C-USA Oct. 7 Volleyball Notebook

Julie DuPont

C-USA NOTEBOOK

CHARLOTTE: After being defeated in its first Conference USA volleyball match of the season, losing to USF (3-0) on Friday, Oct. 1, the Niners rebounded to even out their C-USA record with a win over UAB (3-0) on Saturday, Oct. 2. Middle blockers Lisa Newell and Jessica Oldenburg combined for 30 kills, while Newell totaled 31 percent of her team’s total points and kills for the week. Charlotte returns to Halton Arena for two Conference USA matches this weekend. The Niners host TCU on Friday, Oct. 8 and return to face Houston the following night.

CINCINNATI: The Bearcats’ win over Western Kentucky improved UC’s record to 10-6 on the season and stretches its winning streak to five, while the win also snapped the win streak of eight previously held by WKU. Julie DuPont registered a team-high of 14 kills and is now just five shy of matching Becky Tenkman’s school record for career kills. The Bearcats will resume conference play this weekend hosting UAB and USF, Friday and Saturday, respectively.

DE PAUL: The Blue Demons fell to 7-11 and 0-2 in C-USA after posting losses to conference foes Louisville and Cincinnati last weekend. DePaul sophomore libero Ellen Hayes led all players with 25 digs, while junior outside hitter Mandy Moorberg tallied 16 kills against No. 22 Louisville. The Blue Demons will return to action Friday, October 8, traveling to Marquette for a 7 p.m. matchup at the Al McGuire Center.

EAST CAROLINA: ECU will look to build on its perfect start in conference play after knocking off UAB and USF last weekend. Junior middle blocker Paige Howell registered a team-high 16 kills to lead four East Carolina players and junior outside hitter Erica Wilson posted a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs against USF. The Pirates return home this weekend to host Houston and TCU, on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

HOUSTON: One day after defeating Southern Miss at home in the Conference USA opener, the Cougars came up short in a five-game match with Tulane on Saturday, Oct. 2. Responsible for 65.5 percent of Houston’s points in the opening C-USA matches, Kelly McAnelly posted back-to-back double-doubles with 33 kills, 13 digs against Southern Miss, and 29 kills and 12 digs against Tulane. Jennifer Hohl turned in career-high assist numbers against Tulane, with 59, which is tops for any Cougar this year. Next, Houston stops at ECU and Charlotte, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8 and 9. Both matches start at 7 p.m.

LOUISVILLE: As Louisville improved its overall record to 12-2 with a 3-0 sweep over Morehead State on Tuesday night, the Cardinals will defend their perfect C-USA record of 2-0 when they face USF and UAB in Cardinal Arena Friday and Saturday. Junior Lena Ustymenko had 10 kills, 10 digs and two blocks to lead the Cardinals on Tuesday night’s “Bring Your Daughter Night.” U of L remains ranked No. 22 in the USA Today/CSTV Coaches Top-25 poll.

MARQUETTE: Marquette took control in the Pheonix Sports Center as the Golden Eagles swept Wisconsin-Green Bay, 3-0 on Tuesday night. With the win, Marquette improved its record to 10-5 on the year. Junior outside hitter Theresa Coughlin led the team with 12 kills, while senior setter Sarah Vernon tallied 44 assists of 52 Marquette kills. The Golden Eagles return to regular season play as they face DePaul on Friday at the Al McGuire Center. The match begins at 7 p.m.

MEMPHIS: Memphis opened its Conference USA schedule with a come-from-behind victory over Saint Louis, 3-2 and extended its win streak to nine matches. The Tigers got a career-high 29 kills from junior Nancy Nellans and 72 assists from senior setter Heather Watts. Nellans’ previous career-high was 26, which she hit against Houston on Oct. 11, 2002. Watts also tallied 14 digs and three block assists, which established her 10th double-double of the season. The win improves Memphis to 16-4 overall and 1-0 in C-USA. The Tigers prepare for Southern Miss and Tulane in their first conference road tests.

