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Volleyball Hits The Road This Weekend
Oct. 31, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
This week in Butler Volleyball...
The Week Ahead: Butler hits the road for the final time in the regular season as the Bulldogs head to Youngstown State on Friday (Nov. 3) for a 7:00 p.m. contest with the Penguins before tackling Cleveland State on Saturday (Nov. 4) beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Previewing The Bulldogs: The Bulldogs (7-18, 2-8 Horizon League) continue to be one of the league's top defensive teams, pacing the conference in blocking (2.56 per game) and ranking third in digs (18.33 per game). Freshman Porshia Allen has been the team's top offensive threat with 2.94 kills per game, while senior Krystal Hendrix and junior Michelle DeGeeter are each averaging 2.82 kills per game. Hendrix and DeGeeter also lead the Bulldogs in blocking defense with each notching over a block per game. Sophomore Nina Inic is tops on the squad in back-row defense, tallying a team-high 3.71 digs per game. Sophomore Dana Daprile has split time at setter with freshman Adrianna Higle during the Horizon League slate, with the pair combining for 355 assists in league play. Head coach Sharon Clark, in her seventh year with the Bulldogs, earned her 100th win at Butler and her 200th win as a collegiate head coach earlier this season.
Bulldog Defense Strong Again: The Butler blocking corps continued to flex its muscle against in-state rival IPFW and Horizon League foe Wright State last week, as the Bulldogs notched double-figure blocks against both opponents, but it was not enough to overcome the Mastodons or the Raiders for wins. Butler tallied 12 total blocks against IPFW on Thursday (Oct. 26), including six by Michelle DeGeeter, but the Mastodons escaped Hinkle Fieldhouse with a 3-1 decision. The following night (Oct. 27), Butler added some offense to their 11 total blocks, hitting .333 in game one and .325 in game three, but inconsistency in games two and four proved to be the downfall as the Raiders took the match in five games.
Aiming For The Top: Senior Krystal Hendrix currently leads the team with 94 block assists this season, but she could soon become the all-time leader in the category. With 397 career block assists, Hendrix now stands just 16 behind Amy Pickett's school record of 413 and has a fairly realistic chance of breaking it with at least five matches remaining this year. Meanwhile, her 441 career total blocks, including 114 this season, are the sixth-most all-time and just 15 behind fifth-place Chris DeWell (456).
Block Party: The Bulldogs' blocking ability continues to stymie opponents this season, as Butler has out-blocked their foes 230.5 to 151.0 on the year and in 19 of 25 matches. In addition, the team leads the Horizon League in total blocks with 2.56 per game.
Teaming-Up: The Bulldogs have already reached rare company in terms of their team block assists totals. The 2006 squad touts 367 block assists this year, the 10th-highest total in school history. The 1988 team holds the school record of 499.
Can You Dig It?: The Butler defense has been nearly as strong in the back row as it has been at the net. Butler has averaged 18.33 digs per game this season, the third-highest total in the Horizon League, and has averaged slightly more in conference matches with 19.22 per game. No Second Guessing: Perhaps no Bulldog has been more consistent in all facets of the game this season than junior middle blocker Michelle DeGeeter. She is currently second on the team in three categories, including kills (254), digs (244) and total blocks (93). She has also registered a triple-double and seven double-doubles on the season.
Krystal In The Rough: Hendrix is currently ranked in the top-10 in the Horizon League in three categories this season. The Salt Lake City native is second in blocks (1.28 per game), sixth in points (3.87 per game) and seventh in hitting percentage (.279).
Inic To Win It: Not much has gotten by sophomore defensive specialist Nina Inic in Horizon League play this year. The Belgrade, Serbia native leads the circuit with 5.65 digs per game in league contests, while her 312 digs in all matches paces the team. Additionally, her 35 digs against UW-Green Bay on Oct. 13 were a career-best and are tied for the fifth-highest single-game total in school history.
Welcome To The Show: Freshman outside hitter Porshia Allen made quite a first impression against Marian on August 25, pacing the Bulldogs with 21 kills in helping the team to a 3-1, season-opening victory over the Knights. She currently leads the team in kills (262) and is ninth in the Horizon League with 2.94 kills per game.
