Sept. 10, 2007

IRVING, Texas - Six Conference USA teams are set to open its 2007 league schedules this week. Tipping things off will be Tulane (8-2) at UTEP (6-4) on Wed., Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. CT. This match-up features C-USA's top two teams in hitting efficiency as Tulane, who's receiving AVCA Top 25 votes, leads the league at .257, followed by UTEP's .248 accuracy. The Miners also rank second in opponent hitting percentage, only allowing .150. Tulane tops the C-USA charts in assists per game, at 14.31, while UTEP sits atop the list with 2.39 service aces per game.

Sept. 10: C-USA VOLLEYBALL NOTEBOOK & STATISTICS

On Thurs., two C-USA matches are on the docket as Houston (3-6) will host Rice (5-5) and UAB (5-4), 2006 C-USA Tournament Champion, travels to Memphis (7-4). Match times are 7 p.m. CT.

TULSA'S ALLEN RECORDS 400TH WIN
Tulsa head coach Ed Allen picked up his 400th career victory as TU swept Northwestern State in the second match of the SFA Ladyjack Invitational. The Golden Hurricane finished second to host Stephen F. Austin.

C-USA KNOCKS OFF BIG 12/SEC FOES
Conference USA member Tulane came from a 0-2 deficit to knockoff Colorado in the first match of the Sugar Bowl Classic on Aug. 28. Colorado was ranked #31 in the preseason AVCA poll and concluded the 2006 season ranked 22nd.

SMU defeated Texas Tech, 3-1, in the championship match of the SMU Invitational on Sept. 1.

UAB also battle back from a 0-2 deficit to defeated SEC foe Alabama in Birmingham on Aug. 31. Memphis handed Mississippi State a 3-1 loss on Sept. 8.

TULSA'S SILVA RECORDS FIRST TRIPLE-DOUBLE OF SEASON
Tulsa setter Julia Silva recorded C-USA's first triple-double of the season with 14 kills, 31 assists and 16 digs against North Carolina Central at the Charleston Southern Invitational. She is one of just four players in the NCAA that has recorded a triple-double in a three-game match this season. Silva was named MVP of the CSU Invitational, after helping TU to the team title with a 4-0 record. She has posted double-doubles in six of TU's eight matches this season.

MEMPHIS' YERTY SETS RECORD
Memphis head coach Carrie Yerty made history on Sept. 1, when the Tigers swept Indiana State at the Eastern Illinois Pepsi Challenge. The win propelled her into the top spot on Memphis' all-time coaching victories list. She now stands at 216 career wins.

STEFANOV SURPASSES 3,000 ASSISTS
Junior Nevena Stefanov became the third setter in UAB history, and 19th all-time in Conference USA, to eclipse the 3,000 career assists milestone. She's currently averaging 12.00 APG, fourth-best in C-USA. Stefanov has dished out 40-or-more assists in five of eight matches, including a season-high 55 at Alabama. UAB won the Music City/Magic City Invitational title to open the 2007 season.

HURRICANE STORM BREWING
Tulsa established a school record with 25-consecutive games won between Aug. 25 to Sept. 8. TU had its streak snapped by Stephen F. Austin Saturday, losing 3-2. All eight of TU's wins this season have been via the sweep. The eight consecutive sweeps ranks second in school history. The 1977 squad posted nine-straight sweeps.

TEAM CAPSULES

EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina (5-6) went 3-1 on the week with a win over Campbell on Tuesday, followed by victories over North Carolina State and Akron before falling to Dartmouth in the final match of the Holiday Inn Brownstone Volleyball Challenge in Reynolds Coliseum. All-C-USA preseason selection and senior Kelley Warnert led the Pirates with 5.38 KPG, second best in the league for the week. ECU travels to UNC-Wilmington Tuesday for a 7 p.m. match, before participating in the George Washington Invitational this weekend.

HOUSTON
Houston (3-6) faced a tough schedule last week, playing five matches in five days. UH picked up five-game thrillers over Cal State Bakersfield and UTSA in back-to-back matches to kick-off the week. C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, junior OH Justine Farmer ended the week with an average of 5.14 KPG, third best in the league for the week, while sophomore MB Erin Rice ranked fourth in blocks with 1.29 BPG. Farmer now ranks seventh on UH's career kills list with 1,241. Houston welcomes Rice in its C-USA opening match on Thursday at 7 p.m.

MARSHALL
Marshall (5-6) won its first match of the week, sweeping Xavier on Tuesday. The Herd didn't fare as well at the Valparaiso Popcorn Classic where they dropped three-straight matches. C-USA Preseason Player of the Year senior Kelly-Anne Billingy led the league with 5.82 KPG for the week, while freshman S Elizabeth Fleming ranked second with 12.89 APG. Marshall returns to action in the Friends of Coal Blue/Green Classic on Friday when it squares off against West Virginia in Charleston at 7 p.m.

