C-USA Nov. 11 Notebook

Kristina Fabris

C-USA TOURNEY IN LOUISVILLE
All 12 competing teams have locked in spots for the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Volleyball Tournament. Joining the defending tournament champion Louisville are league opponents Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul, East Carolina, Houston, Marquette, Memphis, Saint Louis, TCU, Tulane and USF. The tournament will take place Nov. 19-22 as the University of Louisville hosts the four-day event. All matches will be 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 C-USA Television Network. The championship match is set for 8 p.m. EST. Don Russell and Audrey Flaugh will provide the play-by-play and color commentary. Seeding for the tournament will be announced Sunday, November 14.

C-USA TOURNAMENT MATCHES
(All times are Eastern)

Friday, November 19
#9 SEED vs. #8 SEED 1:00 p.m.
#12 SEED vs. #5 SEED 3:00 p.m.
#10 SEED vs. #7 SEED 6:00 p.m.
#11 SEED vs. #6 SEED 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 20
No. 23 Louisville vs. WINNER OF MATCH 1 1:00 p.m.
#4 SEED vs. WINNER OF MATCH 2 3:00 p.m.
#2 SEED vs. WINNER OF MATCH 3 6:00 p.m.
#3 SEED vs. WINNER OF MATCH 4 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 21
SEMIFINAL MATCH 5:00 p.m.
SEMIFINALS MATCH 7:00 p.m.

Monday, November 22
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH 8:00 p.m.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK (11/8)
Freshman Kristina Fabris earned her first conference honor as she was named C-USA Player of the Week following a 2-0 finish over league opponents Saint Louis and Memphis this weekend. Fabris led her team to a much-needed, 3-2 victory, over third-ranked Memphis on Saturday evening to boost the Bulls’ conference record to 5-6 and clinch a berth in the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament, held in Louisville, Ky.

KRISTINA FABRIS, USF
MB/RS, Fr., Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School)

Fabris led USF to a sweep of Saint Louis and a come-from-behind win over Memphis this weekend. The freshman, who is also a member of the Canadian Junior National Team, led her team in kills in both matches while averaging 4.5 kills and 5.2 points per game on the week. Fabris hit .307 over eight games adding three service aces and five blocks. She set career highs against the Tigers in kills and attacks with 22 and 49, respectively.

SETTER OF THE WEEK (11/8)
Following another conference sweep this weekend, Marquette’s Sarah Vernon was named C-USA Setter of the Week. The senior recorded two more double-doubles this weekend and helped improve the Golden Eagles’ overall record to 18-6, the team’s most wins since 2001. The honor is Vernon’s third of the 2004 season.

SARAH VERNON, Marquette
S, Sr., Engelwood, Colo. (Cherry Creek)

In a pair of 3-0 wins over Tulane and Southern Miss, Vernon averaged 15.0 assists per game, 3.5 digs per game and 0.83 service aces per game. The senior assisted in extending her team’s win streak to three matches. Vernon had 44 assists and 11 digs against Tulane on Friday, followed by 46 assists and 10 digs against Southern Miss on Saturday. The senior also tallied four service aces against Southern Miss.

AMONG THE RANKED
Here is a look at the Nov. 8, AVCA poll:

USA Today/CSTV poll
1. Washington (60)
2. Hawai’i (2)
3. Nebraska (3)
4. Penn State
5. Minnesota
6. Southern California
7. Florida
8. Ohio State
9. Texas
10. Colorado State
11. Stanford
12. Saint Mary’s (Calif)
13. Texas A&M
14. California
15. Tennessee
16. UCLA
17. Utah
18. UC Santa Barbara
19. San Diego
20. Kansas State
21. Arizona
22. Santa Clara
23. LOUISVILLE
24. Florida A&M
25. Illinois

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

HITTING PERCENTAGE
.750 (18-0-24) by Deva Fowler (TUL) vs. Jackson State, 11/9

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 Janet Goreham (DPU) vs. Tulane, 11/6 and 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)
O25 P- Aida Antanaviciute (Saint Louis)
P- Janet Goreham (DePaul)
S- Molly McDonald (Charlotte)
N1 P- Myanna Hellsten (Cincinnati)
P- Lena Ustymenko (Louisville)
S- Heather Watts (Memphis)
N8 P- Kristina Fabris (USF)
S- Sarah Vernon (Marquette)

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
20-WIN PLATEAU
Conference USA currently has three teams who have already accumulated 20 or more wins this season: Memphis (24-8), Louisville (23-2), and Cincinnati (20-8). Marquette (18-6) and TCU (19-8) are poised to collect their 20th wins this weekend, which would mark the sixth time in the last eight years in which five conference schools have reached the 20-win plateau.

TITLE HUNGRY
In the conference’s ten years of existence, Louisville has either claimed or shared six C-USA Regular-Season titles (2004, co-2003, co-2002, co-1999, 1998, 1995).

FINALS CONTENDER
The last time U of L did not reach the C-USA Tournament Championship was in 1997 when Houston took the title over Cincinnati at the Cougars’ Hofheinz Pavilion.