Doubling Up: Not only has Porshia Allen been a considerable threat on offense, she has been a strong defensive performer as well. The freshman has posted seven double-doubles this year and is third on the team with 212 digs and 61 total blocks.
Triple Your Pleasure: Dana Daprile and Michelle DeGeeter have each notched a triple-double on the year. Daprile put together an all-around impressive performance in the Bulldogs' match against Army (Sept. 2), recording a triple-double with 11 kills, 30 assists and 17 digs. DeGeeter, meanwhile, sported a dominant showing against Loyola (Oct. 20), finishing with a career-high 21 kills, 11 digs and 12 total blocks.
Not Tall, But High-gle: Freshman setter Adrianna Higle may not appear to be a blocking threat, but she has proven otherwise in Horizon League play. The 5-6 native of San Antonio recorded her first-career block assist against Wright State on Sept. 29 before posting two in the Bulldogs' win over Youngstown State on Oct. 7.
Defense Like No Other: The Bulldogs' 34 block assists against Loyola on Oct. 20 eclipsed the 20-year-old school record of 30, set in 1986 against Dayton. Butler also combined for 21 total blocks on the night, tying for the second-highest mark in Bulldog history with the 1990 team and finishing one shy of the top mark of 22. DeGeeter Honored For Defense: Thanks to her dominant defensive performances against Loyola and UIC, Michelle DeGeeter was named the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 23. Her 33 total kills and 16 total blocks led the team for the week, while she committed only one error in 36 attempts for a .972 reception percentage.
Steele Awarded For Service: After leading the Bulldogs with superior serving in at the Courtyard by Marriott Classic, freshman Stephanie Steele was named to the All-Tournament Team as the tournament's Best Server. In matches against Duke, Notre Dame and Arizona State, she recorded three service aces and only two errors in 35 attempts for a .943 service percentage. She also chipped in 18 digs and added three total blocks. On the year, Steele touts 16 service aces and a .898 service percentage.
The Biggest Test: The Horizon League volleyball season provides challenging competition every year, and coach Clark planned accordingly when scheduling non-conference opponents. The Sun Devil Classic (Sept. 15-16) featured the most demanding non-conference matches for the Bulldogs this season, including bouts with Duke, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships in 2005, and Notre Dame, which reached the Sweet 16 of the national tournament last season.
They Come From Near And Far: Three of the Bulldog's six newcomers didn't have to travel too far to reach campus this fall. Sophomore transfer Corissa Foster and freshman Porshia Allen both hail from Indianapolis, while freshman Stephanie Steele comes from Sellersburg in southern Indiana. The other three, however, covered quite a bit more distance in their relocations. Freshmen Melody Austin (New Orleans, La.), Adrianna Higle (San Antonio, Texas) and Stephanie McGurk (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) combined for nearly 4,100 miles in their trips to Indianapolis.
Four Out Of Five Scorers Agree: The Bulldogs boast four of their top five scoring threats from a year ago in seniors Krystal Hendrix and Susana Henri, junior Michelle DeGeeter and sophomore Alicia Coltrane. The quartet was responsible for 70 percent (857 of 1,224) of the team's kills in 2005.
Head Coach Sharon Clark: In her 14th year of coaching and seventh with the Bulldogs, head coach Sharon Clark earned her 100th victory at the helm of Butler on Oct. 7 against Youngstown State. She also notched her 200th victory as a collegiate head coach against Evansville on Sept. 2. Clark has compiled a 203-209 record in 13-plus years as a head coach, including a 101-101 record at Butler. During her tenure with the Bulldogs, she has coached a two-time All-American, nine All-Horizon League Team members and seven all-newcomer team members. Clark Recognized by NABJ: On August 18, head coach Sharon Clark was named as a recipient of the Sam Lacy Pioneer Award by the Sports Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). She was presented with the honor for her success as one of the few black major-college volleyball coaches and the leadership she has shown in American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and NCAA activities. The Pioneer Awards, which pay tribute to black ground-breakers in the sports world, are the most prestigious honors bestowed by the NABJ Sports Task Force, which is comprised of black print and broadcast sports journalists nationwide.
Next Up: The Bulldogs conclude the regular season at home when they host UW-Milwaukee on Nov. 10 before honoring seniors Krystal Hendrix and Susana Henri prior to battling UW-Green Bay on Nov. 11. |
