C-USA Volleyball Notebook (Nov. 17)

Amy Truong

PLAYER OF THE WEEK (11/15)
Senior Erica Heisser earned her first weekly honor as she was named Conference USA Player of the Week following a 2-0 finish over league opponents Charlotte and East Carolina this weekend. Heisser helped her team pick up two more wins to finish the season 20-6, the first time since 1985 the Golden Eagles have reached the 20-win plateau.

ERICA HEISSER, Marquette
MB, Sr., Grand Rapids, Mich. (Forest Hills Central)

Heisser led all Marquette attackers with 39 kills (4.88 kills per game) in Marquette’s 3-1 wins over Charlotte and East Carolina on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The middle blocker hit a team-best .400 for the week. Heisser also set a career mark for kills with 21 against the Pirates and hit .421, which marked the fifth time this season she hit over 40 percent. Heisser scored 10 more points than any other Marquette player over the two matches with 43.5 points.

SETTER OF THE WEEK (11/15)
Seniors Sarah Vernon of Marquette and Memphis’ Heather Watts share the spotlight as the duo shares co-C-USA Setter of the Week honors. Vernon played an integral part in extending the Golden Eagles’ win streak to five matches, while Watts posted perhaps the best weekend of her career in a 1-1 record for the week with a sweep of Houston and a 3-2 loss to TCU.

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

Vernon had 114 assists for two matches against Charlotte and East Carolina, averaging 14.25 assists per game. She recorded a double-double against Charlotte, her 11th of the season, with 51 assists and 13 kills against the 49ers. She was one kill and one dig away from a triple-double against ECU, with nine kills, nine digs and assisting on 63 attacks. She had 2.75 kills per game and hit .388 for the week, the second-best total for Marquette players behind Player of the Week Erica Heisser. She also had five blocks in the two contests.

HEATHER WATTS, Memphis
S, Sr., Sandy, Utah. (Skyline)

Watts posted an impressive 141 assists in the eight games on the weekend. She averaged 17.62 assists in the two matches against TCU and Houston. The five-time C-USA Setter of the Week posted a school-record 81 assists against TCU and then put up 60 in the Tigers’ match against Houston. Watts’ 81 assists against the Horned Frogs was the most assists by a setter this year in C-USA, while her 60 against Houston was the most in a three-game match for Memphis. Watts recorded her 18th and 19th double-doubles of the season with 16 digs against TCU and 11 versus the Cougars, stretching her streak to five consecutive double-doubles.

AMONG THE RANKED
Here is a look at the Nov. 15, AVCA poll:

USA Today/CSTV poll
1. Washington (62)
2. Hawai’i (2)
3. Nebraska (1)
4. Penn State
5. Minnesota
6. Southern California
7. Ohio State
8. Colorado State
9. Stanford
10. Florida
11. Texas
12. Tennessee
13. Texas A&M
14. California
15. San Diego
16. Saint Mary’s (Calif)
17. UCLA
18. UC Santa Barbara
19. Utah
20. Kansas State
21. LOUISVILLE
22. Arizona
23. Santa Clara
24. Florida A&M
25. Missouri

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

CARDS RECEIVE TOP SEED AT C-USA VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY

The Louisville Cardinals (13-0, 24-2) recorded their second undefeated Conference USA mark, dating back to 1995, and will hold the No. 1 seed in the 2004 ChevronTexaco Volleyball Tournament, played Nov. 19-22 at Louisville's Cardinal Arena.

Twelve of the 14 C-USA teams advance to the league tournament, which begins Friday with first round matches at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. (EST). The U of L along with No. 2 Cincinnati (10-3, 20-9), No. 3 Marquette (10-3, 20-6) and No. 4 TCU (10-3, 21-8) all received first-round byes.

Action gets underway on Friday at 1 p.m. as the ninth-seeded East Carolina (5-8, 11-17) meets the eighth-seeded Houston (5-8, 8-20). The winner of the Pirate-Cougar match will face top-ranked Louisville on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Cards have won the last 16 of their matches, a feat that ties for third in C-USA history with Cincinnati (2001).