HITS THE CHARTS
Charlotte’s Abbey Szlanfucht is the only player to rank among C-USA individuals on all three top 10 lists for points (4.54), kills (4.02), and digs (3.42).

KILLER ON THE RUN
Cincinnati’s Julie DuPont, who currently ranks second in C-USA kills and No. 20 on NCAA charts, has recorded 10 or more in every match this season in 35 straight matches dating back to last season.

TCU IN THE RACE
With the win over UAB on Oct. 30, TCU’s Horned Frogs have reached another milestone: seven conference wins in one season. Not only is it the most conference wins they have ever tallied, the 8-3 mark is the best in school history. The team has the potential to reach double-digit conference wins if it can win its final two conference matches this weekend at Memphis and Saint Louis.

C-USA NOTEBOOK
CHARLOTTE: The 49ers dropped a pair of conference matches last weekend to C-USA’s second-ranked Cincinnati on Friday and conference leader Louisville on Saturday. Junior Abbey Szlanfucht, who went over 1,000 kills in her career against the Cardinals, led Charlotte with 12 of the team’s 30 kills. Libero Holly Kreyling led all 49ers with 15 digs on the night. Charlotte will return home to Halton Arena this weekend to face Marquette and DePaul. The matches close out the regular season.

CINCINNATI: UC earned its ninth straight 20-win season with a sweep against league opponent East Carolina Saturday, Nov. 6. The victory extended the Bearcats’ win streak to four matches. Senior Julie DuPont moved into third place in C-USA history in career kills with 2,063. On Friday, Nov. 5, the Bearcats defeated conference foe Charlotte, 3-0 in front of a crowd of 605, the largest home attendance since UC hosted Louisville on Nov. 9, 2001. The Bearcats square off against No. 23 Louisville on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Cardinal Arena to conclude the team’s 2004 regular season.

DE PAUL: The Blue Demons had an exciting weekend in C-USA play with wins over Southern Miss and Tulane. DePaul pulled out a five-game win against the Green Wave on Saturday, Nov. 6, to improve its conference record to 5-6. Janet Goreham recorded her first career triple-double (17 kills, 13 digs, 10 block assists) against Tulane, while teammate Amy Holmes posted a career-high 23 kills. The Blue Demons will close out the regular season this weekend on the road, visiting East Carolina on Friday and Charlotte on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EST.

EAST CAROLINA: The Pirates were defeated by conference leader Louisville last Friday before falling to Cincinnati the following evening. Junior libero Johanna Bertini finished the match against the Cards with 14 digs and became only the sixth Pirate in school history to record 1,000 digs in a career. Junior middle blocker Paige Howell hit .500 with only two errors on 12 attempts against the Bearcats. East Carolina returns home this weekend, hosting DePaul on Friday and Marquette on Saturday.

HOUSTON: The Cougars dropped to cross-town rival Rice on Tuesday night in the last home match for seniors Loure Dews and Mirela Vasconcellos. Houston looks to boost their conference standings this weekend as it closes out the 2004 season with road matches against Saint Louis and Memphis. The Cougars will then travel to Louisville, Ky. to compete in the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament.

LOUISVILLE: Louisville swept SEC opponent Kentucky on Tuesday to improve its overall record to 23-2. Of the U of L’ 23 wins, 17 have been three-set matches. The Cards were tied for 7th in the NCAA for win-loss percentage (.917) going into Tuesday’s matchup. Win the win, the Cards extended their win streak to 15 matches, dating back to Sept. 22 against Tennessee. Louisville faces second-ranked league opponent Cincinnati on Friday at 7:30 p.m. before hosting the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament next week. The Cardinals have already locked in a first-round bye as the U of L is the top-seed for the tourney. Louisville will square off against the winner of the first-match on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 1:00 p.m. (EST).

MARQUETTE: Marquette posted back-to-back wins against league opponents Tulane and Southern Miss last Friday and Saturday, respectively. The win against USM marked Marquette’s 18th of the season and improved its C-USA record to 8-3. The 18 wins are the most since the 2001 season. Marquette went 10-4 in its first year in the Al McGuire Center. In their “Dig For The Cure” match on Friday, the Golden Eagles tallied 73 digs on the night and raised over $4,500 in donations as a result. Libero Erin Freer had 20 digs against the Green Wave, while each dig generated contributions to the Milwaukee Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Golden Eagles wrap up their regular season this weekend on the road facing Charlotte and East Carolina.

MEMPHIS: Memphis swept UAB on Friday, Nov. 5, before falling in a 3-2 come-from-behind victory of USF’s Bulls the following evening. On Saturday Tiara Gilkey became the ninth Tiger in school history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. Outside hitter Nancy Nellans led the attack with her fifth consecutive double-double of 14 kills and 19 digs against USF, while three other Tigers posted double figures in kills. Memphis will now head home for its final two regular season matches against TCU and Houston on Thursday and Saturday.

SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens split two C-USA matches last weekend with a loss to USF on Friday, Nov. 5, followed by a 3-1 victory over UAB on Saturday, Nov. 6. With the win, Saint Louis clinched a 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament berth, while improving its league record to 5-6 and 13-15 overall. Kayla Kmitta and Angela Powers both tied their career highs in kills against the Blazers. Kmitta hit .469 with 19 kills on 30 swings and just two errors, while teammate Powers posted 16 kills and hit .387. The Billikens conclude the 2004 season at home with matches against Houston and TCU this weekend.

SOUTHERN MISS: The Golden Eagles ended their road season last weekend in a pair of conference losses to DePaul and Marquette. Southern Miss’ Amy Truong needs only 10 digs to reach 1,000 in her career after she posted nine against the Golden Eagles Saturday, Nov. 6. Southern Miss returns home for its final home matches against USF on Friday and UAB on Saturday. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.

TCU: In its only match of the weekend, the Horned Frogs defeated the Houston Cougars in what seemed to be a never-ending story. The two and a half hour match ended in TCU’s favor, 3-2 and extended the Frogs’ win streak to five matches. Freshman libero Talaya Whitfield tallied her third 30-plus dig match with 31, while senior Dominika Szabo led her teammates with 19 kills on the night. The Horned Frogs are now 8-3 in conference play and conclude their regular season this weekend on the road against Memphis and Saint Louis.

TULANE: Led by seniors Deva Fowler and Lindsay Norman, who both hit over .700 for the night, the Green Wave quickly overcame Jackson State, 3-0 on Tuesday night. With the win, Tulane snapped a five-match losing streak and improved their overall record to 14-9. Fowler hit .750 and led all players with 18 kills, while Norman was flawless with 14 attempts to hit .786 against the Tigers. Tulane continues its final homestand of the season as the team welcomes league opponents UAB and USF this weekend. Friday is “Parents Night”, while Saturday the Green Wave will honor its seniors. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. (CST).

UAB: The Blazers fell to league opponents Memphis and Saint Louis last weekend. UAB posted its best offensive night on the season against the Billikens Saturday, Nov. 6, in the Bartow Arena. The two losses marked the final home matches of the 2004 season. UAB’s Nicole Bowland led the team with 18 kills, a career-best performance. The Blazers finish the season as they travel to New Orleans and Hattiesburg this weekend to face Tulane and Southern Miss.

USF: In their final two conference home matches, the Bulls pulled off a pair of wins against Saint Louis and Memphis. Last weekend’s upsets boost their C-USA record to 5-6 and 8-16 overall. After falling in the first two games against the Tigers Saturday, the Bulls, led by freshman Kristina Fabris, rallied to win, 3-2. Fabris set a career high in kills with 22 and 49 attempts for a .265 hitting percentage. In their “Dig For The Cure” match against Memphis, the Bulls’ tallied 79 digs, including a match-high 24 by sophomore libero Ashley Reavis. USF wraps up its regular season on the road with matches against Southern Miss and Tulane.

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.

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 nine 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 ten years, Louisville either claimed or shared a league-record – six 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)
2004 Louisville (12-0)

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: Bing Sun

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: Amy Truong

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 6-3
Big South 5-2
Big 10 1-6
Big 12 1-3
Colonial 4-1
Gateway 1-0
Horizon 6-7
Independent 0-2
Ivy 1-0
MAC 3-5
Metro Atlantic 4-0
Mid Continent 3-5
Mid-Eastern 4-1
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 2-9
Southern 10-4
Southland 6-6
SWAC 8-2
Sun Belt 11-6
WAC 1-3
West Coast 1-4

2004 COACHES RECORDS
Coach School Career
Lisa Marston, CHA 72-85 157-164
Reed Sunahara, CIN 117-41 136-81
Dawn Dockstader, DPU 111-139 111-139
Colleen Munson, ECU 51-97 51-97
Bill Walton, HOU 376-236 586-291
Leonid Yelin, LOU 218-63 332-99
Pati Rolf, MAR 45-38 355-207
Carrie Yerty, MEM 164-136 164-136
Anne Kordes, SLU 13-15 13-15
Ricci Luyties, USM 5-20 5-20
Prentice Lewis, TCU 51-42 51-42
Betsy Becker, TUL 106-78 184-136
Melinda Claiborne, UAB 46-103 46-103
Claire Lessinger, USF 8-16 8-16

2004 GAME REC0RDS
School 3 4 5 Total
Charlotte 9-7 5-3 4-2 18-12
Cincinnati 12-3 7-3 1-2 20-8
DePaul 6-9 4-2 2-5 12-16
East Carolina 5-10 3-3 2-3 10-16
Houston 4-7 2-7 2-4 8-18
Louisville 17-0 5-2 1-0 23-2
Marquette 13-3 4-2 1-1 18-6
Memphis 14-3 7-2 3-3 24-8
Saint Louis 5-6 6-3 2-6 13-15
Southern Miss 1-11 1-7 3-2 5-20
TCU 7-4 9-2 3-2 19-8
Tulane 10-5 1-3 3-1 14-9
UAB 0-19 1-2 0-1 1-22
USF 6-9 1-6 1-1 8-16

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.