With only one week left in regular season play, several schools will be vying for the remaining 11 berths of the Healthy Choice C-USA Volleyball Championships; Cincinnati clinched the C-USA regular season volleyball championship and earned the tournament's No. 1 ranking. The Bearcats also continue to dominate, posting a school-record 15 game win streak: Read all about it in this week's C-USA Volleyball notes.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

JENNIFER WITTENBURG, OH, Houston

Senior JENNIFER WITTENBURG of Houston is the Conference USA Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 4. Wittenburg posted back-to-back double-double performances to lead the Cougars to wins over Southern Miss and Tulane last week. She sat out the first game against the Golden Eagles but proceeded to blast 27 kills in the next three games. Against Tulane, she notched 24 kills and 24 digs for her 31st double-double game of her career. She also moved past Houston's Julie Gates into fourth place in school history with 1,238 kills. For the week, she recorded 51 kills, 26 digs and an attack percentage of .356.

NATIONAL POLLS
Here is a look at the Oct. 29 AVCA/USA Today Poll.
1. Long Beach State
2. Nebraska
3. Stanford
4. Arizona
5. USC
6. Wisconsin
7. Florida
8. Colorado State
9. Ohio State
10. Pepperdine
11. UCLA
12. Hawaii
13. Penn State
14. Utah
15. Texas A&M
16. BYU
17. Pacific
18. Northern Iowa
19. Santa Clara
20. South Carolina
21. Colorado
22. UC Santa Barbara
23. Notre Dame
24. Illinois
25. Kansas State

Others receiving points and listed on two or more ballots: Cincinnati (56), Minnesota (22), Utah State (20), Michigan State (18), San Diego (14), Duke (10), North Carolina (10), Washington State (8), Missouri (7), Dayton (6), Oregon State (4), San Jose State (3).

CINCINNATI CLINCHES
Cincinnati captured the regular season C-USA Championship with a 3-0 win against Marquette on Nov. 4. The win not only gave the Bearcats the No. 1 seed in the Healthy Choice Conference USA Volleyball Tournament (Nov. 15-18), but they also set a school record by winning their 16th straight match.

TOURNAMENT BERTHS
Entering the final week of regular season, nine of the 12 teams competing in the Healthy Choice Conference USA Volleyball Tournament have been determined. However, Cincinnati's No. 1 seed is the only official berth. Two matches separate the next four teams. Battling it out for the last three spots in the tournament field are Charlotte, Southern Miss, East Carolina, TCU and UAB. Friday's matches include Saint Louis at Charlotte, Marquette at TCU, Memphis at East Carolina, Southern Miss at South Florida and Tulane at UAB.

LEADING THE CONFERENCE
As a team, DePaul continues to lead the conference in kills (16.72), assists (15.32) and digs (17.72) per game.

2001 HEALTHY CHOICE
C-USA TOURNAMENT
The 2001 Healthy Choice Conference USA Tournament will take place Nov. 15-18 at Houston's Hofheinz Pavilion. The top 12 teams in the regular season standings advance to the tournament. Thursday, Nov. 15 and Friday, Nov. 16 matches will be held at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The semifinal rounds on Nov. 17 will begin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Nov. 18 championship game will be televised by the Conference USA Television Network. The match will air live on WFTE/WDRB in Louisville, WBII in Memphis and Charter Communications in Saint Louis. The sattelite coordinates are Telstar 6, Transponder 14, KU Band.

MIDWEST REGIONAL RANKINGS
Here is a look at the Oct. 31 Midwest Volleyball Regional Rankings. C-USA has six schools ranked in the region.

1. Cincinnati
2. Louisville
3. South Florida
4. Wright State
5. DePaul
6. UW-Milwaukee
7. Loyola (Chicago)
8. Houston
9. Marquette
10. Tennessee-Martin

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Each Monday, Conference USA selects a Player of the Week. Here is a look at the 2001 winners.

S4 Stephanie Bishop, DePaul
S10 Amie Hamilton, Memphis
S24 Jennifer Wittenburg, Houston
O1 Becky Stahl, Cincinnati
O8 Sonja Percan, Louisville
O15 Julie DuPont, Cincinnati
Colleen Hunter, Saint Louis
O22 Stephanie Bishop, DePaul
Colleen Hunter, Saint Louis
O29 Jennifer Amobi, Marquette
N5 Jennifer Wittenburg, Houston

SEASON SUPERLATIVES
Here are several of the top single-match performances in Conference USA this season.

