Courtesy: Stanley Brewster

Liz Harden recorded her first career double-double to help lead the Broncos to a 3-2 win over La Tech.

RUSTON, La. - The Boise State volleyball team fought to a five-set win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday (Nov. 7) afternoon, sweeping the Lady Techsters two matches to none in the Western Athletic Conference regular season. Boise State (6-19, 6-7 WAC) rode on the backs of three Broncos who had career-best performances to pull off a 25-19, 20-25, 27-25, 23-25, 15-9 win over Louisiana Tech (14-16, 4-10 WAC).

Sophomore Elizabeth Griffin was one of three Broncos to set a career-best in the match, tallying up 18 kills and four block assists on the night. Her total kill career-best was improved by two on Saturday. Freshman Liz Harden set three bests with her first-ever double-double, doubling her career-best in digs to 16 and adding 13 kills. Sophomore Breann Nesselhuf also added a double-double on the day while also upping her career-best in digs by two to 15.

A handful of additional Broncos contributed solid efforts in the win with junior Alisha Young adding 16 kills and a match-high of six block assists and senior Jeanene Rose racking up a match-high of 24 digs. Freshman Kersti Whitney also added a team-high of two service aces while Nesselhuf tallied 53 assists to reach her double-double status.

The match was fairly close throughout, with the Broncos and La Tech battling back and forth in the first, third and fourth sets. In the second set, Louisiana Tech was able to jump to an early lead and maintain throughout while the two teams battled early in the fifth set, but Boise State jumped to a significant lead in the later half of the set.

The Broncos hit .231 on the day with 66 kills as well as recording four ace serves, 85 digs and 16 individual blocks.

La Tech had 60 kills with a .161 hitting percentage. The Lady Techsters also recorded seven aces, 69 digs and 16 blocks. La Tech was led by Kassia Pinto all-around with 14 kills, four service aces and 19 digs. Nataliya Panova and KC Clayton also added 13 kills apiece. Panova recorded a double-double by adding 12 digs. Kara Jones led the team in blocks with five total.

Notching their sixth win of the season, the Broncos have earned their best conference record since 2006 when they went 6-10. If the Broncos can produce one more regular season conference win, they will hold the best conference record by a Boise State volleyball team ever while in the WAC as well as the best conference record since 1998 when the team went 11-5 in Big West Conference play.

With the win the Broncos solidify their chances of advancing to the 2009 WAC Championship Tournament. They have three matches remaining with Hawaii and San Jose State traveling to Boise on Thursday, Nov. 12 and Saturday, Nov. 14, respectively, with senior night scheduled for the Nov. 14 match. The Broncos close their 2009 regular season on the road in Moscow, Idaho, facing the University of Idaho on Nov. 19

Oct 2, 2009

Pickert, Murray Lead Volleyball to 3-2 Victory over Saint Rose

NORTH ANDOVER, MA – The Merrimack volleyball team built a 2-0 lead over Saint Rose Friday night before being forced to the final set and emerging with the 3-2 thrilling victory in conference action at the Volpe Gym.

Game scores were 25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 15-8.

Merrimack never trailed in the final set, building a 6-3 lead after two kills from Jenna Reilly (Northport, NY), just her second and third kills of the night. After the Golden Knights cut the lead to one at 9-8, the Warriors closed it out with six unanswered points, featuring three kills from Megan Murray (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), including her 18th and final kill on match point, which tied her career high set on Tuesday.

“The chemistry and communication was the best it’s been all season,” said Joey Pacis following the five-set thriller. “They stepped up big to believe in themselves in the fifth set after the momentum switched to Saint Rose. Lastly, the defense was awesome.”

The Warriors struggled offensively early, committing 10 attack errors in each of the first three sets and hit just .079 for the match. Fortunately, Saint Rose had its own issues offensively, committing 12 service errors, including six in the first set.

In the second set, Merrimack used an 11-5 run, featuring numerous unassisted kills, including one from Shaunda Forcier (Gonic, NH) to close out the set, 25-23.

