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10/29/2009 - VOLLEYBALL
Top Two Meet in A-Sun Volleyball Match of the Week
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Volleyball Weekly ReleaseMACON, Ga. – One way or another, one team’s streak will stop in the Atlantic Sun Conference Volleyball Match of the Week featuring first-place Lipscomb and second-place Jacksonville. Both teams are riding double-digit win streaks along with aspirations of a conference title into the match slated for 7:00pm Friday evening at JU’s Swisher Gymnasium. A win would give the Lady Bisons a three-match lead in the standings with only three regular season matches remaining while the Dolphins would close to one-match behind the league lead with a victory.
The Lady Bisons (20-3, 15-0 A-Sun) placed 57th in the NCAA RPI rankings for the second week in a row, up 14 places, representing the highest ranking in team history. The Lady Bisons enter the week with a 17-match winning streak overall and a perfect 15-0 Atlantic Sun record. After being shut out in straight sets against Belmont and Lipscomb to open A-Sun play, Jacksonville (16-5, 12-2 A-Sun) has won 13 straight matches. The winning streak represents the longest under head coach Shaun Kupferberg, as well as the longest winning streak for the Dolphins since joining the A-Sun in 1998. The Dolphins have also won 13 straight home matches, the longest streak in the Division I era (1985-current). The last time the Lady Bisons and Dolphins met, Lipscomb swept Jacksonville, 3-0, in an A-Sun match on Sept. 12 at Allen Arena. The Lady Bisons own a 6-1 series advantage with the Dolphins since 2005.
The Lady Bisons’ Top Performer of the Week, junior setter Stefine “Jake” Pease, set a new school career record for assists in Saturday’s 3-0 win against Stetson. The fashion merchandising major collected 32 assists versus the Hatters, totaling 3,518, besting Emily Smith’s 3,501. Pease continues to quarterback the Lady Bisons, using her strong alliance with junior middle hitter Alex Kelly to make the pair almost impossible to stop. In the match, Kelly led the Lady Bisons with 17 kills and 16 digs, both match highs. She also posted a .556 hitting percentage, while junior outside hitter Meghan Hinemeyer added 10 kills.
In Jacksonville’s last action on the court, senior outside hitter Brooke Singleton and junior setter Hannah Munneke each tallied a double-double as the Dolphins swept the Spartans, 3-0, Saturday afternoon at the Hodge Center. Walroth, who finished with 13 digs in the contest, moved into 15th place on the all-time NCAA digs list with 2,280. Singleton notched her team leading eighth double-double finished with a match-high 17 kills and 13 digs, while Hannah Munneke paced the offense with 40 assists and added a match-high 14 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Kathryn Kane added a match-high 17 kills and a.381 (17-1-42) hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Alliya Drzewiecki notched 11 kills and a season-high .500 (11-2-18) hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Nicki Kent also chipped in with seven kills and a .353 (7-1-17) hitting percentage.
Players to Watch
* Meghan Hinemeyer, Lipscomb – The inside-outside combination of Kelly and Hinemeyer paved the way offensively in Lipscomb’s first match against Jacksonville this season, as the Overland Park, Kan. native tallied 15 kills, along with four digs. Last weekend versus Stetson, Hinemeyer added 10 kills, posting a .409 hitting percentage.
* Alex Kelly, Lipscomb – Kelly ranks seventh nationally in points per set with 5.23 and 14th in kills per set with 4.51. The Kansas City, Mo. native led the Lady Bisons against the Hatters with 17 kills and 16 digs, both match highs, and posted a .556 hitting percentage. The night before, Kelly led the Lipscomb effort in clinching the A-Sun playoff berth, notching a match-high 14 digs, 15 kills and a .429 attack percentage.
* Stefine “Jake” Pease, Lipscomb – Pease ranks eighth nationally in assists per set with 11.88. The Berryton, Kan. native tallied 32 assists, tallying 3,518 for her career, breaking the old mark of 3,501 set by Emily Smith. Pease led Lipscomb’s offense against FGCU with 40 assists and five kills, along with 12 digs, two of her five kills on back-to-back dumps over the net to give Lipscomb the match win.
* Hannah Munneke, Jacksonville – Munneke tallied a double-double in Jacksonville’s win against USC Upstate, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon. The Santa Barbara, Calif. native padded the Dolphins’ offense with 40 assists, while also adding a match-high 14 digs. Since taking over the lead setter spot, the Dolphins have seen a perfect 10-0 record, while Munneke averages 11.63 assists per set. JU also found its way into the top three offensively, ranking second in hitting percentage (.225), the highest mark under Kupferberg.
* Brooke Singleton, Jacksonville – Singleton tallied a double-double in Jacksonville’s 3-0 win against USC Upstate on Saturday. The Roseville, Ill. native notched her team-leading eighth double-double, fin¬ishing with a match-high 17 kills and 13 digs.
* Shelley Walroth, Jacksonville – Walroth finished with 13 digs in the contest with USC Upstate, moving into 15th place on the all-time NCAA digs list with 2,280. The Cincinnati native needs 64 more to move into the top 10. The Division I record for career digs is 3,176 by Lara Newberry of Chattanooga from 2005-08. Walroth, who set a Jacksonville match record with 46 digs at FGCU, leads the A-Sun with an average of 5.53 digs per set.