HITTING PERCENTAGE
.812 (13-0-6) by Lesley Drury (LOU) vs. USM, 10/26

KILLS
36 by Michelle Collier (USF) vs. LOU, 10/7

ASSISTS
75 by Kara Jakusz (DPU) vs. MEM, 10/27

ATTEMPTS
82 by Michelle Collier (USF) at Florida State, 9/18

ACES
10 by Amanda Rudolph (ECU) at Campbell, 10/30

BLOCKS
12 by Robyn Drewes (ECU) vs. UMBC, 8/8
12 by Laura Marks (DPU) vs. USM, 10/19

DIGS
29 by Shelly Greene (UAB) at Miami, 8/8

THE C-USA FORECAST
PRESEASON POLL
1. Louisville
2. Cincinnati
3. Houston
4. South Florida
5. DePaul
6. Tulane
7. TCU
8. Saint Louis
9. Marquette
10. Charlotte
11. Memphis
12. Southern Miss
13. East Carolina
14. UAB

PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
* Michelle Collier, South Florida
Stephanie Bishop, DePaul
Colleen Hunter, Saint Louis
Stacey Mercer, Louisville
Bonita Wise, Cincinnati
Jennifer Wittenburg, Houston

* Preseason Player of the Year

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Here are some of the top individual performers in C-USA from Oct. 29-Nov. 4:

ESRA AKGUN, CHA: Became the ninth player in school history to post 1,000 career kills.

MELISSA NORDINE, DPU: Compiled 34 kills, a .310 hitting percentage and 35 digs for the week.

MEGHAN DEVINE, MAR: Tied her career-high 20 kills against Charlotte, while also posting five blocks.

AMIE HAMILTON, MEM: Recorded six service aces against Blazers and currently holds the C-USA record for career aces with 222.

COLLEEN HUNTER, SLU: Became just the third player at Saint Louis to top the 1,500 kill plateau, after posting a total of 1,511 in her three-year career.

MICHELLE COLLIER, USF: Eclipsed the 2,000 career kills after posting 52 kills for the week. She now has posted 2,033 in her career.

KELLY TRIBBLE, USM: Recorded her second 20-kill performance of the year with 25 kills against New Orleans.

THE 30-KILL CLUB
Conference USA leads the nation with six players who have posted 30-plus kills this season.

36 - Michelle Collier, USF vs. Louisville, Oct. 7
33 - Colleen Hunter, SLU vs.Austin Peay, Aug. 31
32 - Sonja Percan, LOU vs. South Florida, Oct. 7
31 - Colleen Hunter, SLU vs. Louisville, Oct. 20
31 - Kathleen Ramos, CHA vs. Auburn, Sept. 9
31- J. Wittenburg, HOU vs. Texas A&M, Sept. 18
31- J. Wittenburg, HOU vs. Memphis, Sept. 23
30- J. Wittenburg, HOU vs. East Carolina, Oct. 19
30 - Julie Dupont, CIN vs. Marquette, Oct. 13
30 - Colleen Hunter, SLU vs. Tulane, Oct. 12

CONFERENCE USA TELEVISION NETWORK
C-USA has retained the services of Monarch Productions to coordinate the production and syndication of its newly created Conference USA Television Network.

The C-USA Television Network will carry the 2001 Healthy Choice Conference USA Tournament final on Nov. 18 at 3:00 p.m. (CST). Please check your local listings for details.

DID YOU KNOW
With their 16th consecutive win this season, Cincinnati's win streak ranks third in conference history. South Florida holds the record for longest win streak of 20 matches set in 2000.

NCAA STATISTICS
Here is where Conference USA ranked among the 2001 national statistical leaders (games through Oct. 28).

KILLS
5. Jennifer Wittenburg, HOU 5.62
7. Michelle Collier, USF 5.39

ASSISTS
16. Gemma Greer, MAR 13.06
12. Kara Jakusz, DPU 13.29

ACES
3. Amie Hamilton, MEM 0.92

DIGS
t17. Trish Ladusaw, CIN 4.03

TEAM KILLS
t13. DePaul 16.90

TEAM ASSISTS
7. DePaul 15.49

TEAM ACES
14. Memphis 2.44

TEAM DIGS
20. DePaul 17.96

C-USA NOTEBOOK

CHARLOTTE: Charlotte fell to Marquette, 3-2 and Louisville, 3-0 last weekend. Against the Golden Eagles, freshman KATIE HALL led the 49ers contingent, compiling a career-best 20 kills for a .471 hitting percentage. COURTNEY BURG added 19 kills and 16 digs, while KATHLEEN RAMOS finished the night with 18 kills and 12 digs. Charlotte faces Winthrop on Wednesday in a match rescheduled from Sept. 11.

CINCINNATI: Cincinnati clinched the regular season championship with a 3-0 win against Marquette on Nov. 4. The Bearcats began the weekend with a 3-0 win over East Carolina. Tallying eight aces against the Pirates, BECKY STAHL tied UC's record for aces in a three-game match set by Mindy Backus against Southern Miss in 1987. BECKY WISE finished the match with 13 kills against one error for .522 hitting. On the weekend, TRISHA LADUSAW compiled 27 kills and 19 digs.