But the Golden Knights never gave up, as they pulled out a closely-contested third set, featuring 12 tie scores and seven lead changes. With the set tied at 21, Saint Rose rattled off four straight points to stay alive.

Saint Rose led for the entire fourth set, building an 11-3 lead with four service aces and forcing a decisive fifth set.

But the Warriors, facing a possible 1-3 conference record if they lost Friday, saved their best for last, getting nine kills and hitting .286 in the final set.

Friday’s match featured the top two liberos statistically in the conference with Alyssa Pickert (Tinley Park, IL) matching up with Mary German, and it was Pickert who emerged in the match as the junior tallied a game-high 44 digs, tying her career-high, to German’s 32, including numerous sprawling, one-handed saves.

Molly Cindric (Westlake Village, CA) picked up her sixth double-double of the year on 14 kills and 14 digs and added a match-high five aces. Elyse Lorenz (Frankfurt, IL) notched her fourth double-double on 40 assists and 15 digs and also had five kills offensively. Natalee Yeazle (Blaine, MN) had a stellar game, falling one kill shy of her first double-double on nine kills and 14 digs. Murray, who hit .289 overall, tallied two solo blocks in the win.

Saint Rose was led by Sarah Kahrs, who notched a double-double (10 kills, 15 digs) and Chelsea Tyler, who tallied 10 kills and seven blocks. The visitors had 13 team blocks and 47 kills overall.

Merrimack (13-4, 2-2 NE-10) returns to the court Saturday when it hosts Le Moyne College at 5 p.m.

La Verne Tops #9 UW-Whitewater On First-Day Action Of Leopard Invitational

Rebecca Villanueva led La Verne with 15 kills against the Warhawks (Adam Kazub photo)

It all came together for the University of La Verne volleyball team Friday night as the squad prevailed over ninth-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 28-26, 25-19) at Frantz Athletic Court to highlight first-day action at the Leopard Invitational.

The Leopards dropped the opening set against the Warhawks, but held the visitors to a .051 hitting percentage in the second stanza to win 25-23 and even the match at a set apiece. 

La Verne (11-10) continued momentum in the third set and raced out to leads of 14-7 and 18-10 before Whitewater slowly chipped away at the margin.  Facing a set point at 24-21, the Warhawks tallied three straight points to tie at 24-24.  Both teams traded the four points before La Verne claimed the next two to win 28-26, seizing a 2-1 set lead.

The fourth set saw the Leopards open a 10-6 advantage, but Whitewater (16-4) erased the deficit with a 10-6 run of its own to forge a 16-16 tie.  The Leos however would close it out with a 9-3 spurt to earn their first win over a ranked opponent this season.

La Verne hit .137 for the contest compared to .133 for the visitors.  The Leos also outblocked the Warhawks 10-6.

Rebecca Villanueva led La Verne with 15 kills on a .245 hitting percentage.  Crista Jones tallied 12 kills with Anna Calmer contributing 7 kills.    Ashley Morgado and Kendall Kraiss chipped in with 6 kills each.  Chelsea Sleight collected a match-high 29 digs.   Shaela Hayden totaled 15 kills for the Warhawks.

The win was La Verne's first over Whitewater since the 2001 NCAA Championship match.   The Warhawks had claimed the last three meetings including the 2005 NCAA Semifinal contest en route to earning the national title that season.

Earlier in the day the Leos swept past Nazareth College by scores of 25-14, 25-14, 25-22 as Villanueva compiled 12 kills with Calmer adding 11 in the win.

Volleyball sweeps Post University tri-match; Face Dowling in ECC Semi-Finals

Waterbury Conn. (Nov. 7, 2009) –  The NYIT women's volleyball team swept both matches at the Post University tri-match this afternoon, defeating Post University and the University of Sciences Philadelphia by the scores of 3-0.

NYIT finishes the regular season with a record of 15-18 overall and 7-5 in the ECC. The Bears  clinched the fourth seed in the ECC volleyball tournament, and will face top seeded Dowling College in the semi-finals on Friday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.