Friday’s 3 p.m. match features No. 12 seed DePaul (5-8, 12-18), against No. 5 Memphis (9-4, 24-9). The Tigers swept the Blue Demons on Oct. 30 in their regular season match. The winner squares off against fourth-seeded TCU on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Horned Frogs are coming off of their best season in school history, tallying its highest win total in a given season.

Friday evening’s sessions begin with No. 10 seed USF (5-8, 8-18) and No. 7 Saint Louis (6-7, 14-16) at 6 p.m., while No. 11 Charlotte (5-8, 19-13) faces No. 6 Tulane (6-7, 16-9) at 8 p.m. The Bulls swept the Billikens earlier this month. The winner of the USF-SLU match will face second-seeded Cincinnati on Saturday at 6 p.m. Despite snapping their four-match win streak to Louisville on the week, the Bearcats have reached a 20-win season for the ninth year in a row. The Green Wave hopes to extend its win streak to four matches against the 49ers on Friday evening, with the winner facing No. 3 Marquette in Saturday’s final match at 8 p.m. The Golden Eagles recorded their first 20-win season since 1985, when the team played 39 matches in its season.

The semifinal matches are slated for Sunday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., with the championship match set for Monday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. (EST). The match will be televised by affiliates of the C-USA Television Network. Don Russell will announce the play-by-play, while Audrey Flaugh provides the commentary. Conference USA's official website, www.ConferenceUSA.com, will provide updates, box scores, recaps and photos.

2004 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, November 19:
Match 1 - (9) East Carolina vs. (8) Houston 1 p.m.
Match 2 - (12) DePaul vs. (5) Memphis 3 p.m.
Match 3 - (10) USF vs. (7) Saint Louis 6 p.m.
Match 4 - (11) Charlotte vs. (6) Tulane 8 p.m.

Saturday, November 20:
Match 5 - (1) Louisville vs. Winner of ECU/Houston 1 p.m.
Match 6 - (4) TCU vs. Winner of DePaul/Memphis 3 p.m.
Match 7 - (2) Cincinnati vs. Winner of USF/Saint Louis 6 p.m.
Match 8 - (3) Marquette vs. Winner of Charlotte/Tulane 8 p.m.

Sunday, November 21 (Semifinals):
Match 9 - Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6 5 p.m.
Match 10 - Winner of Match 7 vs. Winner of Match 8 7 p.m.

Monday, November 22 (Championship):
Match 11 - Championship Match 8 p.m.

All times are Eastern.
All matches will be played in Cardinal Arena, Louisville, Ky.

2004 TOURNEY PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Teams Practice (Cardinal Arena, Louisville, Ky.)

Thursday, November 18, 2004:
12:00 - 12:55 pm (12) DePaul
1:00 - 1:55 pm (11) Charlotte
2:00 - 2:55 pm (10) USF
3:00 - 3:55 pm (9) East Carolina
4:00 - 4:55 pm (8) Houston
5:00 - 5:55 pm (7) Saint Louis
6:00 - 6:55 pm (6) Tulane
7:00 - 7:55 pm (5) Memphis

Friday, November 19, 2004:
7:30 - 8:25 am (4) TCU
8:30 - 9:25 am (3) Marquette
9:30 - 10:25 am (2) Cincinnati
10:30 - 11:25 am (1) Louisville

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
JOLLY MOLLY
Charlotte’s Molly McDonald ended her career at the Halton Arena in rare form; averaging 17.0 assists per game in a 3-1 win against DePaul on Saturday, Nov. 13. With 1,451 this season, McDonald has the second-highest single-season total in school history.