SAINT LOUIS: For the first time this season, the Billikens lost a match despite posting a higher hitting percentage. While SLU hit .249 to Memphis’ .229, the Billikens still lost the league matchup on Friday, Oct. 1. Saint Louis had been 7-0 when hitting a higher percentage than its opponent. Aida Antanaviciute became the first Billiken in program history to register at least 30 kills in a match four times in one season, while Chrissy King became the first Billiken to reach the 20-dig plateau twice this season. She had 20 digs at Memphis after a team-best 25 at Butler. The Billikens face Tulane on Friday and Southern Miss on Saturday. Both matches start at 7 p.m.

USF: In the Bulls’ first five-game match this season, USF fell to East Carolina, giving them an even 1-1 record in C-USA play. Junior Flavia Silveira led the way with match-highs in both kills (27) and digs (25), making her one of two players to notch double-doubles in the match. Silveira also hit .253 and averaged 4.38 kills and 3.38 digs on the week. USF will continue the league schedule this weekend on the road with matches at Louisville and Cincinnati.

SOUTHERN MISS: Southern Miss snapped its seven-match losing streak against in-state rival Alcorn State on Tuesday night. The much-needed win brought USM’s record to 4-9 on the year. Eagles’ walk-on outside hitter Kate Juedes surprised the home crowd with a match-high 12 services aces, just one shy of tying the school record, and eight kills. Southern Miss will continue its home stand with matchups against conference foes Memphis and Saint Louis on Friday and Saturday.

TCU: Two days after earning the program's 100th win, TCU’s duo of senior Dominika Szabo and junior Erin Ludeke swept the Conference USA accolades for the first time ever. Earning her second career conference Player of the Week honor, Szabo received recognition after she hit 17 kills with only one error for a .516 hitting percentage against Southern Miss and a .459 percentage for the week. Szabo led all players in both matches in kills and hitting percentage, despite sitting out game two against Southern Miss. In TCU’s victory over Southern Miss, Ludeke aced five serves, while setting up an over 60-kill team performance in both matches (70 vs. Tulane, 64 vs. Southern Miss). TCU will resume conference play at Charlotte Friday.

TULANE: Outside hitters Lindsey Norman and Anastasia Kenon combined for 51 kills and 23 digs in 3-2 victory over Houston at Yeoman Fieldhouse on Oct. 2. The Green Wave improved its overall record to 8-3, 1-1 for conference play. Kenon lead the Green Wave with 27 kills, and Norman was close behind with a career-best 24. Both posted double-doubles on the evening as Kenon added 12 digs and Norman posted 11. The Green Wave returns to action on Friday as Tulane hosts Saint Louis at 7 p.m. in Fogelman Arena.

UAB: The Blazers fell to Mercer in a four-game match on Tuesday after capturing the first game and forcing the Bears into five attack errors and three service errors. Junior outside hitter Isabel Oquendo tallied 20 points and had 17 kills to lead UAB. The Blazers look to break their 0-2 C-USA record as UAB faces Cincinnati and No. 22 Louisville on the road this weekend.

VOLLEYBALL HONOR ROLL
While extending Memphis’ win streak to nine, outside hitter Nancy Nellans gave her best performance yet of the season during the Tigers conference opener against Saint Louis on Oct. 1. Nellans downed a career-high 29 kills with 12 digs for her seventh double double of the season. Her 29 kills were just two shy of former Tiger standout Brittany Barnett, who posted 31 on Oct. 12, 2002 against TCU. Teammate and star setter, Heather Watts also helped the Tigers beat conference foe Saint Louis as she posted a career-best 72 assists and hit a match-high .417 with five kills and no errors.

Senior outside hitter Julie DuPont again helped Cincinnati improve its record to 10-6 on the season with a win against Western Kentucky Tuesday night. DuPont registered 14 kills and is now just five shy of matching former Cincinnati’s standout Becky Tenkman’s school record for career kills.

Charlotte’s middle blocker, Lisa Newell totaled 31 percent of her team’s total points and kills last week, as the Niners finished 2-1. Tying her season-high with 67 assists, Charlotte setter Molly McDonald helped lead her team to a win over Elon Tuesday, Sept. 28. She also totaled 40 assists and seven digs on last Saturday’s victory over UAB.