Against Post University the set scores were 25-23, 25-22, and 25-19. Senior Shelby Klein (Orange, Cal.) led the Bears with 10 kills and 15 digs and sophomore Emily Syers (East Meadow, N.Y.) had a team high 28 assists.  

The Bears kept the momentum rolling the in second match, beating USP by the set scores of 26-24, 25-13, and 25-12. Syers had a game high 21 assists, and Klein led team with eight kills. Sophomore Lisa Peacock (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) had a match-high 18 digs.

Women’s volleyball beats Molloy 3-1 on Senior Night

Old Westbury, N.Y. (Nov. 5, 2009) – The NYIT women’s volleyball team defeated Molloy College by the score of 3-1 this evening in East Coast Conference action on senior night. The scores of the match were 25-15, 20-25, 25-20, and 25-20. With the victory NYIT improves to 13-18 overall and 7-5 in the ECC. The loss drops Molloy to 9-21 overall and 3-9 in the league.

In the first set, NYIT jumped out to a 7-4 lead and junior Nina Cicero (Smithtown, N.Y.) led the Bears on a 8-0 run thanks to her hot serving hand. This gave NYIT a 17-9 lead, and the Bears cruised to a 25-15 first set victory.

Both teams kept the score close in the second set and NYIT lead 9-8 in the early going, but Molloy put together an 8-2 run to take a 16-10 led. NYIT fought back to make the score 20-23, but the Lions won the second set 20-25.

The Bears won the third and fourth sets by identical scores and the sets were very similar as well. Both teams traded points for most of the set, but in both cases the Bears were able to put a run together near the end to pull out the victory.

Senior Shelby Klein (Orange, Cal.) had a game-high 17 kills, sophomore Lisa Peacock (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) led both teams with 20 digsand sophomore Emily Syers (East Meadow, N.Y.) recorded 45 assists.

The Bears will close out the 2009 regular season on Saturday Nov. 7 with  a tri-match against Post University and University of Sciences Philadelphia in Waterbury Conn. First match is schedule to start at 3 p.m.

Volleyball sweeps Queens and moves into third place in ECC standings

Flushing, N.Y. (Nov. 3, 2009) - Senior Shelby Klien (Orange, Cal.) paced the NYIT women's volleyball team with 10 kills and a match-high 16 digs as the Bears swept Queens 3-0 this evening in East Coast Conference action. With the victory the Bears improve to 12-18 overall and 6-5 in the conference, and take over third place in the conference standings. The Bears can clinch the third seed in the ECC tournament with a win over Molloy on Thursday and a C.W. Post loss to Bridgeport.

The Bears led 23-22 in the first set before registering the final two points to win 25-22. NYIT then took the next two sets by identical 25-20 scores to win the match.

Sophomore Emily Syers (East Meadow, NY) recorded a match-high 27 assists in the win.

The Bears close out the 2009 ECC portion of their schedule as they host Molloy College on Thursday at 7 p.m.

CSU Knocks Off League Leading UNC Asheville in a 3-2 Win

October 31, 2009

By CSU Sports Information

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern managed a huge upset, taking a 3-2 match (25-19, 21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-8) from the league leading UNC Asheville Bulldogs, Saturday at CSU Field House.  The Bucs lost a 3-2 match vs. the Bulldogs in their first meeting back on October 2nd, but got the best of UNCA today; making it three consecutive Big South wins this week.  CSU improved to 14-14 and 5-8 in the conference, while UNCA dropped to 20-10 with a 9-2 mark in the Big South.

Amanda Hill had her third straight game with 20 or more kills, recording match highs with 23 kills and 18 digs.  Nichole Diller also reached double figures with 15 kills to go along with three blocks.  Sam Sasan filled up the stat sheet with 48 assists, 12 digs and seven kills.  The Bucs had 12 team blocks, led by Crissy Skokan and Cori Holeman with eight and six blocks, respectively.  Lauren Ficker was efficient for the Bulldogs, recording a team best 20 kills with a .447 attack percent. 