NO MORE ‘OUT WITH THE OLD’
Jessica Oldenburg of Charlotte recorded her best week of the season last week as the sophomore hit .387 and averaged 5.44 points, 4.62 kills and 1.0 blocks per game in two conference matches. Her 14 kills against Marquette on Friday night gave her nine double-digit kill performances in 13 conference matches.

PIRATE PATROL
Freshman outside hitter Kelley Wernert of the East Carolina Pirates set a career-high 20 kills against DePaul last weekend, while teammate Heidi Krug collected 116 assists (12.89 apg) in two matches for the week. Krug has also been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Volleyball District III team.

THE HIGHEST CARD
Louisville’s Lena Ustymenko helped her team to a sweep over Kentucky last week, while hitting an impressive .537 on the night. After posting 37 kills for the week, the junior now has tallied 1,118 on 2756 attacks in her career.

TALENTED TIGGER
Tiara Gilkey of the Memphis Tigers’ squad notched her team-leading 20th double-double of the season (18 kills, 12 digs) in a five-game loss to TCU. The outside hitter then posted a match-high 19 kills on Saturday, Nov. 13 in a sweep of Houston to conclude Memphis’ regular season.

FABULOUS FROGS
In a milestone weekend, TCU’s Anna Vaughn led her team to five-game win over Memphis and a sweep of Saint Louis. The two victories extended the Frogs win total to 21, which marked the most wins in a single season. Teammate and setter Loren Barry posted 97 assists in the two contests.

SURFS UP
Tulane’s Deva Fowler led the Green Wave to a 3-0 record on the week. Fowler hit an outstanding .515 with 42 kills and just seven errors on 68 attacks, while teammate Brittany Esser led her team offense to a .327 hitting percentage. Esser tallied a C-USA three-game match-high with 54 assists in last Tuesday’s sweep of Jackson State.

EAGLES ON THE LOOSE
The Golden Eagles’ Jazzmien Stephens helped her team snap a nine-match losing streak with wins over USF and UAB last weekend. The senior tallied 28 kills in 48 attempts for a .521 hitting percentage on the week. Setter Amy Truong wrapped up the team’s season as the senior became the 10th player in school history to record over 1,000 digs in a career (1,009). She is one of three setters with over 2,600 assists, 100 aces and 1,000 digs in a career.

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 7-7
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 74-85 159-164
Reed Sunahara, CIN 117-42 136-82
Dawn Dockstader, DPU 112-141 112-141
Colleen Munson, ECU 52-98 52-98
Bill Walton, HOU 376-239 586-294
Leonid Yelin, LOU 219-63 333-99
Pati Rolf, MAR 47-38 357-207
Carrie Yerty, MEM 165-137 165-137
Anne Kordes, SLU 14-16 14-16
Ricci Luyties, USM 7-20 7-20
Prentice Lewis, TCU 53-42 53-42
Betsy Becker, TUL 108-78 186-136
Melinda Claiborne, UAB 46-105 46-105
Claire Lessinger, USF 9-18 9-18

2004 GAME REC0RDS
School 3 4 5 Total
Charlotte 9-7 6-4 4-2 19-13
Cincinnati 12-4 7-3 1-2 20-9
DePaul 6-9 4-3 2-6 12-18
East Carolina 5-10 3-4 3-3 11-17
Houston 4-9 2-7 2-4 8-20
Louisville 18-0 5-2 1-0 24-2
Marquette 13-3 6-2 1-1 20-6
Memphis 15-3 7-2 3-4 25-9
Saint Louis 6-7 6-3 2-6 14-16
Southern Miss 3-11 1-7 3-2 7-20
TCU 8-4 9-2 4-2 21-8
Tulane 12-5 1-3 3-1 16-9
UAB 0-21 1-2 0-1 1-24
USF 6-11 1-6 2-1 9-18

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

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

ASSISTS
81 by Heather Watts (MEM) vs. TCU, 11/11

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)
N15 P- Erica Heisser (Marquette)
S- Sarah Vernon (Marquette)
S- Heather Watts (Memphis)