DE PAUL: DePaul suffered a 3-0 loss to Louisville, but bounced back to defeat East Carolina, 3-2. For the week, MELISSA NORDINE led the Blue Demons with a total of 34 kills, a .310 hitting percentage and 35 digs. STEPHANIE BISHOP also posted strong performances, tallying 14 kills for a .263 hitting percentage against the Cardinals.

EAST CAROLINA: East Carolina dropped two matches for the weekend, falling to Cincinnati, 3-0 and DePaul, 3-2. CHRISSY MCPHEETERS dominated the Pirates attacks, posting 19 kills for a .528 hitting percentage against the Blue Demons. AMANDA RULDOPH added 15 kills and 14 digs for her 14th double-double of the season, while WHITNEY BRAWNER collected 21 digs in addition to recording 10 kills. East Carolina takes on UNC Wilmington on Tuesday.

HOUSTON: The Cougars claimed a 2-0 record this past weekend with wins over Southern Miss, 3-1 and Tulane, 3-0. AMANDA BAGGETT posted 14 digs against Tulane to post the Cougars' second-highest total in a three-game match this season. JENNY TANNEBERGER's seven total blocks at USM was also the third-highest mark by a Cougar this season. JENNIFER WITTENBURG led the Cougar contingent, posting 51 kills and 26 digs for the week. Houston will host the Horned Frogs on Tuesday.

LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals swept both DePaul and Charlotte last weekend. SONJA PERCAN fired 23 kills, a .375 hitting percentage and six digs against the Blue Demons. ANASTASIA ZAITSEVA recorded 18 kills and seven digs, while LESLEY DRURY compiled seven kills and a team-high 11 digs. In non-conference action, the Cardinals host IUPUI on Tuesday.

MARQUETTE: The Golden Eagles suffered a 3-0 loss to Cincinnati, but defeated Charlotte, 3-2 last weekend. Senior MEHGAN DEVINE tied a career-high 20 kills, while contributing five total blocks against Charlotte. She now has moved into first place on MU's all-time list with a total of 101 blocks and bettering the previous mark of 98 held by Cindy Hey (1998-91). VESNA GRBAVAC also posted strong performances, tallying a team-high 15 kills and 11 digs in the loss against Cincinnati.

MEMPHIS: Memphis snapped a five-match C-USA losing streak with a 3-0 win over UAB. Adrianne EDMONDS and GINGER GARRETT led Memphis in kills against Blazers with 12 apiece. SHELLA NEBA also added 10 kills out of 18 attacks for a .500 hitting percentage. AMIE HAMILTON recorded six service aces to move into third place on the Tigers' all-time with 222 aces.

SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens dropped UAB, 3-2, but suffered a 3-0 loss to South Florida last weekend. COLLEEN HUNTER became only the third player in school history to eclipse 1,500 kills. She recorded 43 kills last weekend to total 1,511 in her three-year career.

SOUTH FLORIDA: MICHELLE COLLIER fired 36 kills and 33 digs for the weekend to lead the Bulls to wins over Memphis, Southeast Missouri and Saint Louis. South Florida has now won its last seven matches in three games. BONNYE GLOVER claimed 15 kills for a .522 hitting percentage against Southeast Missouri. JOLENE PATTON also added 10 kills and three blocks.

SOUTHERN MISS: Southern Miss went 1-1 for the weekend, suffering a 3-1 loss to Houston, but defeating TCU, 3-1. SHELLY TRIBBLE led the Golden Eagle contingent with 55 kills, 30 digs and a .235 attack percentage. Against New Orleans, she tallied a team-high 25 kills for her second 20-plus kills performance, while also adding nine digs and seven total blocks. ANDREA BUSH also averaged over 17 kills match for the weekend with a total of 51.

TCU: TCU dropped both weekend matches, falling to Tulane, 3-0 and Southern Miss, 3-1. COURTNEY BEACH led the Horned Frogs against Southern Miss, firing 19 kills and six digs, while MARCI KING added 15 kills for a .414 hitting percentage. Against Tulane, JENN CUCH knocked down 14 kills and three digs.

TULANE: Tulane swept TCU, but fell to Houston, 3-0 last weekend. Against TCU, BRITNEY HURST posted a match-high 16 kills and 11 digs, while ERIN DOBYANSKI tallied 11 kills and 11 digs. The Green Wave returns to action on Tuesday, when they host South Alabama.

UAB: UAB fell to Saint Louis, 3-0 and Memphis, 3-0. KRISTI LEE led the Blazers against Memphis, posting 10 kills and six digs. Freshman setter JESSICA LIPTAK added 20 assists. MARTINA SHIELDS fired 21 kills, a .317 hitting percentage and nine digs against Saint Louis. UAB will next compete against Jacksonville State on Wednesday.