CSU started off with a 4-1 lead in the opening set, taking advantage of a UNCA miscue.  The Bulldogs turned around to tie the score at 6-6, thanks to back-to-back kills from Kelsey Benorden.  The Bucs used a 5-1 run from there to go up 11-7 and would extend their lead out to the 15-10 mark.  Three unanswered points from CSU, including a pair of kills from Hill gave the Bucs their biggest advantage of the set with an 18-11 score.  UNCA managed a late run to pull within four at 21-17, but CSU used multiple kills from Sasan to hold on for a 25-19 win. 

The second set started out with four ties and a lead change, bringing the score to 5-5.  The Bulldogs went on top with a 7-2 run, using a pair of Buccaneer errors to make the score 12-7.  CSU cut the deficit to three on a Trinder kill, moving the score to 16-13.  UNCA played comfortably from ahead however, leading by as many as six late in the set at the 23-17 mark.  A 4-1 push for the Bucs showed the chance of a comeback, but it was too little too late, as Ficker sent down another kill to give the Bulldogs a 25-21 win.

UNCA held a slight margin for most of the third set, but stayed in front the whole way.  A kill by Brooke Holliday had the Bulldogs on top early on, but a Diller kill narrowed the gap to 12-11.  Both teams managed 3-0 runs to bring the score to 16-15, before UNCA went up 21-17.  CSU then had four unanswered points to tie it up on a pair of Hill kills.  Another Ficker kill gave the Bulldogs a 23-21 lead and CSU again couldn’t complete a comeback, as UNCA finished out the set for a 25-22 win.

The fourth set was as close as it gets, complete with 12 ties and eight lead changes.  After a 2-0 lead for the Bucs, the Bulldogs rattled off six in a row to go up 6-2.  CSU quickly came back to tie it at 7-7 on a Hill service ace, starting four ties out to the 11-11 mark.  The Bucs took back the lead after a 5-0 run, using back-to-back aces from Emily Libertowski to go up 14-11.  Trading runs was the theme of the set, with UNCA taking their turn to tie it at 15 all.  The two teams were deadlocked from there out to the 23-23 mark, where Rachel Olivio tied the set with a kill.  CSU managed the next two points, with a Bulldog service error and a kill from Hill, to take a 25-23 win and tie it at two sets each.

In the fifth and final frame, the Bucs used some momentum to go up early and stay up.  CSU had the first four points of the set and then went up 7-1, after back-to-back blocks from Holeman.  UNCA showed some life with a 5-3 run that made the score 10-6, but the Bucs would not be denied, ending the set on a 5-2 run to take the set and the match with a 15-8 win.
 
After some success in the Big South this week, CSU will step out of the conference and travel to play the Savannah State Tigers on Tuesday, November 3, at 6 p.m.  Next up for UNC Asheville is Gardner-Webb on the road on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

CSU Downs Gardner-Webb 3-1 in Big South Play

October 30, 2009

By CSU Sports Information

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern made it back-to-back Big South wins with a 3-1 victory (25-19, 28-30, 25-11, 25-19) over the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, Friday at CSU Field House.  The Bucs survived a tough 30-28 defeat in the second set, to go on to dominate the next two, after 10 service aces and 13 blocks as a team.  CSU improved to 13-14 with a 4-8 mark in the Big South, while Gardner-Webb dropped to 11-16 and 3-7 in the conference.  

Amanda Hill led all players with 21 kills, while also tallying 18 digs.  Sam Sasan just missed out on a triple-double, recording 42 assists, 15 digs and nine kills.  Tricia Rodl also had a solid match with 21 digs and four service aces, while Cori Holeman and Amberle Trinder both contributed with six blocks.  Molly Rhyne led the way for the Bulldogs with 16 kills.

CSU could do no wrong to start the first set, jumping out to a 12-1 lead, complete with aces from Rodl and Hill.  Gardner-Webb climbed back into it however, cutting the deficit to six at the 15-9 mark on a Laura Wilcox kill.  After a 17-12 score, the Bucs managed four unanswered points to put the match out of reach, capped off by a Holeman kill.  CSU was made an eventual 25-19 winner, thanks to Nichole Diller sending down her third kill of the set.  

