Weekly MWC Volleyball Release #6
BYU, CSU, and Utah off to great starts in conference play.
Oct. 13, 1999
1999 Conference Standings
Conference Action Underway
Mountain West Conference action is well underway as the eight league teams enter the third week of conference play. This week’s conference action has New Mexico at Air Force and No. 8 BYU at Utah in local rivalry matches on Friday. As a result of the light weekend, both Air Force and Utah have an extra day off. Slated to play non-conference matches early next week are New Mexico, who travels to Northern Arizona on Monday, Oct. 18, and No. 8 BYU, who plays host to Notre Dame on Tuesday, Oct. 19. Hitting the road for a full tilt of conference matches will be No. 14 Colorado State and Wyoming. CSU puts its 16-match win streak on the line at San Diego State Friday, then faces UNLV Saturday. Wyoming is in Las Vegas Friday and San Diego Saturday.
1999 Conference Schedule/Results
USA Today/AVCA National Poll
BYU No. 8, CSU No. 14
The first five positions remained the same in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 national poll this week, but there was significant realignment beyond the top-five.
Brigham Young University (12-2/4-0 MWC) climbed two places in this week’s listing after posting three wins this past week. The Cougars’ only losses this season have been to then-No. 7 Stanford on Sept. 25 and in the season opener to Michigan. BYU owns wins over Top 25 members Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
Colorado State University (16-0/3-0 MWC) remained one of only three undefeated teams in the nation and gained one position (No. 14) in this week’s national poll. Thus far, the Rams have registered three tournament titles and wins over Top 25 teams Colorado and Loyola Marymount.
1999 AVCA National Rankings
BYU’s Puikkonen Named MWC Volleyball Player of the Week
After helping lead the Cougars to three victories during the week, sophomore middle blocker Nina Puikkonen from Brigham Young University has been named the Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. Ranked No. 10 in the nation, BYU improved to 12-2 overall and 4-0 in conference action with a 3-1 victory at Weber State and a pair of 3-0 home sweeps in league play over UNLV and San Diego State.
A dominating force at the net during the three matches, Puikkonen put away 17 blocks and 41 kills for averages of 1.70 blocks and 4.10 kills per game. She hit .447 (41-7-76) for the week, collected 21 digs and served two aces.
In the non-conference match at Weber State on Tuesday, Puikkonen drilled 15 kills, assisted on five blocks and collected eight digs. Against UNLV on Friday, she led the Cougars with nine kills and committed just one error in 20 attempts for a .400 attack percentage. She also registered eight blocks in the sweep. In the final action of the week against SDSU on Saturday, Puikkonen again led her team with 17 kills with just two errors in 22 attempts for a near-personal-best .682 attack percentage. She added four more blocks.
A native of Murray, Utah, Puikkonen earned WAC Mountain Division Freshman of the Year and first team all-conference honors this past season after leading the nation in blocking with a 2.17 per game average. She currently leads the team and Mountain West Conference in blocking with 79 total and a 1.65 average. She also leads the league and team in kills with 202 total and a 4.21 per game average and her .362 attack percentage ranks third in the conference.
This is the first conference player of the week honor for Puikkonen in her career and is the second selection for BYU this season.
Mountain West Conference Volleyball Players of the Week: Sept. 7 – Courtney Cox, CSU, Sept. 13 – Shaylor Billings, AFA, and Anna-Lena Smith, BYU, Sept. 20 – Angela Knopf, CSU, Sept. 27 – Melody Friehauf, Wyo., Oct. 4 – McKelle Stilson, Utah, Oct. 11 – Nina Puikkonen, BYU.
Non-conference Wrap
Three non-conference matches took place this past week as Mountain West Conference action dominated the schedule. The MWC added two wins and one loss against non-league foes. Combined, Mountain West Conference teams own a 67-37 record against opponents from other conferences, to date. Collectively, MWC teams have won 221 games and lost just 144 in non-league contests. Here’s a quick look at how the Mountain West Conference stacks up against conferences played at least three times:
ACC 3-2
Big East 4-3
Big Sky 4-1
Big 12 4-7
Big West 4-3
Colonial 2-1
C-USA 4-0
Missouri Valley 5-1
Ohio Valley 3-0
Pac-10 2-5
SEC 3-1
Sun Belt 4-2
West Coast 3-7
WAC 3-2
MWC Volleyball Milestones
First Serve: Colorado at CSU, 6:58 p.m., Sept. 1.
First MWC Kill: by CSU’s Catie Vagneur at 6:59 p.m., Sept. 1 against Colorado.
First Point Scored: On a kill by CSU’s Catie Vagneur at 6:59 p.m., Sept. 1 against Colorado.