Around the Sun - Volleyball
Belmont
* After splitting the weekend with Stetson and FGCU, Belmont will face UNF and Jacksonville this weekend. The Bruins tied the series with JU at seven after sweeping the Dolphins in Nashville earlier this season. Belmont has won the last five meetings with UNF.
* Junior Kayla Albritton renewed her career-high in kills and hit over .400 for the two straight matches against Stetson and FGCU. Albritton recorded 16 kills with a .448 attack rate against FGCU on Saturday. On Friday against Stetson, she went for 15 kills on a .429 attack rate.
* Sophomore outside hitter Maggie Johnson leads the team in double-doubles after registering her seventh of the season against FGCU (18 kills, 11 digs). Johnson ranks third in the conference in kills per set with 3.55. The Naperville, Ill., native passed 300 total kills over the weekend, now with 334.
* Junior libero Megan Clements ranks second in the conference and 35th in the nation in digs per set (4.94). Clements totals 400 digs this season, on pace to contend for Belmont’s single-season dig record of 537, held by Ashley Collier in ‘05 and ‘06.
Campbell
* In the five-set match against Mercer on Saturday evening, a mul¬titude of records were broken, including program and Pope Center marks. Campbell’s season-high 78 kills rank as the 10th most all-time (eighth all-time in five sets), while the team’s 73 assists rank as the fifth most ever (also fifth most in five sets all-time), and the Camels’ 123 digs ranks as the fifth most in program history (fourth all-time in five sets). Senior libero Sarah Hill also etched her name in the CU record books, tying for the fifth most digs all-time in a single match with a whopping 37 (fourth all-time in five sets).
* Campbell’s Hill also set the dig record with her 37. The Camels’ 78 kills, 24 attack errors, 247 attempts, 73 assists, 123 digs and 86.0 points all broke Gore Arena team records. Weers’ 22 kills and Goldbach’s 60 attempts, in addition to Hill’s 37 digs, broke Campbell records for Gore Arena. Weers and Goldbach, with 22 and 20 scores, became the first two Camels to notch 20 or more kills inside the facility.
* Other notable numbers for the Camels, included 247 attack at¬tempts, which obliterated the prior season-high of 170, set against Charleston Southern. Weers’ tallied 22 kills and 24.5 points for career-highs, sophomore setter Hope Leatigaga, meanwhile, tied a career mark with 15 digs.
ETSU
* The Bucs dropped a hard fought 3-2 match to Kennesaw State on Saturday night after sweeping Mercer.
* ETSU have some work to do to qualify for the A-Sun tournament as the Buccaneers sit 1.5 games back of Kennesaw State and Belmont and two games back of Campbell with only six matches left in the regular season.
* Junior Alysa Long is on pace to break into the ETSU top five in hitting percentage as she has 174 kills while hitting .329. The Georgia State transfer notched double-digit kills in all three matches last weekend.
* ETSU heads to Stetson and FGCU this weekend. The Bucs face the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday before heading to DeLand, Fla. for a 4:00 p.m. match on Saturday against the Hatters.
FGCU
* FGCU narrowly escaped the Curb Event Center with a victory on Saturday afternoon, winning the fifth set 15-12 to clinch a 3-2 victory over the host Belmont Bruins. With the win, the Eagles improve to 11-4 in the A-Sun and currently sit in third place in the conference standings.
* Junior outside hitter Jelena Simic led the Eagles offense with 22 kills, hitting .312 for the match, and also added 17 digs defensively. Junior middle blocker Jacqueline Cowden hit .370 on the day, recording 13 kills, while junior outside hitter Emma Racila also reached double-figures in kills with 13. Defensively, sophomore libero Holly Youngquist led the Eagles with 26 digs. Senior setter Chandra Lefever also had double-digit digs with 14, along with 49 assists.
* With five conference matches remaining before the A-Sun tournament, FGCU sits in third place at 11-4, 1.5 matches behind second-place Jacksonville and two matches in front of fourth-place Campbell. The Eagles will return to Alico Arena next week, hosting the Bucs on Friday, October 30th, at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, October 31st, Campbell will visit FGCU, also at 7:00 p.m.
Jacksonville
* Senior outside hitter Brooke Singleton and junior setter Hannah Munneke each tallied a double-double as Jacksonville shut out USC Upstate, 3-0, Saturday afternoon at the Hodge Center. Singleton notched her team leading eighth double-double, fin¬ishing with a match-high 17 kills and 13 digs. Munneke paced the offense with 40 assists while also adding a match-high 14 digs.
* Jacksonville increased its longest winning streak under head coach Shaun Kupferberg and its longest winning streak since joining the A-Sun in 1998 to 13 matches. The Dolphins hit a match-high .357 in the contest, including hitting over .300 in all three sets.
* Senior libero Shelley Walroth finished with 13 digs in the contest, moving into 15th place on the all-time NCAA digs list with 2,280.