The second set was a toss up, with the Bulldogs coming out on top after 14 ties and nine lead changes.  Gardner-Webb took an early lead to start, after a Brett Wilson ace made it 4-1, but the Bucs quickly tied it at 4-4 on a kill from Hill. The Bulldogs used another 4-0 run to go up 8-4, only to have CSU battle back to tie it at the 12-12 mark.  Both teams traded points out to a 17-17 score and the Bucs used a pair of Gardner-Webb miscues to establish a two point advantage at 21-19.  Each team had three opportunities to win it with a single point in the end, but it was the Bulldogs who capitalized with a kill from Rhyne to win it at 30-28.  

The third set was more one-sided, with CSU getting up early and staying on top.  A pair of Emily Libertowski aces had the Bucs leading 9-2 early on and CSU extended the margin to 15-6.  Gardner-Webb managed a few more points, but couldn’t slow down the Bucs, who used three kills from Hill in the final four points to take a 25-11 win.  

With the victory in sight, CSU had another quick start, taking a 7-3 lead in the fourth set.  The Bulldogs made a game out of it however, coming back to tie it at 11 apiece.  Five ties would follow out to a 17-17 score, but the Bucs never surrendered the lead.  A 4-0 burst proved to be the difference, as CSU went on top 21-17 thanks to a Crissy Skokan kill.  Gardner-Webb tallied two consecutive points, but would not score again and Michaela Luna sent down an ace that made the Bucs 25-19 winners.

CSU will turnaround to host the league leading UNC Asheville Bulldogs on Saturday, October 31, at 2 p.m. Gardner-Webb also plays UNC Asheville next, but will wait to play on Tuesday, November 3, at 7 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.

Volleyball keeps win streak alive

Courtesy: Idaho Athletic Media Relations

Release: 11/05/2009

Box Score

Courtesy: Idaho Athletic Media Relations

RUSTON, La. - The University of Idaho volleyball team began its final road trip of the regular season with a strong four-set road win at Louisiana Tech in Western Athletic Conference action Thursday.

Idaho (13-12, 9-3) used set scores of 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, and 25-16 to win its sixth-consecutive WAC contest and clinch a spot at the WAC Tournament later this month. Louisiana Tech fell to 14-15 overall and 4-9 in the WAC with the loss.

"We didn't play at our level in the first two games. We were passing all over the place and playing pretty sloppy. We talked at the break and made a few adjustments and when we came back out for the last two sets we looked more like our team," Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said.

Sarah Conwell tallied her league-leading 13th double-double of the season with 18 kills and 10 digs while Cassie Hamilton earned her first career double-double with a season high 17 kills and 11 digs. Conwell hit .370 for the match while Hamilton had a career high at .250. Meredith Rice paced the defense with 23 digs and Jenny Feicht also added a double-double with 24 assists and 12 digs. Anna McKinney and Debbie Pederson each finished with seven blocks while Kelsey Taylor and Conwell added six blocks.

As a team, the Vandals totaled 50 kills with a .228 hitting percentage while holding the Lady Techsters to 41 kills and a .051 hitting percentage. Idaho committed 14 service errors, but held the advantage in digs at 74-72 and blocks at 15.5-5. The Vandals raised their nation-leading blocks per set average to 3.14.

Idaho held Louisiana Tech under .100 hitting in all four sets, including a -.051 percentage in set three. Idaho hit .200 and .111 in the first two sets and improved to .294 and .308 in the final two sets, respectively.

Idaho plays its final road game of the regular season at New Mexico State Saturday (Nov. 8) at 6 p.m. PT.