In USF’s first five-game match of the season, junior Flavia Silveira led the way with match-highs in both kills (27) and digs (25), making her one of two players to notch double-doubles in their loss against East Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 3. Freshman Michelle Stalbaum, who recorded a career-high 23 kills, added 12 digs and a block for the Bulls’ other double-double.

Saint Louis’s Aida Antanaviciute became the first Billiken in program history to register at least 30 kills in a match four times in one season. For the first time this season, the Billikens lost a match despite posting a higher hitting percentage as they fell to Memphis on Oct. 1.

ON THE WEB
For the latest Conference USA volleyball match recaps, scores, standings and notes, please refer to the league’s official web site: www.conferenceusa.com

PLAYER OF THE WEEK (10/4)
TCU tabbed both C-USA individual volleyball awards after posting a 2-0 sweep over conference foes Tulane and Southern Miss this weekend. Outside hitter Dominika Szabo was a key player in helping the Horned Frogs to their best conference start since 2000, while junior setter Erin Ludeke captured her first C-USA Setter of the Week honor.

DOMINIKA SZABO, TCU
OH, Sr., Eger, Hungary (Neumann Janos)
Szabo led all players in both matches in kills and hitting percentage, despite sitting out game-two against Southern Miss. Szabo hit 17 kills with only one error for a .516 hitting percentage and a .459 percentage for the week. The win over Tulane marked the first victory for the Horned Frogs over the Green Wave since 2000, while the victory over USM marked the first over Southern Miss since 2001.

SETTER OF THE WEEK (10/4)
TCU's junior transfer Erin Ludeke collected her first-ever C-USA Setter of the Week accolade following her first two starts of the year which led the Horned Frogs to a 2-0 conference start.

ERIN LUDEKE, TCU
DS/S, Jr., Houston, Tx. (Langham Creek/Lamar)

Ludeke aced five serves against Southern Miss, while setting up an over 60-kill team performance in both matches (70 vs. Tulane, 64 vs. Southern Miss). A junior transfer from Lamar University, Ludeke led all players in assists and posted double-double performances in both matches for the weekend. With wins over Tulane and Southern Miss, TCU extends their win streak to four and prepares to hit the road with conference matches at Charlotte and East Carolina next weekend.

AMONG THE RANKED
Here is a look at the Oct. 4, AVCA poll:

USA Today/CSTV poll
1. Washington (61)
2. Southern California (1)
3. Minnesota (1)
4. Hawai’i (2)
5. Nebraska
6. Penn State
7. Colorado State
8. Florida
9. Ohio State
10. UCLA
11. Texas
12. Santa Clara
13. UC Santa Barbara
14. Stanford
15. Texas A&M
16. Kansas State
17. California
18. Tennessee
19. Saint Mary’s (Calif)
20. Utah
21. Arizona
22. LOUISVILLE
23. Long Beach State
24. Illinois
25. Florida A&M

C-USA PRESEASON POLL
The Conference USA volleyball coaches have selected Louisville as the preseason favorite to win the 2004 C-USA Championship. Cincinnati’s Julie DuPont was named the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year after leading the league in kills with 5.43 per game last season.

2004 PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Louisville (25-6, 12-1 in 2003)
2. Cincinnati (27-6, 12-1)
3. Houston (12-20, 6-7)
4. Tulane (25-7, 9-4)
5. Marquette (14-16, 8-5)
6. Memphis (30-6, 9-4)
7. TCU (20-16, 5-8)
8. USF (12-30, 6-7)
9. DePaul (11-20, 3-10)
10. Southern Miss (27-6, 11-2)
11. Saint Louis (9-22, 2-11)
12. UAB (14-20, 6-7)
13. Charlotte (8-24, 1-12)
14. East Carolina (10-21, 1-12)

ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Theresa Coughlin, Marquette
Julie DuPont, Cincinnati*
Deva Fowler, Tulane
Lena Ustymenko, Louisville
Bing Sun, Louisville
Heather Watts, Memphis
* Preseason Player of the Year

C-USA CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Conference USA celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2004-05. A significant milestone for the league, the 10th year finds the conference preparing to embark on a new era in its already remarkable history.

