggies lost a match was on the road against Nevada on Sept. 30
SHULL CLOSES IN ON SJSU AND WAC SINGLE SEASON DIG RECORD– With at least five matches remaining this season, Jessie Shull needs just five digs to break the San Jose State and WAC single season dig record of 561. Shull set those records during the 2004 season. She holds the top four spots in the San Jose State single season dig list.
Single Season Dig Total Year1. Jessie Shull 561 20042. Jessie Shull 557 20063. Jessie Shull 550 20054. Jessie Shull 473 20035. Kim Hicks 435 1988DID YOU KNOW??? – When No. 24 New Mexico State hosted No. 11 Hawai‘i on Oct. 13, it was the first time that two ranked teams had a faced each other since the WAC Championship match in 1998 when Hawai‘i defeated BYU.
ERICSON TWO KILLS SHORT OF 1,000 – Junior Teal Ericson needs just two kills to become the eighth Nevada player to record 1,000 kills in a career. Ericson will join senior teammate Carly Sorensen who earlier this season recorded her 1,000th career kill in the Silver & Blue. Ericson set a new career high with 26 kills versus Boise State on Oct. 19 and for her efforts was named WAC Player of the Week for the second time this season. Her 998 kills ranks eighth on the Nevada career list while her 1,070 points is fourth. This season she has 407.5 points which is the eighth best season in school history and 10 points will move her into seventh place past Michelle More’s 416 in 2001.
ON THE TUBE – Nevada’s match with Hawai‘i last week was carried on CSTV at 7:30 p.m. Nevada will appear on CSTV again on Nov. 15 when the Wolf Pack travel to Idaho to take on the Vandals in Moscow, Idaho. CSTV will return to Reno on Nov. 24 to air the championship match of the WAC tournament from Lawlor Events Center at 7:30 p.m.
WAC IN THE NCAA STATS – Several WAC players earned a spot in the top 15 in the most recent NCAA stats. Hawai‘i’s Jamie Houston is up to fifth in the nation in kills per game, averaging 5.45 kpg. San Jose State’s Jessie Shull is 15th in digs per game (5.99 dpg). Hawai‘i’s Kanoe Kamana`o is still sixth in assists (13.72 apg). New Mexico State’s Amber Simpson is 11th in hitting percentage (.410), while Kim Oguh is 17th in hitting percentage (.400). As a team, New Mexico State second in win/loss percentage (.966). The Aggies are fifth in hitting percentage (.291).
FLUNDER BECOMES BRONCO LEADER – With 271 kills this season, Flunder now has 1,418 on her career, making her the Boise State all-time leader for kills in a career. Flunder went into the 2006 season needing only 135 kills to pass the Broncos’ all-time leader. With a season-high 20 kills against Louisiana Tech, Sept. 21, Flunder surpassed Kelly Baker (1986-89) to become the school’s all-time leader in career kills. She is currently the school leader by 137 kills.
ON THE MOVE – Both New Mexico State and Hawai‘i are on the move in this week’s polls. The Aggies went from No. 23 to No. 20 in the AVCA poll and No. 22 to No. 19 in the RichKern.com poll. The Rainbow Wahine went from No. 16 to No 14 in the AVCA poll, while rising to No. 15 from No. 15 in the RichKern.com poll
HOME SWEET HOME – A crowd of 2,803 watched New Mexico State defeat Hawai‘i, giving the Aggies their largest crowd of the season. Currently, New Mexico State is No. 16 in the nation for home attendance, averaging 1,702 fans.
Hawai‘i once again leads the nation in attendance, averaging 6,966. The Rainbow Wahine have eight of the top 10 attendances in the nation this season, including the 8,213 that saw Hawai‘i host Stanford. There were 8,138 people when the Gators took on the Rainbow Wahine, while 7,878 packed the Stan Sheriff Center to see Pepperdine Hawai‘i is looking to lead the nation for the 13th-straight season.
NMSU HALTS HAWAI‘I’S 114-MATCH CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK – The No. 25 New Mexico State volleyball team upset No. 11 Hawai’i, in five-games, 22-30, 30-28, 27-30, 30-24, 15-13, to break the Rainbow Wahine’s streak of 114 consecutive WAC victories, Friday, Oct. 13 at Las Cruces High in front of a crowd of 2,803. The Aggies improved 5-1 and into a first-place tie with UH in the conference standings while the Rainbow Wahine fell to 7-1. Four Aggies were in double-digits with senior outside hitter Alice Borden providing 17 kills to give NMSU its first victory over Hawai’i school history. Junior outside hitter Anna Callis had 14 kills along with five blocks. Middle hitters junior Kim Oguh and sophomore Amber Simpson contributed 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Hawai‘i hadn’t lost a WAC match since 1998.
SAN JOSE STATE’S SHULL BREAKS WAC RECORD – San Jose State senior libero Jessie Shull broke her own WAC record with 47 digs in a five-game loss to Santa Clara on Sept. 2. Shull initially set the record again on Nov. 3, 2004 with 42 against Fresno State. Shull is first in the WAC in digs per game, averaging 5.88 dpg.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME – Due to multi-million dollar renovations to the Pan American Center, New Mexico State will be displaced for its home matches this season. With the Pan American Center still undergoing renovations, the Aggies are playing their home matches at Las Cruces High School.
VOLLEYBALL FORMAT – For the second-straight year the WAC will not compete in divisions. This season’s format will be a double-round robin. Each team will face the other eight at home and on the road. All nine teams will compete in the WAC Volleyball Tournament.