First Victory: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 3-Game Win: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 4-Game Win: BYU d. Toledo (3-1) Sept. 4.
First 5-Game Win: BYU d. Georgia (3-2) Sept. 3.
First Victory vs. Ranked Opponent: No. 24 CSU d. No. 19 Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Home Victory: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Away Victory: BYU d. Georgia (3-2) Sept. 3.
First Neutral Victory: UTAH d. SMU (3-0) Sept. 3.
First Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 3-Game Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 4-Game Loss: Montana State d. WYOMING (3-1) Sept. 4.
First 5-Game Loss: Georgia d. UTAH (3-2) Sept. 7.
First Home Loss: Northern Iowa d. UTAH (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Away Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Neutral Loss: Michigan d. BYU (3-0) Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title: AIR FORCE won the Air Force Invitational Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title at Home: AIR FORCE won the Air Force Invitational Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title on Road: UTAH won the Texas Tech Four Points Sheraton Classic Sept. 4.
First Player of the Week: CSU’s Courtney Cox (So., OH)
First 10-Block Outing: 10 by Utah’s McKelle Stilson vs. Georgia on Sept. 10.
First 20-Kill Outing: 20 by AFA’s Shaylor Billings vs. Morgan State and 21 by UNLV’s Angie Sylvas on Sept. 10.
First 30-Kill Outing: 30 by WYO’s Melody Friehauf vs. Evansville on Sept. 25.
First 20-Dig Outing: 21 by UNM’s Janelle Torres vs. Wyoming on Sept. 11.
First Triple-Double: (16k-1d-11b) by WYO’s Rachel Lau vs. Montana State on Sept. 4.
Conference Championships at BYU
The inaugural Mountain West Conference Volleyball Championship will be hosted by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. All eight MWC institutions will compete for the first league title November 24-27 in the Smith Fieldhouse.
Tickets for the event are available through the BYU ticket office by calling (801) 378-2981 or (800) 322-2981. For media credentials contact Elaine Adams at the Mountain West Conference Office (719) 533-9510.
Triple-Double Club
(12k-16d-60a)
Graciela Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. Pepperdine S17
(10k-11d-60a)
Graciela Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. Weber State S7
(16k-11d-11b)
Rachel Lau (Wyo) vs. Montana State S4
20-Dig Club
22 Alisa Geddes (Utah) vs. California S25
22 Micaela Conley (UNM) vs. Wyoming O9
21 Janelle Torres (UNM) vs. Wash. State S11
20 Tharommony In (AFA) vs. Utah O2
30-Kill Club
30 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Evansville S 25
20-Kill Club
27 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Denver O 6
25 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Cal S 25
24 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. Arkansas S 11
24 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Tenn. Tech S 11
23 Courtney Cox (CSU) at Denver S 21
23 Catie Vagneur (CSU) at Denver S 21
23 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at Nevada-Reno S 28
22 Amy Halquist (SDSU) at Creighton S 12
22 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Utah O 2
21 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) vs. Louisville S 10
21 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Arkansas S 11
21 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. Notre Dame S 24
21 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Air Force O 2
20 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Morgan State S 10
20 Amber Smith (UNM) vs. Wash. State S 11
20 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Utah State S 16
20 Brooke Effland (AFA) at Alabama S 17
20 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Pepperdine S 17
20 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Pepperdine S 18
20 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Notre Dame S 24
20 Amber Smith (UNM) vs. SMU S 25
Double-Figure Block Club
11 Summer Koons (AFA) vs. Utah O2
10 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Georgia S10
Grand Fan Club
3,533# Pepperdine at BYU S 18
2,584 Colorado at Colorado State S 1
2,063 Notre Dame at Colorado State S 25
1,532 Utah State at BYU S 17
1,471 SMU at Colorado State S 17
1,381 Colorado State at Wyoming O 2
1,318 Evansville at Colorado State S 24
# New Arena Record
Mountain West Among NCAA Leaders
(As of Oct. 10)
Hitting Percentage
6. Mari Carpenter (BYU) (150-33-289) .405
15. Melody Friehauf (Wyo) (225-60-425) .388
Assists
16. Anna-Lena Smith (BYU) 13.40
Blocks
10. Nina Puikkonen (BYU) 1.65
Team Hitting Percentage
8. BYU (802-291-1749) .292
14. Colorado State (872-324-1930) .284
Team Blocks
4. BYU (36 BS/268 BA/170 TB) 3.54
Team Notes:
Air Force Falcons (13-5, 1-3 MWC)
The Falcons stretched their win-streak to seven matches before it was snapped by No. 15-ranked Colorado State on Saturday … Air Force posted 3-1 wins over Denver and Wyoming to start the week … The victory over Wyoming marked the first time in series history (1-8) that the Falcons defeated the Cowgirls … The win is only the third-ever over a member of the Mountain West Conference and the first since the Falcons defeated UNLV during the 1996 season … Brooke Effland (Sr., OH) drilled the second-highest total by a MWC player this season with 27 kills and was just shy of a 20/20 with 18 digs as she led the Falcons to victory over Denver … The Falcons have already posted more victories than ever in the history of the AFA women’s volleyball program since going Division I in 1996 … In light action this week, the Falcons’ only match is on Friday when they host New Mexico.
