C-USA Volleyball Notebook (Nov. 30)

Lisa Newell

2004 PLAYERS/SETTERS 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)

AMONG THE RANKED
Here is a look at the Nov. 29, AVCA poll:

USA Today/CSTV poll
1. Nebraska (30)
2. Hawai’i (35)
3. Penn State
4. Minnesota
5. Washington
6. Stanford
7. Ohio State
8. Southern California
9. Colorado State
10. Tennessee
11. Texas
12. San Diego
13. Florida
14. Saint Mary’s (Calif)
15. UCLA
16. UC Santa Barbara
17. California
18. Texas A&M
19. LOUISVILLE
20. Utah
21. Arizona
22. Florida A&M
23. Kansas State
24. Missouri
25. Ohio

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

DID YOU KNOW?
Louisville is now the second team since 1996 to repeat as tournament champions. USF is the only other school to win consecutive C-USA Tournament titles with wins in 1995 and ‘96. Here is a look at the last ten champions.
1995 USF
1996 USF
1997 Houston
1998 Louisville
1999 Cincinnati
2000 Louisville
2001 DePaul
2002 USF
2003 Louisville
2004 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 (13-0)

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.

ALL-DECADE TEAM
Michelle Collier, USF (1998-2002) *
Julie DuPont, Cincinnati (2001-current)
Laura Lauder, Cincinnati (2000-03)
Stephanie Bishop, DePaul (1998-2001)
Michelle Frazier, Houston (1997-2000)
Jennifer Wittenberg, Houston (1999-2001)
Sarah Drury, Louisville (1999-2002)
Sonja Percan, Louisville (1999-2003)
Colleen Hunter, Saint Louis (1999-2002)
Erica Berggren, USF (1995-96)
* Player of the Decade

COACH OF THE DECADE
Leonid Yelin, Louisville (1996-current)

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

2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament
Champion: Louisville
MVP: Lena Ustymenko

CARDS CLAIM 2004 C-USA TOURNAMENT TITLE
Twentieth-ranked Louisville extended its winning streak to an impressive 19 matches following a victory win against the Marquette Golden Eagles to secure the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Volleyball Tournament title. The win gives Louisville an automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Volleyball Tournament and gives the Cards’ four C-USA tourney crowns in eight tournament appearances.

U of L tallied its second undefeated conference mark with a 13-0 record. The 2004 team joined the 1995 Cardinal squad, which also tabbed a flawless C-USA regular season ledger. The Cardinals now hold a 19-match streak of sweeping their opponents, dating back to Oct. 1, when the DePaul Blue Demons stretched the U of L to a four-game match. Louisville’s only five-game match was a 3-2 victory over Wake Forest on Sept. 17.

“This concludes only two goals of our team’s,” said 2004 C-USA Coach of the Year and Coach of the Decade Leonid Yelin. “Our first goal was to remain undefeated through conference play, while the second was to claim the 2004 C-USA tournament title. Now we have to make it through the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament and then we can return home to play regionals in front of our home crowd.”

The Cards had a great offensive night in the championship match as the team was led by Anastasia Yartseva and All-Tournament honoree Jennifer Hoffman. Yartseva posted ten kills for a .562 hitting percentage, while Hoffman hit .667 with 11 kills. Outside hitter Lena Ustymenko posted a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs.

All-Tournament selection Theresa Coughlin led the Golden Eagles posting a double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs, while teammate Sarah Vernon tallied 40 assists in the match.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Heather Watts, Memphis
Julie DuPont, Cincinnati
Theresa Couglin, Marquette
Sarah Vernon, Marquette
Jennifer Hoffman, Louisville
*Lena Ustymenko, Louisville
*Tournament MVP

U OF L REACHES NCAA TOURNEY
Louisville earned a berth to the 2004 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, as announced on ESPNews. The Cardinals (28-2), who remained undefeated through league action (13-0) to claim the 2004 Conference USA regular season title, will meet Illinois (19-10) on Friday, Dec. 3 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. The winner will advance to face either Arkansas or Missouri the following evening.

The first- and second-round matches will be played at 16 different campus sites from Dec 2-5. Regionals will be held Dec. 10-11. If the Cardinals advance through the first two rounds, Louisville will host one of the four pre-determined regional sites; Louisville, Ky, Minneapolis, Minn., Seattle, Wash., Green Bay, Wis. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and championship match hosted by Long Beach State University at Long Beach Arena on Dec. 16 and 18.

Louisville tallied its second undefeated conference season in school history en route to making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance. Illinois faced U of L last year in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Champaign, Ill. The Illini knocked the Cards out of the tourney, 3-0. Louisville advanced to the Sweet 16 in 1996 and 1998.

