C-USA Oct. 21 Volleyball Notebook

Amy Holmes

PLAYER OF THE WEEK (10/18)
Marquette's outside hitter Kimberley Todd is the first freshman to earn C-USA Player of the Week honors this season as she helped the Golden Eagles to a weekend sweep of USF and UAB. The freshman set a collegiate best with 24 kills in a 3-1 win over USF on Friday, Oct. 15 followed by a 3-0 sweep against UAB on Saturday, Oct. 16.

KIMBERLEY TODD, Marquette
OH/MB, Fr., Oshawa, Ont./Anderson CVI

Todd surpassed her previous collegiate best by 10 kills when she tallied 24 against the Bulls. She averaged a team best 5.0 kills per game and hit .375 percent. She also had the most points of any Marquette player during the week, scoring 38.5 points, an average of 5.5 per game.

SETTER OF THE WEEK (10/18)
Charlotte's Molly McDonald collected her first 2004 Setter of the Week accolade as she led the 49ers to a come-from-behind, five-game win against Saint Louis on Friday, Oct. 15. On the week, Charlotte split a pair of conference matches on the road with a win against the Billikens and a loss to league co-leader Memphis on Saturday.

MOLLY MCDONALD, Charlotte
S, Sr., Santa Cruz, Calif. (Harbor/Vision)

McDonald totaled 112 assists in two conference matches last week, including a career high-tying 69 in the conference win against Saint Louis. She helped her squad hit a combined .374 over the last three games, including .571 (10 for 14) in the decisive game five. McDonald averaged 14.0 assists per game across the two matches, while adding nine digs and four block assists on the week.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
GAME SHARKS
Charlotte totaled 17 service aces in its match against non-conference opponent Radford on Monday night. The mark was the team's third-highest total of the season. The 49ers were ranked fourth among the national leaders in service aces per game entering the match. Junior Lisa Newell led the team with five aces, her highest total since serving up nine in the season opener. Holly Kreyling, Alma Arroyo and Molly McDonald, each contributed three aces apiece.

CHECK MATE
Ana Yartseva of the Cardinals had seven blocks to lead the U of L over conference rival Houston last weekend. Louisville currently ranks ninth among Div IA squads in blocks with 3.33 bpg. The Cardinals have posted 209.5 blocks this season over its opponent’s tally of 89.0. Yartseva also ranks third on the national charts for hitting percentage (.453).

SHERLOCK HOLMES
After DePaul’s Amie West was sidelined with a knee injury, setter Amy Holmes stepped in for the Blue Demons to help secure the team’s first conference win over UAB last weekend. Holmes posted a three-game season-high 43 assists against UAB and aided DePaul to its second best hitting performance (55 kills on .319 attack percentage) against USF the following night.

FREER FAME
Senior libero Erin Freer is on pace to set a new school the all-time digs record at Marquette as she trail Keelyn Krill by just eight digs. Freer accounts for 22.8 percent of the Golden Eagles dig count with 233 on the season.

TWILIGHT ZONE
Junior setter Katie Case injured her knee in game one of the Green Wave’s match against cross-town rival New Orleans. Case’s injury, who started the match and finished the day with 15 assists, one dig and one block, marked the third time in four years that a Tulane player sustained a serious injury against the Privateers.

C-USA NOTEBOOK
CHARLOTTE: Junior outside hitter Abbey Szlanfucht had 16 kills and 13 digs to help the 49ers clinch a 3-1 win over non-conference opponent Radford on Tuesday night. Sophomore Jessica Oldenburg had 13 kills, while Alma Arroyo added 11 as Charlotte improved to 16-8 on the season. The 49ers will continue its three-match home stand with a pair of Conference USA matches on Friday and Saturday nights. Charlotte will face Southern Miss on Friday night, followed by its "Dig for the Cure" match against Tulane on Saturday night. The DFTC program helps raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Head coach Lisa Marston started the program, which now includes all 14 C-USA schools and has a goal of raising $42,000 for the local Komen affiliates in each school's community.