BYU Cougars (12-2, 4-0 MWC)
The Cougars climbed to No. 8 in the nation after posting three wins this past week … The Cougars have not lost a game en route to their four league victories … Nina Puikkonen (So., MB) claimed conference player of the week honors after totaling 17 blocks, 41 kills and 21 digs during the three matches … Puikkonen continues to lead the league and ranks 10th in the nation in blocks with an average of 1.65 per game … She also leads the conference in kills per game with a 4.21 average … She hit .682 (17-2-22) against SDSU to improve her attack percentage to .362 overall … The BYU career assist record of 5,321 (held by current U.S. National Team setter Charlene Johnson Tagaloa) is ready to fall as Anna-Lena Smith (Sr., S) needs just 129 more assists to surpass the mark … Smith currently leads the league and ranks 16th in the nation with a 13.40 assists per game average …BYU continues to lead the conference with a 3.54 blocks per game average and a .292 hitting percentage and was listed eighth and fourth, respectively, in the latest NCAA statistics (as of Oct. 10) … BYU plays at rival Utah on Friday, then hosts Notre Dame in non-conference play on Tuesday.
Colorado State Rams (16-0, 3-0 MWC)
Up a notch to No. 14 in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll, CSU remains one of just three Division I teams (Hawaii and Northern Iowa are the others) in the nation undefeated entering the week … The Rams have swept all three conference matches and won 14 matches in the minimum three games this season … CSU has won its last 18 games and earlier this season owned a 24-game streak … Catie Vagneur (Sr., OH) leads the team with 215 total kills and is ranked second in the league with a 4.13 per game average … CSU took over the conference lead in kills (16.77) and assists (15.02) per game … The Rams will put their record-setting streak and best start in school history (16 matches) on the line at San Diego State and UNLV this week.
New Mexico Lobos (5-15, 0-4 MWC)
After falling at No. 15 Colorado State and Wyoming this past week, the Lobos have suffered losses in five straight matches and their last 11 games … Micaela Conley (Jr., OH) remains a bright spot for UNM as she registered her fourth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 22 digs at Wyoming … Her 22 digs ties the best outing by a MWC player and is the second UNM entry in the 20-Dig Club this season as teammate Janelle Torres (Sr., S) was the first to surpass the mark with 21 digs against Washington State on Sept. 11 … This week, the Lobos face Air Force on Friday and step out of conference for a match at Northern Arizona on Monday.
San Diego State Aztecs (7-9, 1-2 MWC)
The Aztecs dropped below the .500 mark after suffering a pair of conference losses to No. 10 BYU and Utah this past week … The schedule has not been easy for SDSU which opened the season against four ranked opponents and have played a total of seven thus far … Next up for the Aztecs, yet another ranked opponent in conference for Colorado State (No. 14) on Friday night … The Aztecs wrap up the week hosting Wyoming on Saturday.
UNLV Rebels (8-6, 0-3 MWC)
Facing two of the toughest teams in the league, UNLV dropped two MWC matches to No. 10 BYU and Utah this past week … After opening the season with a school-best seven consecutive wins, the Rebels have now lost six of the last seven matches … Three of those losses have come at the hands of ranked foes (USC, Pepperdine and BYU) … UNLV host Wyoming on Friday, and No. 14 Colorado State Saturday.
Utah Utes (13-4, 4-0 MWC)
The Utes improved their win streak to five matches and remained undefeated in conference action with victories against San Diego State and UNLV this past week … McKelle Stilson (So., MB) has reached double-figures in kills in 13 of the 17 matches this season and ranks fifth in the league in hitting percentage (.329) and seventh in kills (3.71) … Utah’s all-time record holder, Graciela Torres-Lopez (Sr., S) continues to close in on a milestone as she enter the week with 4,474 career assists … Torres-Lopez’s 12.80 assists per game average is second in the league in assists … Utah leads the league in digs per game with a 16.20 average … In its only action this week, Utah plays host to No. 8 BYU in a rivalry match on Friday.