C-USA NOTEBOOK
CHARLOTTE: Charlotte split a pair of conference matches last weekend against Marquette and DePaul. With the win against DePaul, the 49ers have tallied 19 wins under head coach Lisa Marston for the first time since going 22-13 in 1994. This season also notches the first time since 1994 that Charlotte’s squad has finished .500 or better. Junior middle blocker Lisa Newell became the second Charlotte player to go over the 1,000-kill plateau this season as she posted seven against DePaul. Senior setter Molly McDonald became only the second player in school history to pass the 1,400-assists mark, while she also holds the program’s second-highest single season total (1,451). As the No. 11 seed, the 49ers square off against No. 6 Tulane on Friday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. (EST).

CINCINNATI: Despite falling to No. 21 Louisville last weekend, UC enters the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament with a first round bye for the 10th consecutive season. Bearcats’ Leslie Newell (983) and Rachel Torblaa (928) continue their march towards 1,000 career kills. Julie DuPont moved into a tie for second place in school history with 1,303 career digs, following former Cincinnati standout Becky Tenkman. The Bearcats face the winner of tenth-seeded USF (5-8, 8-18) and No. 7 seed Saint Louis (6-7, 14-16) on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. (EST).

DE PAUL: DePaul dropped two conference matches last weekend to East Carolina and Charlotte. The Blue Demons concluded their regular season tied for eighth place in Conference USA and were selected as the 12th-seeded team for the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament. DePaul will face No. 5 Memphis on Friday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. (EST) and the winner advances to the quarterfinals on Saturday to square off against No. 4 TCU at 3 p.m. The Tigers defeated the Blue Demons in three games during the regular season.

EAST CAROLINA: The Pirates pulled off a 3-2 decision over conference foe DePaul on Friday, Nov. 12 before falling to Marquette, 3-1 the following evening. Against the Blue Demons, East Carolina was led by junior outside hitter Pam Ferris, who tallied a season-high 19 digs and collected 17 kills, while freshman outside hitter Kelley Wernert recorded a career-high 20 kills in the match. As the No. 9 seed, DePaul will face Houston (5-8, 8-20) on Friday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. (EST). The winner of the Pirate-Cougar match will face top-ranked Louisville on Saturday at 1 p.m.

HOUSTON: The Cougars wrapped up their regular season on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Memphis with a 3-0 loss to the Tigers. Saint Louis swept Houston earlier on the week. Junior Kariny Ritter led the team with 14 kills against the Tigers. Houston will return to action on Friday at 1 p.m. as the Cougars face the ninth-seeded East Carolina Pirates (5-8, 11-17). The winner of the Pirate-Cougar match will face top-ranked Louisville on Saturday at 1 p.m.


LOUISVILLE: As its final regular season match concluded with a victory against second-ranked Cincinnati, Louisville’s 2004 conference action remained blemish-free. The Cardinals recorded their second undefeated season 13-0, dating back to 1995 when U of L went 12-0 in C-USA divisional play. Louisville will not only host the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament Nov. 19-22, but will also serve as the top seed. The Cardinals receive a first round bye and will play the winner of No. 9 seed East Carolina and No. 8 seed Houston on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. (EST) in the Cardinal Arena.

MARQUETTE: The Golden Eagles wrapped up their regular season last week with a pair of wins over Charlotte and East Carolina on Friday, Nov. 12 and Saturday, Nov. 13, respectively. Marquette claimed its first 20-win season since 1985, when the team played 39 matches. The 20 wins marks the highest win total for Marquette since it recorded 19 in 2001. Player of the Week Erica Heisser led Marquette in kills for the second-straight night, landing a career-best 21 attacks. The senior middle blocker also hit .421 percent against the Pirates. Senior setter and co-C-USA Setter of the Week Sarah Vernon had 63 assists and set the team for a .257 team hitting percentage on Saturday. With a first round bye the Golden Eagles square off against the winner of Tulane and Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. (EST).