CINCINNATI: The Bearcats picked up a four-game win over Wright State on Tuesday boosting their overall record to 15-7. Senior Julie DuPont led four Cincinnati players in double figures with her match-high 24 kills against Wright State. The Bearcats will be back in action on Friday night when they host Memphis in a C-USA matchup at 7:30 p.m. UC also faces Saint Louis in a 2 p.m. contest on Sunday.

DE PAUL: DePaul snapped a six-match losing streak on Friday, Oct. 15 as the Blue Demons beat conference foe UAB, 3-0. Saturday, Oct. 16, the Blue Demons fell to USF, despite Janet Goreham’s 15 kills and .268 attack percentage. Senior Amy Holmes tallied 43 assists and helped the Blue Demons to their second best hitting performance of the season against UAB. DePaul will return home this weekend to take on TCU and Houston on Friday and Saturday, respectively at the DePaul Athletic Center. Both matches are slated to begin 7 p.m.

EAST CAROLINA: East Carolina dropped both of its road matches last weekend with losses to Memphis and Saint Louis. The Pirates fell to 2-4 in conference play and 8-13 overall. Sophomore Jaime Bevan led the Pirates with 12 kills on Saturday against the Billikens, while junior middle blocker Paige Howell had 11. East Carolina returns home this weekend to host Tulane and Southern Miss. The Billikens’ match against the Golden Eagles is scheduled as ECU’s "Dig For The Cure" match.

HOUSTON: The Cougars fell to two of the leagues’ top squads Cincinnati and Louisville last weekend. With the losses, Houston drops to 4-14 on the season and 3-3 in C-USA play. This weekend the Cougars travel to Wisconsin and Illinois for matches against Marquette and DePaul on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

LOUISVILLE: The Cardinal squad justified its No. 21 national ranking as Louisville swept TCU and Houston last weekend. The U of L boosted its blemish-free conference record to 6-0, while extending its overall mark to 16-2. Louisville’s Lena Ustymenko had an outstanding performance against the Horned Frogs, posting 44 attacks on just four errors and recording 9 digs for the Cardinals. Louisville will be back in action on Saturday as it hosts Saint Louis in the Cardinal Arena. The Cardinals also face Memphis on Sunday. The match is slated as the U of L’s "Dig For The Cure" match. Both matches are scheduled for 2 p.m.

MARQUETTE: Marquette posted wins over conference foes USF and UAB last weekend to improve its longest win streak of the season to four. Freshman outside hitter and this week’s C-USA Player of the Week Kimberley Todd set a collegiate best with 24 kills as Marquette defeated USF on Friday, Oct. 15. In the following game on Saturday, Oct. 16, the Golden Eagles were led by sophomore outside hitter Jamie Mueller, who had 14 kills and 30 total attacks. Marquette returns home to take on Houston at 7 p.m., at the Al McGuire Center on Friday.

MEMPHIS: The Tigers bounce back to action after dropping a five-game set at Mississippi Tuesday night. Memphis looks to maintain its perfect C-USA record as the team travels to Ohio and Kentucky to face Cincinnati and No. 21 Louisville. The Tigers continue to put up strong numbers in service aces and assists, ranking in the nation's top 15 in both categories. Sophomore Christen Clayton has surged to the front of the pack in the conference in service aces, posting 0.63 aces per game and ranking 12th nationally in the latest NCAA statistics report. Memphis ranks 10th in aces and 22nd in assists. Friday’s matchup with Cincinnati is slated for 7 p.m., while Saturday’s match against the Cardinals is set for 2 p.m.

SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens dropped a match to Southwest Missouri State on Monday night falling to 10-12 on the season. Junior Aida Antanaviciute finished the match with 30 kills and 20 digs, The match was the final non-conference tilt of the season for the Billikens. Saint Louis next faces Louisville and Cincinnati Friday and Saturday, respectively.