Wyoming Cowgirls (7-10, 1-2 MWC)
The Cowgirls rebounded from a 3-1 loss at Air Force to sweep New Mexico in a pair of league matches over the weekend, then suffered a loss to non-conference for Utah State on Monday … Listed second in the conference and 15th in the nation, Melody Friehauf (Jr., MB) boasts a team-high .388 attack percentage … Friehauf owns the only 30-kill outing in MWC history, after drilling the career-high against Evansville on Sept. 25 … Jamie Burke (Jr., OH) notched her second 20-kill outing of the season with a match-high 20 against New Mexico on Saturday … As a team, Wyoming leads the league in service aces (1.87) and is second in blocks (2.90) … This week, the Cowgirls travel to UNLV and San Diego State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
MWC Preseason Coaches’ Predictions
The coaches from the eight Mountain West Conference institutions registered their votes for projected order of finish in the new conference prior to the season. BYU, which has won the conference title in its first year with each of its previous three conferences, is favored to claim the inaugural MWC crown. The league competition should be exciting as the voting was very close the rest of the way. Colorado State was chosen to be the runner-up, Utah was picked to finish third and UNLV completes the upper half at fourth.
Here is the complete preseason poll:
1. BYU
2. Colorado State
3. Utah
4. UNLV
5. Wyoming
6. New Mexico
7. San Diego State
8. Air Force
Four MWC Teams Were Mentioned In Preseason National Poll
Four women’s volleyball teams from the Mountain West Conference received mention in the USA Today/AVCA preseason national poll. Two were listed among the nation’s top-25 and two others received votes.
Brigham Young University enters the season ranked No. 7 in the nation. The Cougars finished 1998 listed No. 6 in the final poll with a 31-4 record. Colorado State climbed into the preseason poll at No. 24. The Rams posted a 24-8 record in 1998 but were not ranked at the end of the season.
Utah received 24 votes to place just outside of the top-25. The Utes owned a 21-10 record in 1998. UNLV brings the conference total to four teams mentioned in the preseason poll by gaining one vote. The Rebels went 23-8 this past season.
Rich Postseason History
Six of the eight MWC women’s volleyball programs have competed in postseason action over the years while the other two programs have only been in competition since 1996. Leading the charge is Brigham Young University, which has competed in the NCAA tournament 17 times. Highlighting BYU’s NCAA success is a national runner-up finish in 1993. The Cougars have also reached the Regional Final seven times - including the past three years.
Colorado State has competed in the last four NCAA tournaments bringing its total to 10. San Diego State has made 12 NCAA appearances, New Mexico seven, Wyoming four and Utah one. In addition, CSU and Utah have each competed in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
Starting Fresh With History On Its Side
Although 1999 is the first season of competition for the Mountain West Conference, the histories of its women’s volleyball programs gives this new league a solid national reputation on which to build an exciting future. Prior to forming the MWC, all eight institutions competed in the 16-team Western Athletic Conference where they enjoyed considerable national recognition in the sport of women’s volleyball.
Obtaining Information on the Mountain West Conference
Information on the Mountain West Conference and its eight member institutions is available in several ways. For those with internet access, the official MWC website (www.mountainwestconf.com) is the best source. The site is maintained by John Romo of the MWC communications staff and hosted through FANSonly. Each volleyball box score will be made available on the website no later than the Monday following the match. Updated conference statistics and standings, along with conference leaders will be available on a weekly basis. The MWC website also provides links to each school’s official website, and sport specialty sites which post national polls, etc. In addition, the MWC newsstand provides links to stories from newspapers around the MWC and nation.
Those who prefer fax machines as their source will find all of the same information available through Fax-On-Demand. Call Info Connection at (800) 300-2050 to enter your PIN number and access the system. If you do not have a PIN number, call Pivotal Communications at (770) 399-0096 to obtain one. The Mountain West Conference Passcode is 692. The document numbers to obtain information on MWC volleyball are as follows: 1015–Release, 1016–Statistics, 1017–Standings, 1018–Schedule, 1019–All-Mountain West Conference Teams, 1020–Mountain West Conference Championship Information, 1021–Breaking News. This service is also utilized by all eight member institutions.
Perhaps the most convenient method to obtain information on the Mountain West Conference or any of its eight member institutions is through Pivotal Communications’ Media Teamlink service. This is an internet product which allows media members to sign up to receive documents via email and/or fax as soon as they are updated by the media relations staffs. Receiving information via email is free, while faxes require a minimal charge. To signup, go online at www.mediateamlink.com.
In addition to the above sources, the Mountain West Conference staff welcomes the opportunity to assist in your coverage of MWC volleyball. Please feel free to contact Elaine Adams, Director of Communications, via email (eadams@mountainwestconf.com) or phone (719-533-9510) at any time.