MEMPHIS: On Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, the Memphis Tigers’ recorded their 25th win on the season. Seniors Tiara Gilkey and Heather Watts led the Tigers to a sweep of the conference foe Houston. Gilkey finished with a match-high 19 kills and hit .429, while Watts posted a double-double of 60 assists and 11 digs. Watts was also named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District IV first team for the third consecutive year. The Tigers face No. 12 seed DePaul (5-8, 12-18) on Friday at 3 p.m. Memphis swept the Blue Demons on Oct. 30 in their regular season match. The winner squares off against fourth-seeded TCU on Saturday at 3 p.m. (EST).

SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens split two C-USA matches last week with a sweep of Houston on Thursday, Nov. 11, followed by a 3-0 loss to TCU on Saturday, Nov. 13. Saint Louis’ setter Erin McClanahan reached 2,000 assists for her career against the Cougars, just the fifth SLU player to reach that plateau. Teammate Jessica Kmitta also reached a personal milestone, as she tallied 1,000 digs on her career and was the ninth player with 1,000 in a career. Aida Antanaviciute has 643 kills this season and ranks second on the school's single-season record list. She needs 12 to break the single-season record of 654 set by Colleen Hunter in 2000. The seventh-seeded Billikens return to play on Friday, Nov. 19 against No. 10 seed USF (5-8, 8-18) at 6 p.m. (EST). The winner of the SLU-USF match will face No. 2 seed Cincinnati on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.


SOUTHERN MISS: The Golden Eagles snapped a nine-match losing streak, sweeping both USF and UAB last weekend to close out the 2004 regular season. Amanda Blunck finished the weekend with 24 kills and 27 digs, while just missing a double-double against USF with nine kills and 11 digs. Amy Truong became only the 10th player in school history to record over 1,000 digs in a career. The Golden Eagles have participated in every conference tournament since the induction in 1995; however Southern Miss will not compete in Louisville this year.

TCU: The Horned Frogs recorded two conference wins over Memphis and Saint Louis last weekend and boosted their C-USA ledger to 10-3, which tied for second place with Cincinnati and Marquette. Following a series of tiebreakers, TCU came out as the No. 4 seed heading into the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament, Nov. 19-22 in Louisville, Ky. The wins on the weekend also helped the Horned Frogs reach the most overall wins (21) in a given season. Freshman Talaya Whitfield had 23 digs against the Billikens for the most ever in a three-game match and TCU out-blocked its opponent for the sixth time in a row. TCU will face the winner of No. 12 DePaul and fifth-seeded Memphis on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. (EST).

TULANE: Tulane inked a pair of conference wins last weekend over UAB and USF on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Green Wave improved its conference standings, as it advanced to tie for sixth place with Saint Louis. Tulane will return to action on Friday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. (EST) to face No. 11 seed Charlotte (5-8, 19-13). The sixth-seeded Green Wave hopes to extend its win streak to four matches against the 49ers on Friday evening, with the winner facing No. 3 Marquette in Saturday’s final match at 8 p.m.

UAB: The Blazers fell to league opponents Tulane and Southern Miss last weekend. UAB’s freshman Nicole Bowland led the Blazers with 12 kills in the team’s 3-1 loss to USM on Saturday evening. UAB clinched a berth in every C-USA tournament since 2001, as the Blazers held the seventh-seed in 2003 and the No. 9 seed in 2002.

USF: The Bulls wrapped up their regular season with a tough-fought 3-2 win over Jacksonville on Tuesday night. USF was seeded 10th in the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament held in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 19-22 after dropping its two final conference matches last weekend. In the 10-year history of C-USA volleyball, the Bulls have qualified for the conference tournament every season and have been one of the top four seeds seven times. In addition, they claimed the tournament titles in 1995, 1996 and 2002. The Bulls will square off against No. 7 seed Saint Louis at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19 with the winner facing second-seeded Cincinnati on the following day at 6 p.m. (EST).