Varney Powers Davis To Win Over Top 25, Collects Weekly Accolade

UC Davis' Kayla Varney

11/2/2009

Kayla Varney (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta HS) collected UC Davis' first Big West Women's Volleyball Player of the Week honor of the season after guiding the Aggies to a 2-0 week that included an upset win over then-No. 23 UC Irvine and a sweep over UC Riverside. Varney becomes just the second Aggie to earn weekly accolades since UC Davis joined the Big West three years ago. Former teammate Renee Ibekwe earned the school's first honor back on Sept. 1, 2008.

On Friday, the junior outside hitter posted a double-double with a team-best 15 kills and 12 digs to lift UC Davis to a 3-1 victory over UC Irvine, putting the Aggies in sole possession of first place atop the conference standings. The win also marked the program's first-ever victory against a team ranked in the AVCA Division I Top 25 poll.

The following night against UC Riverside, Varney tallied a match-high 18 digs with six kills and two blocks in UC Davis' sweep over the Highlanders. She scooped 10 of her 18 digs in the first set, helping UC Davis escape a late 15-17 deficit en route to a 25-19 win.

For the week she hit .269 and averaged 3.00 kills and 4.29 digs per set. The first-place UC Davis Aggies, riding a six-match win streak, returns to action this weekend when it visits Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State.

LAS VEGAS - The Boise State volleyball team made history on Sunday evening, earning four All-Western Athletic Conference team nods, the most in one season for Bronco volleyball. The 2009 All-WAC First Team, Second Team and Freshman Teams were announced Sunday, Nov. 22 at the WAC Volleyball Tournament Banquet at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas.

Juniors Sadie Maughan and Alisha Young were joined by sophomore Breann Nesselhuf on the All-WAC Second Team. Freshman Liz Harden was named to the WAC All-Freshman Team, the first Bronco ever to be named to the All-Freshman team.

Maughan earned her second career All-WAC Second Team honor, earning her first in 2008, while Young and Nesselhuf each garnered their first career awards.

In total, Boise State has earned three All-WAC First Team awards and seven (including the three from 2009) All-WAC Second Team awards in school history. Cameron Flunder was a four-time honoree (First Team in 2004, 2005, 2006; Second Team in 2003) while Heather Malaschak (2004) and Jackie Stroud (2006) were the only other honorees, picking up All-WAC Second Team nods.

Twelve WAC players were named to the All-WAC First Team and 12 additional players were named to the All-WAC Second Team. Six players were named to the WAC All-Freshman Team.

Hawaii's Kanani Danielson was named WAC Player of the Year while teammate Brittany Hewitt was named WAC Freshman of the Year. Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji was named WAC Coach of the Year for the

Dec. 16, 2009

Three Frogs Earn AVCA Honorable Mention All-American Honors

FORT WORTH, Texas - The accolades for the most successful TCU volleyball squad in school history keep pouring in. A trio of Horned Frog became the first-ever All-Americans as they were tabbed honorable mention selections by the AVCA on Wednesday. Kourtney Edwards, Megan Munce and Christy Hudson added to their postseason honors.

Edwards wrapped up a spectacular four-year career at TCU, leaving the program as the all-time blocks leader with 525 for an average of 1.10 per set. Her career .338 attack percentage also ranks first all-time.

In her final campaign at TCU, Edwards averaged 3.24 kills per set and led the league with a .373 attack percentage, which ranks 18th nationally. For the third straight season, she paced the team in blocks with 127 total blocks for an average of 1.03 per set. Edwards was named All-Mountain West Conference and earned MWC Player of the Week honors five times. She earned AVCA All-West Region honors earlier this month.

A junior, Hudson is a two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection. She put together another solid campaign in 2009, ranking second on the squad with an average of 2.44 kills per set and hitting .297. Her 85 blocks ranked third on the team as did her 62 assists. She was honored as MWC Player of the Week on Nov. 30. In addition, she was tabbed as an AVCA All-West Region performer.

Just a sophomore, Munce was named MWC Setter of the Year after averaging 9.94 assists per set. She also led the league with 53 service aces, an average of 0.42 per set. Munce racked up 314 digs, a total that ranked second on the team, and averaged 2.51 digs per set. She was honored earlier this month as an AVCA All-West Region performer.