2006 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
November 22 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1 - No. 8 vs. No. 9
Match 2 - No. 4 vs. No. 5
Match 3 - No. 3 vs. No. 6
Match 4 - No. 2 vs. No. 7
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. No. 1
November 23 (Semifinals)
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4
Match 7 - Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 5
November 24 (Championship)
Match 8 - Winner Match 6 vs. Winner Match 7
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO LAWLOR – For the second-straight season, the WAC Volleyball Tournament will be played at the Lawlor Events Center on the campus of the University of Nevada. This is the fifth-straight year that the WAC Tournament has been played in Reno. Before playing in the Lawlor Events Center, the tournament was played in the regular season home of the Wolf Pack, Viriginia Street Gym.
Boise State Broncos (8-12, 2-6 WAC)
The Broncos have a 6-2 record when they out-block their opponents ... in the Broncos’ 10 wins this season they have recorded 83 blocks to their opponents’ 72.5 ... when the Broncos record more kills than their opponents, they are a perfect 8-0 ... the Broncos have swept seven of the eight teams in three straight games when leading in kills ... the Broncos are 8-1 in matches in which they win the first game, with the only loss coming to Idaho, Oct. 25 ... when the Broncos lose the first game, however, they are 2-13, with victories against Louisiana Tech and North Dakota State.
Fresno State Bulldogs (4-16, 27 WAC)
The Bulldogs currently have six players that are Top 10 in the WAC individual statistics ... Tiffany Hess who has played in 47 conference games is 10th in the conference with 277 assists averaging 5.89 ... Lisa Gera is right behind Hess playing in 45 conference games and is 11th with 238 assists averagaging 5.29 a game ... Jamie Temperino is 9th in the conference in hitting percentage with 41 games played on 55 kills for a .291 hitting percentage ... Angela Wiggins is 10th in the conference averaging 3.58 kills per game ... Wiggins is tied in 6th place with two other players at .034 service aces per game.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine (19-5, 11-1 WAC)
Sarah Mason has been playing well in her senior season, averaging 3.74 kills, 2.77 digs, 0.74 blocks and 0.58 service aces per game, posting 11 double-doubles ... the senior had 13 kills, four blocks and two aces at Nevada (Nov. 2) and 11 kills, five digs and a .360 hitting percentage at Utah State (Nov. 4) ... as a team, Hawai‘i is first in the WAC in assists per game (15.41 apg) ... sophomore Jamie Houston is first in the WAC in kills per game, averaging 5.45 kpg, while Kanoe Kamana`o is also first in the WAC in assists, averaging 13.72 apg.
Idaho Vandals (8-15, 7-4 WAC)
Idaho began the season with a very tough stretch of
games in three separate tournaments, going 0-9 to open the year ... the Vandals are 8-6 since that opening stretch and are 7-4 in the WAC ... before the season began head coach Debbie Buchanan knew she had set up a tough schedule for her team, with an eye toward the squad coming together and doing good things in conference play ... the squad has responded and is currently in fourth place in the WAC.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (6-23, 0-12 WAC)
Louisiana Tech will remain on the road for a pair of matches this week beginning with No. 20 New Mexico State on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m., and Friday Nov. 10 at No. 14 Hawai‘i ... both New Mexico State and Hawaii sit at the top of WAC standings with only one loss in conference apiece ... junior Shannon Phillips leads the conference in double-doubles with 21 total out of 29 matches ... senior Ambra Hayes is second with 12.
Nevada Wolf Pack (15-10, 9-4 WAC)
Senior setter Tristin Johnson finished with 49 assists versus Fresno State last Saturday which moved her past 4,200 for her career ... Johnson’s 4,243 career assists ranks second only to Carla Busalacchi’s (1990-93) 4550 ... in Nevada’s 3-2 win over Boise State on Oct. 19 she had a career high 66 assists ... she has two of the top 10 assist seasons in school history with her 1,373 in 2004 ranking third and her 1,168 in 2003 being the eighth best single season in school history ... her 106 career service aces is sixth all time at Nevada and one back of Tiffany Neumeier (1994-97) for fifth and her 639.5 points ranks seventh in school history.
New Mexico State Aggies (28-1, 11-1 WAC)
New Mexico State ranks first in the conference in team hitting percentage (.291), opponent hitting percentage (.102), and service aces (233) ... individually, Amber Simpson (.410) and Kim Oguh (.400) are first and second in the league in hitting percentage ... in blocks per game, Oguh is second (1.35) while Simpson is third (1.32) ... Alice Borden is sixth in kills per game (3.94) and second in aces per game (0.45) ... Jackie Choi ranks second in assists per game (12.13) and third in aces per game (0.44) ... sophomore defensive specialist Krystal Torres ranks second in digs per game (4.90).
San Jose State Spartans (15-10, 6-6 WAC)
Four current Spartans rank among San Jose State career leaders ... Jessie Shull is the all-time leader in digs with 2,141 ... Jennifer Senftleben is eighth in kills with 1,191 and fifth in career kill attempts category with 3,457 attempts ... Kristina Conrad is seventh in assists with 2,298, while Brittany Collet is ninth in assists with 1,384 assists ... Kristina Conrad is third in assists at 11.60 apg ... Jennifer Senftleben is fifth in kills at 3.99 kpg and in points at 4.48 ppg ... Niki Clement is eighth in kills at 3.47 pg and hitting percentage at .289 and 10th in points at 4.00 pg.
Utah State Aggies (12-15, 5-8 WAC)
This week, the Aggies step out of conference action for a match at Idaho State on Nov. 7 ... Utah State will then take on Nevada at home on Nov. 11 ... as of Nov. 5, Utah State ranks third in the WAC in opponents hitting percentage (.191), third in blocks per game (2.71), seventh in kills per game (13.83) and eighth in hitting percentage (.152) ... , junior opposite side hitter Amanda Nielson is second in the WAC with 5.10 points per game ... she also ranks second in the league in kills per game (4.17), ninth in blocks per game (1.04), and 10th in service aces per game (0.36).
