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11/15/2005 - VOLLEYBALL
2005 Volleyball Tournament Preview
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Music City awaits the arrival of the Atlantic Sun Volleyball Tournament as
six teams will vie for the league's NCAA automatic bid. Belmont hosts the championship
event Nov. 18-19 at the Curb Event Center.
The action begins Friday morning when No. 4 Lipscomb takes on No. 5 Mercer.
During the regular season, the Lady Bisons held the upper hand against the Bears,
in a 3-0 victory. Led by outside hitter Cara Wilber, setter Samantha Sullivan
and defensive specialist Ann Mullins, Lipscomb rallied to a 5-4 conference mark
and 12-19 overall. Wilbur is among the top three in kills for the A-Sun, averaging
3.81 kpg. Mullins is the league leader in digs, with 5.17 d/pg.
Mercer brings a 4-5 league record (11-15 overall) to the tournament. Julie Darty
leads the Bears in kills (3.27 k/pg), and is flanked by Jackie Viren and defensive
specialist Liz Kane. Kane is second in the A-Sun in digs, averaging 5.15 d/pg.
In the afternoon, No. 3 Belmont takes on No. 6 ETSU. With a 6-3 conference showing,
Belmont posted its second winning season since entering the league in 2001.
Facing league newcomers ETSU, Belmont brings a solid attack with three players
among the league's Top 10 in hitting percentage, and the Bruins' kill leader,
Lindsay Cleveland. She ranks fifth in the league, with 3.46 k/pg. Having won
eight of nine matches played at the Curb Event Center this season, the Bruins
defend their turf well. However, the Lady Bucs enter the tournament in only
their first year of A-Sun competition, bringing a 3-6 conference record (18-13
overall). Sophomore Jennifer Sartor is ranked seventh in points and eighth in
kills, averaging 3.24 k/pg, while Callie Kiselich is hitting .279.
The No. 2-seeded Jacksonville Dolphins pulled off an amazing turnaround to finish
above .500 after starting off the season 1-9. At 8-1 (15-13 overall), the defending
A-Sun Champion team suffered its lone conference loss to Florida Atlantic. Leading
the way for the Dolphins are Eva Stoilova and Erin Donivan. The pair are ranked
among the league's best in kills and assists respectively. NCAA tested and ready
from a season ago, the Dolphins will take on the winner of the Belmont/ETSU
matchup.
Last but not least, the virtually unstoppable Florida Atlantic Owls have posted
their best season ever, going 27-2. Their unblemished 9-0 A-Sun showing is the
second time FAU has gone undefeated in league play. The Owls are looking for
their first A-Sun championship since taking back-to-back titles in 1998 and
1999.
Senior Kelly Paiva is currently second in the nation in kills, averaging 5.87
k/pg. A driving force for the Owls, Paiva broke the FAU record for kills in
a season with 605 and is the only player in A-Sun history to be named Player
of the Week five times in one season. She also averages 3.35 digs per game.
Teammates Katie Arvidson, Casey LaRocca and Makra Condill join Paiva among the
league's best. Arvidson leads the league in hitting percentage (.336) and averages
3.43 kills per game. LaRocca is the top assist leader with 1215 assists, an
average of 12.27 a/pg. Condill, the defensive specialist, is ranked fourth in
the A-Sun in digs and was named Libero of the Year last season.
The first match begins Friday morning at 11 a.m. Don't miss a minute of the
action as live stats and a webcast will be available from the Atlantic Sun and
Belmont websites.