SOUTHERN MISS: Southern Miss dropped its second-straight match, losing to instate-rival Mississippi State in three games on Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles fell to 5-13 on the season. Junior Jazzmien Stephens and freshman Morgan Johnson led the Eagle offensive attack with eight kills each, while Amanda Blunck posted a team-high 16 digs. The Eagles next face Charlotte on Friday and East Carolina on Saturday.

TCU: After falling to No. 21 Louisville on Friday, Oct. 15 in the University Rec Center, TCU bounced back with its first-ever victory over C-USA foe Cincinnati. TCU climbed to 14-6 overall and 5-1 in C-USA action following last weekends’ split. The five league-wins ties the total league-wins from 2003 for the Frogs. Seniors Dominika Szabo and Ellen Rehme notched 20-plus kills in the Horned Frogs battle against the Bearcats, with Szabo tabbing a career high and match-leading 29 kills. TCU travels to Chicago and Milwaukee this weekend to take on DePaul and Marquette in more C-USA action.

TULANE: The Green Wave pulled out a 3-2 victory over cross-town foe New Orleans Tuesday night at Lakefront Arena. With the win, Tulane improved to 12-4 on the year while claiming its sixth consecutive victory over the Privateers dating back to 2001. The win improved its winning streak against Louisiana opponents to 14. Junior Kelli Dickson, the team's starting libero took over for setter Katie Case, who injured her knee in game one. Dickson finished the night with 40 assists and was one of five players to post double-digit dig totals with 16. Tulane returns to action on Friday when the Green Wave travels to Greenville, N.C. to face East Carolina. Tulane will take on Charlotte on Saturday.

UAB: The Blazers had their best-hitting game in game three against Marquette on Saturday, Oct. 16, but could not tally a win, as the team fell, 3-0 to the Golden Eagles. UAB was led by Isabel Oquendo’s 13 kills and .462 hitting percentage. The Blazers return to action on Friday night as they travel to Tampa, Fla., to face USF at 7 p.m.

USF: In one of the team’s best offensive performances of the season, the Bulls rallied back from a dismal 0-1 start to beat Florida International 3-1 on Tuesday night. USF hit .216 with 70 kills, 18 more than FIU, and was led by junior Flavia Silveira, who had 20 kills in 38 attempts for .368 hitting percentage. The Bulls return to conference action at 7 p.m. on Friday when they take on the UAB in The Corral.

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

HITTING PERCENTAGE
.696 (17-1-23) by Deva Fowler (TUL) vs. Southern Miss, 10/16

KILLS
45 by Aida Antanaviciute (SLU) at Tulane, 10/8

ASSISTS
74 by Erin Ludeke (TCU) at East Carolina University, 10/9

ATTEMPTS
112 by Aida Antanaviciute (SLU) at Tulane, 10/8

ACES
12 by Kate Juedes (USM) vs. Alcorn, 10/5

BLOCKS
16 by Deva Fowler (TUL) vs. Saint Louis, 10/8

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)
O11 P- Aida Antanaviciute (Saint Louis)
P- Anna Vaughn (TCU)
S- Sarah Vernon (Marquette)
O18 P-Kimberley Todd (Marquette)
S-Molly McDonald (Charlotte)

“DIG FOR THE CURE”
Under Charlotte Head Coach Lisa Marston’s initiative, the 49ers have brought together the 13 other league schools to join forces in hopes to raise $42,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Charlotte raised nearly $3,000 last year and has challenged every school to match this figure.

Each school has designated one match either in October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or November as its DFTC match. Individual sponsors can pledge money per dig earned by their team in the match as well as provide flat donations. The money raised will go directly to the Komen Foundation in each respective local community.

To find out more about Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, please go to www.komen.org.