C-USA will commemorate this milestone throughout the year with a multimedia campaign celebrating the past, present and future of the league. Several activities have been planned for the upcoming season that capture the history of C-USA and promote the student-athletes’ achievements in all 19 conference-sponsored sports.

One of the biggest aspects of this campaign is the naming of All-Decade teams, as well as a Player of the Decade and a Coach of the Decade for each of the league’s sports. In order to best determine the recipients of these honors, we will have a nomination process through the SIDs and then each current head coach in that sport will fill out a ballot with their selections after reviewing the list of nominees and supporting information. The winners will then be announced on November 17.

C-USA TOURNEY IN LOUISVILLE
The 2004 Chevron Texaco Conference USA Volleyball Tournament will take place Nov. 19-22 in Louisville, Ky. The University of Louisville will serve as the host school for the four-day event, with all matches being held at Cardinal Arena on the U of L campus. The championship match on Monday, Nov. 22 will be televised by CSTV and affiliates of the Conference USA Television Network. Louisville is the defending tournament champion.

DID YOU KNOW?
Since 1996, no C-USA school has been able to repeat as tournament champions. USF is the only school to win consecutive C-USA Tournament titles. No C-USA Tournament champion has been able to repeat since the Bulls captured the 1995 and 1996 titles. Here is a look at the last eight champions.
1995 USF
1996 USF
1997 Houston
1998 Louisville
1999 Cincinnati
2000 Louisville
2001 DePaul
2002 USF
2003 Louisville

REGULAR SEASON HISTORY
In the last eight years, Louisville either claimed or shared a league-record - five C-USA regular season titles. USF follows with four titles, while Cincinnati has claimed three. Here is a look at each year’s winner:
1995 Louisville (12-0)
1996 USF(13-1)
1997 USF (15-1)
1998 Louisville (14-2)
1999 Cincinnati (13-3)
Louisville (13-3)
2000 USF (5-1)
2001 Cincinnati (14-2)
2002 USF (12-1)
Louisville (12-1)
2003 Cincinnati (12-1)
Louisville (12-1)

TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
With numerous tournaments dotting the schedules of most C-USA teams, a number of league squads and individuals have fared well claiming tournament titles and MVP honors. Below is a look at those accomplishments through the start of 2004 conference play:

SpringHill Suites Tournament (Charlotte)
Champion: Charlotte
MVP: Abbey Szlanfucht

Vernon Manor Bearcat Invitational (Cincinnati)
Champion: Cincinnati
MVP: Julie DuPont

Mizuno Wildcat Classic (Davidson, N.C.)
Champion: DePaul
MVP: Janet Goreham

Memphis Volleyball Invitational (Memphis)
Champion: Memphis
MVP: Heather Watts

IU Credit Union Invitational (Bloomington, Ind.)
Champion: Saint Louis
MVP: Aida Antanaviciute

Kathy Trosclair Tournament (New Orleans, La.)
Champion: Tulane
MVP: Katie Case

UofL Courtyard by Marriott Tournament (Louisville)
Champion: Louisville
MVP: Not awarded

SpringHill Suites Classic (Charlotte)
Champion: Charlotte
MVP: Lisa Newell

New England Challenge (Boston, Mass.)
Champion: TCU
MVP: Ellen Rehme

Ashbury Suites Classic (Mobile, Ala.)
Champion: Southern Miss
MVP: Not awarded

MSU/Microtel Classic (Starkville, Miss.)
Champion: Memphis
MVP: Tiara Gilkey

Raider Challenge (Dayton, Ohio)
Champion: Louisville
MVP: Bing Sun

Fairfield Invitational (Fairfield, Conn.)
Champion: Saint Louis
MVP: Aida Antanaviciute

UNC-Greensboro Invitational (Greensboro, N.C.)
Champion: Memphis
MVP: Heather Watts