MEMPHIS
Senior Shelby Burton continued her dominance on Saturday, downing 25 kills versus Arkansas-Little Rock and 20 more against Mississippi State, as Memphis (7-4) split day two of the Memphis Invitational Tournament to earn a runner-up finish on the weekend. The Tigers fell to UALR, 3-1, before rebounding with a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Bulldogs. Burton and fellow senior Ashley Liford were both named to the Memphis Invitational All-Tournament team. The Tigers are set to open C-USA action on Thursday against UAB. Match time is set for 7 p.m. inside the Elma Roane Field house.

RICE
After a first game setback, Rice (5-5) rallied to defeat Troy, 3-1, as the Owls finished second at the Nike Gamecock Invitational on Saturday in Columbia, S.C. Sophomores Jennifer McClean and Jessie Boulavsky were named to the all-tournament team. McClean also paced Rice with her third-straight double-double. McClean finished the tournament leading Rice with 4.08 KPG and 4.08 DPG. The Owls open C-USA action against Houston on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the UH Athletics/Alumni Center.

SMU
SMU (7-3) lost a hard-fought match to in-state rival Baylor, 3-1 in the final match of the SMU Radisson Invitational at Moody Coliseum Saturday. Three Mustangs recorded double-doubles in the match. Senior OH Rachel Giubilato recorded her seventh of the season, with 13 kills and 10 digs, a feat which earned her a place on the all-tournament team. Freshman OH Kathryn Wilkerson notched her sixth double-double in her rookie season with 13 kills and 12 digs, while junior S Stefanie Kons dished out 35 assists and 12 digs. SMU is back in action Tuesday against UTSA at Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m.

SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss (3-7) split its four matches last week. The Golden Eagles swept Alcorn State and defeated William & Mary, 3-1, before dropping straight games to host UC Irvine and No. 5 UCLA at the UC Irvine/Nike Invitational. Senior MB Morgan Johnson earned all-tournament with 31 kills, 10 blocks and 24 digs. Johnson also had one double-double in tournament action. Southern Miss returns to action on Tuesday when the Golden Eagles host Nicholls State at 7 p.m. inside Reed Green Coliseum.

TULANE
Tulane (8-2) swept Columbia, 3-0, Saturday at the LMU Hilton LAX Invitational at Gersten Pavilion. Tulane was represented on the all-tournament team by C-USA Defensive Player of the Week Jenn Miller, who recorded 55 digs in three matches, including 17 vs Columbia. The Green Wave went 1-2 for the week. Tulane travels to El Paso for the Conference USA opener against UTEP on Wednesday, before continuing to Tempe, Ariz., for the Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport hosted by Arizona State on Friday and Saturday. That tournament features Arizona State, VCU and Florida A&M.

TULSA
Tulsa (8-3) went 2-1 at the LadyJack Invitational. TU swept Louisiana-Monroe and Northwestern State before falling to host Stephen F. Austin in five-games in the championship match. Senior MH Fabiola Nepomuceno led the Hurricane in all three matches, including a career-high 23 against SFA. Junior L Malorey Grove was one of three C-USA players to average better than five digs per game (5.18) last week. Tulsa opens its home schedule Friday by hosting the Tulsa Invitational at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

UAB
Ivana Bozic posted her third double-double of the weekend in UAB's 3-1 loss to George Mason at the Pittsburgh Invitational. Bozic's performance earned her all-tournament team recognition. Bozic posted her fifth double-double of the year and move up to No. 8 on UAB's career kills list. The Blazers played without setter Nevena Stefanov on Saturday. UAB (5-4) will be back in action Thursday when it travels to play its first Conference USA match of the season at Memphis at 7 p.m.

UCF
UCF (6-5) went 4-0 last week with wins over Florida Atlantic, North Florida, Central Michigan and Missouri State at the UCF Invitational. This marked the Knights first home action of the season after beginning the season with seven contests away from Orlando. Juniors Stephanie Serna and Jessie Boulavsky led UCF with .423 and .409 hitting efficiency, respectively. Junior Jenny Heppert topped the league with 29 total blocks and a 1.81 BPG. UCF will participate in the South Florida Invitational this weekend.

UTEP
UTEP (6-4) fell in four games to Portland and Portland State on the final day of the Nike Portland Invitational. The Miners also suffered a 3-0 setback to Pacific in the tournament opening match. Junior L Catherine Chavez finished the week with 66 digs, for a 4.71 average - fourth best in C-USA for the week. Freshman S Patty Jarmoc accounted for 9.0 APG during tournament action. UTEP returns to action on Tuesday in Las Cruces, N.M. to take on I-10 rival New Mexico State. The Miners follow with their Conference USA opener at Memorial Gym on Wednesday. Match times are scheduled for 7 p.m.