DFTC MATCHES

Oct. 16 - Marquette at UAB
Oct. 19 - Mississippi State at Southern Miss
Oct. 22 - Memphis at Louisville
Oct. 23 - Tulane at Charlotte
Houston at DePaul
Southern Miss at East Carolina
Oct. 24 - Saint Louis at Cincinnati
Oct. 29 - Marquette at Memphis
Nov. 5 - Tulane at Marquette
Nov. 6 - Memphis at USF

AMONG THE RANKED
Here is a look at the Oct. 18, AVCA poll:

USA Today/CSTV poll
1. Washington (63)
2. Minnesota
3. Hawai’i (2)
4. Nebraska
5. Penn State
6. Southern California
7. Ohio State
8. Florida
9. Colorado State
10. Texas
11. Stanford
12. UCLA
13. California
14. Utah
15. Saint Mary’s (Calif)
16. Texas A&M
17. Tennessee
18. Kansas State
19. Santa Clara
20. UC Santa Barbara
21. LOUISVILLE
22. San Diego
23. Arizona
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 ChevronTexaco 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. The championship match is set for 8:00 p.m. EST.

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

U of L 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 6-7
Big EAST 6-2
Big South 5-1
Big 10 1-6
Big 12 0-3
Colonial 4-1
Gateway 1-0
Horizon 6-6
Independent 0-2
Ivy 1-0
MAC 3-5
Metro Atlantic 4-0
Mid Continent 3-5
Mid-Eastern 4-0
Missouri Valley 4-6
Mountain West 0-2
Non Division I 3-1
Northeast 1-0
OVC 9-3
Pac 10 2-5
Patriot 1-0
SEC 1-9
Southern 10-4
Southland 4-5
SWAC 7-2
Sun Belt 9-6
WAC 1-2
West Coast 1-4

2004 COACHES RECORDS
Coach School Career
Lisa Marston, CHA 70-81 155-160
Reed Sunahara, CIN 112-40 131-80
Dawn Dockstader, DPU 107-136 107-136
Colleen Munson, ECU 49-94 49-94
Bill Walton, HOU 372-232 582-287
Leonid Yelin, LOU 211-63 325-99
Pati Rolf, MAR 40-37 350-206
Carrie Yerty, MEM 160-133 160-133
Anne Kordes, SLU 10-12 10-12
Ricci Luyties, USM 5-13 5-13
Prentice Lewis, TCU 46-40 46-40
Betsy Becker, TUL 104-73 182-131
Melinda Claiborne, UAB 46-98 46-98
Claire Lessinger, USF 5-12 5-12

2004 GAME REC0RDS
School 3 4 5 Total
Charlotte 7-5 5-2 4-1 16-8
Cincinnati 10-3 5-3 0-1 15-7
DePaul 6-7 2-1 0-5 8-13
East Carolina 4-7 3-3 1-3 8-13
Houston 1-6 1-5 2-3 4-14
Louisville 10-0 5-2 1-0 16-2
Marquette 10-3 3-2 0-0 13-5
Memphis 11-2 7-2 2-1 20-5
Saint Louis 5-4 4-3 1-5 10-12
Southern Miss 1-7 1-5 3-1 5-13
TCU 4-3 8-2 2-1 14-6
Tulane 8-2 1-2 3-0 12-4
UAB 0-15 1-1 0-1 1-17
USF 4-6 0-6 0-1 4-13

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.

C-USA VOLLEYBALL CONTACTS
Charlotte
Matt McCullough
mmccull1@email.uncc.edu

Cincinnati
Shawn Sell
sellsn@email.uc.edu

DePaul
Alicia Powers
apowers1@depaul.edu

East Carolina
Kerwin Lonzo
lonzok@mail.ecu.edu

Houston
Jason Wells
jmwells@central.uh.edu

Louisville
Nancy Worley
nasmit01@louisville.edu

Marquette
Blain Fowler
blain.fowler@marquette.edu

Memphis
Jason Redd
jredd@memphis.edu

Saint Louis
Chuck Yahng
yahngc@slu.edu

Southern Miss
Shirley Jones-Hill
shirley.jones-hill@usm.edu

TCU
Samantha Moy
s.moy@tcu.edu

Tulane
Richie Weaver
r.weaver@tulane.edu

UAB
Jeremy Hoffman
jmhoff1@yahoo.com

USF
Jodi Smith
jsmith@admin.usf.edu