Toyota Husky Classic (Storrs, Conn.)
Champion: Marquette
MVP: Erica Heisser

C-USA VS. OTHER CONFERENCES
Here is a look at how C-USA schools have fared against other Division I Conferences.
America East 4-0
ACC 3-5
Atlantic 10 3-0
Atlantic Sun 6-5
Big EAST 6-2
Big South 4-1
Big 10 1-6
Big 12 0-3
Colonial 4-1
Gateway 1-0
Horizon 4-6
Independent 0-2
Ivy 1-0
MAC 3-5
Metro Atlantic 4-0
Mid Continent 3-5
Mid-Eastern 4-0
Missouri Valley 4-5
Mountain West 0-2
Non Division I 3-1
Northeast 1-0
OVC 7-3
Pac 10 2-5
Patriot 1-0
SEC 1-7
Southern 10-4
Southland 4-5
SWAC 5-2
Sun Belt 5-6
WAC 1-2
West Coast 1-4

2004 COACHES RECORDS
Coach School Career
Lisa Marston, CHA 68-78 153-157
Reed Sunahara, CIN 107-39 126-79
Dawn Dockstader, DPU 106-134 106-134
Colleen Munson, ECU 49-90 49-90
Bill Walton, HOU 370-230 580-285
Leonid Yelin, LOU 207-63 321-99
Pati Rolf, MAR 37-37 347-206
Carrie Yerty, MEM 156-132 156-132
Anne Kordes, SLU 8-9 8-9
Ricci Luyties, USM 4-9 4-9
Claire Lessinger, USF 3-9 3-9
Prentice Lewis, TCU 43-39 43-39
Betsy Becker, TUL 100-72 178-130
Melinda Claiborne, UAB 46-93 46-93

2004 GAME REC0RDS
School 3 4 5 Total
Charlotte 7-4 4-1 3-0 14-5
Cincinnati 7-3 3-2 0-1 10-6
DePaul 5-5 2-1 0-5 7-11
East Carolina 4-4 3-3 1-2 8-9
Houston 0-6 1-4 1-2 2-12
Louisville 6-0 5-2 1-0 12-2
Marquette 8-3 2-2 0-0 10-5
Memphis 8-2 6-2 2-0 16-4
Saint Louis 4-4 3-2 1-3 8-9
Southern Miss 1-5 1-3 2-1 4-9
TCU 4-2 6-2 1-1 11-5
Tulane 6-1 1-2 1-0 8-3
UAB 0-10 1-1 0-1 1-12
USF 3-4 0-4 0-1 3-9

YEAR TWO: NEW POINT SYSTEM
In a new system adopted by Conference USA volleyball coaches prior to the 2003 season, each player accumulates points for kills, block solos and assists and service aces. To calculate a players’ total points, please use the following formula: Kills + Solo Blocks + Service Aces. (block assists equal a half-point). In 2003, C-USA Player of the Year JULIE DUPONT led the league in this new category, tallying 6.26 ppg.

LEADING THE CONFERENCE
Here is a look at several of the top single-match performances in Conference USA during the 2004 season.

HITTING PERCENTAGE
.688 (12-1-16) by Myanna Hellsten (CIN) vs. Kent State, 9/4

KILLS
39 by Aida Antanaviciute (SLU) vs. Indiana State, 9/1

ASSISTS
72 by Heather Watts (MEM) vs. Saint Louis, 10/1

ATTEMPTS
82 by Aida Antanaviciute (SLU) vs. Illinois State, 9/28

ACES
9 by Lisa Newell (CHA) vs. Bucknell, 9/3

BLOCKS
13 by Jennifer Hoffman (LOU) vs. Virginia, 9/3

DIGS
35 by Jaci Gonzalez (HOU) at Ball State, 9/18

2004 PLAYER/SETTER OF THE WEEK
Here is a look at C-USA’s Players/Setters of the Week for the 2004 season:
S7 P- Julie DuPont (Cincinnati)
P- Aida Antanaviciute (Saint Louis)
S- Heather Watts (Memphis)
S13 P- Ellen Rehme (TCU)
S- Sarah Vernon (Marquette)
S20 P-Tiara Gilkey (Memphis)
S-Heather Watts (Memphis)
S27 P- Aida Antanaviciute (Saint Louis)
P-Tiara Gilkey (Memphis)
S-Heather Watts (Memphis)
O4 P-Dominika Szabo (TCU)
S-Erin Ludeke (TCU)