* Sophomore outside hitter Kathryn Kane added a match-high 17 kills and a .381 (17-1-42) hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Alliya Drzewiecki notched 11 kills and a season-high .500 (11-2-18) hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Nicki Kent also chipped in with seven kills and a .353 (7-1-17) hitting percentage.
Kennesaw State
* Sophomore Rachel Albright, and senior Chelsey Denesha and junior Sabrita Gulley all recorded double-doubles as Kennesaw State swept Chattanooga, 3-0, in a non-conference match at Maclellan Gym on Tuesday. Gulley joined teammate senior Asjia Stokes as the first two members of KSU’s 300 club, earning her 303rd kill of the season. The two are the only players in KSU’s four-year history to earn 300 kills in a season.
* Sophomore Grace Hoyt recorded a season-high three kills, while freshman Maja Kostic tallied four kills in the third set with an attack percentage of .429. * Senior Ginny Frederick enters Friday's match needing six assists to record 1,500 for her career, as the Owls host the Spartans at 7:00pm. On Saturday afternoon, FGCU visits for a 7:00 pm match at the KSU Convocation Center.
Lipscomb
* Junior setter Stefine “Jake” Pease tallied 32 assists in the match with Stetson Saturday, totaling 3,518 for her career, breaking the old mark of 3,501 set by Emily Smith.
* The Lady Bisons have won 17 straight matches, including 15 in a row against A-Sun competition.
* The Lady Bisons own a perfect 9-0 record at home, having only lost one set at Allen Arena this season.
* For the third-straight season, the Lady Bisons have won at least 20 matches. They are one victory away from tying their all-time mark of 21 set last season.
* The Lady Bisons have qualified for the Atlantic Sun Tournament for the fifth-straight year. They have been in the finals the last two seasons, including the championship in 2007.
Mercer
* After leading her squad to a clutch win over conference rival Campbell, 3-2, Mercer sophomore Rachel Urbelis earned Player of the Week. In three matches, Urbelis led the way for the Bears with 36 kills (4.00 kills per set). On Saturday, Urbelis willed her team to victory, smashing 30 kills and posting 20 digs at Campbell. Urbelis’ offensive output against the Camels marked the second-highest single-match kill total in program history. The Geneva, Ill. native finished three kills short of tying Katie Plummer’s all-time record of 33 kills, set on Aug. 30, 2002.
* Urbelis’ 30 kills set the highest single-match kill total for any player in the A-Sun this season and ranked as one of nine such performances in the NCAA this year.
* Mercer returns to conference play on Saturday, hosting USC Upstate. Match time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
UNF
* UNF outhit Atlantic Sun foe USC Upstate 68 kills to 55, but the Spartans were able to overcome a two match deficit to defeat the Ospreys, 3-2, on Friday night at Hodge Arena in Spartanburg, S.C.
* Junior middle blocker Kaley Read tallied 24 kills while senior outside hitter Agata Dawidowicz posted 17. Freshman outside hitter Paige Pridgeon posted 12 kills and a match-high 19 digs, while junior setter Jessica Catelano notched 33 assists and sophomore setter Julie Fye tallied 22. Freshman libero Nicole Baran collected 14 digs.
* The Ospreys host a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference matches on Friday and Saturday at UNF Arena. UNF plays host to Belmont on Friday night in a match set for 7:00 p.m. On Saturday afternoon the Ospreys return to the court for a match against Lipscomb at 3:00 p.m.
USC Upstate
* Freshman Emily Sanders posted her team-leading ninth double-double on Saturday against Jacksonville, posting 11 assists and 10 digs.
* Friday’s 3-2 win against UNF marked Upstate’s second straight at the Hodge Center against the Lady Ospreys, a former Peach Belt Conference rival at the Division II level. UNF holds a 10-3 advantage at the Hodge in the all-time series, with the Spartans only wins coming on Nov. 22, 2008 and Oct. 8, 1994, when Upstate’s 14th-year head coach Jennifer Calloway was still on court as a then-USC Spartanburg setter.
* The win against UNF was also the first time in the Spartans’ D-I era and since a 3-2 win against UNC Pembroke on Oct. 30, 2004 that the Spartans came back to win after being down two sets.
* Junior Erin Jacobsen’s 10 blocks against UNF tied a D-I era record for Upstate and were the most for the Spartans since Sandra Campbell posted 10 blocks against Mercer in a five-set win on Nov. 2, 2007.
* Junior Katie Downey notched a season-high seven blocks against UNF, as she tied her career-high in assisted blocks with the same number. Sophomore Kelsie Queen also notched a career-high five blocks in the match.
Stetson
* Senior right side Sarah Sears and junior outside hitter Stephanie Canfield notched five kills each to lead Stetson against Lipscomb, at Allen Arena Saturday afternoon. Senior libero Anna Becker topped the defensive charts for Stetson with 14 digs.
* Playing for the second straight match without usual setter Kelli Carneal, junior Megan Stewart did her best to fill in with nine assists while Sears recorded six helpers of her own.
* Freshman defensive specialist Monique Russell had a solid match on the defensive side of things with 10 digs.
* The Hatters return home to face the Camels at 6:00 p.m. Friday at the Edmunds Center.