2004 GAME REC0RDS
School 3 4 5 Total
Charlotte 9-7 6-5 4-2 19-14
Cincinnati 14-4 7-5 1-2 22-11
DePaul 6-10 4-3 2-6 12-19
East Carolina 5-11 3-4 3-3 11-18
Houston 5-10 2-7 4-4 11-21
Louisville 22-0 5-2 1-0 28-2
Marquette 14-4 7-2 1-1 22-7
Memphis 16-4 7-2 4-4 27-10
Saint Louis 6-8 6-3 3-6 15-17
Southern Miss 3-11 1-7 3-2 7-20
TCU 9-4 9-2 5-3 23-9
Tulane 12-6 2-4 3-2 17-12
UAB 0-21 1-2 0-1 1-24
USF 6-12 1-6 2-2 9-20

2004 COACHES RECORDS
Coach School Career
Lisa Marston, CHA 74-86 159-165
Reed Sunahara, CIN 119-44 138-84
Dawn Dockstader, DPU 112-142 112-142
Colleen Munson, ECU 52-99 52-99
Bill Walton, HOU 379-240 589-295
Leonid Yelin, LOU 223-63 337-99
Pati Rolf, MAR 49-39 359-208
Carrie Yerty, MEM 167-138 167-138
Anne Kordes, SLU 15-17 15-17
Ricci Luyties, USM 7-20 7-20
Prentice Lewis, TCU 55-43 55-43
Betsy Becker, TUL 109-81 187-139
Melinda Claiborne, UAB 46-105 46-105
Claire Lessinger, USF 9-20 9-20

C-USA VS. OTHER 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

LEADING THE CONFERENCE

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
43 by Jaci Gonzalez (HOU) at Alabama, 11/26

ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
All-Conference First Team
Aida Antanaviciute, Saint Louis
**Julie DuPont, Cincinnati
Jaci Gonzalez (L), Houston
Bing Sun, Louisville
Dominika Szabo, TCU
Lena Ustymenko, Louisville
++Heather Watts (S), Memphis
**Player of the Year
++Setter of the Year

All-Conference Second Team
Theresa Coughlin, Marquette
Deva Fowler, Tulane
Tiara Gilkey, Memphis
Rachel Torblaa, Cincinnati
Sarah Vernon (S), Marquette
Talaya Whitfield (L), TCU
Anastasia Yartseva, Louisville

All-Conference Third Team
Janet Goreham, DePaul
Ellen Hayes (L), DePaul
Myann Hellsten, Cincinnati
Jennifer Hoffman, Louisville
Erin Ludeke (S), TCU
Kelly McAnelly, Houston
Anna Vaughn, TCU

All-Freshman Team
Svetlana Dukule, Louisville
^^Kristina Fabris, USF
Sutton Lasater, Saint Louis
Elenda Pilnikova, Louisville
Kimberly Todd, Marquette
Talaya Whitfield, TCU
^^Freshman of the Year

Coach of the Year
Leonid Yelin, Louisville

Defensive Player of the Year
Jaci Gonzalez, Houston

C-USA NOTEBOOK

CHARLOTTE: Charlotte wrapped up its 2004 season in the opening-round match at the ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 19. The 49ers fell to Tulane, 3-1 to end the season with a 19-14 record overall. By winning 19 matches this season, Charlotte posted its highest win total since going 22-13 in 1994. This year also marked the highest number of wins under Lisa Marston's leadership, and was more than double the team's output from last season. Juniors Abbey Szlanfucht and Lisa Newell ranked among the C-USA leaders in multiple categories this year, while senior setter Molly McDonald was second among the conference leaders in assists per game. McDonald, playing in her final season, posted the second-best single-season assist total in school history and finished her career in third on the school's all-time assists chart.

CINCINNATI: Cincinnati put four players in double figure kills in a three-game sweep of Atlantic 10 Conference Champions Dayton on Senior Day at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats split their final two matches to finish the 2004 season with an overall record of 22-11. The Bearcats’ trio of seniors was instrumental in the victory over Dayton as Julie DuPont led the team with 14 kills and 13 digs. Rachel Torblaa added 13 kills on .435 hitting, while Leslie Newell tacked on six kills on .385 hitting.

DE PAUL: The Blue Demons ended their 2004 season with a 3-0 loss to Memphis in the first round of the ChevronTexaco Conference USA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 19 at Cardinal Arena. Amy Holmes led the Blue Demons with a .444 hitting percentage for the match, while Morgan Ingersoll had a team-high 11 kills.

EAST CAROLINA: East Carolina fell to the Houston Cougars, 3-0, in the first round of the ChevronTexaco Conference USA Volleyball Tournament last week. The Pirates (11-18, 5-9 C-USA) dropped the first three games by scores of 18-30, 23-30, and 29-31. Freshman outside hitter Mignon Dubenion led all Pirates with 12 kills, while junior middle blocker Paige Howell collected nine and freshman outside hitter Kelley Wernert collected eight. Sophomore setter Heidi Krug led the offense with 35 assists. The Pirates finish the 2004 season with an overall record of 11-8, 5-9 in C-USA play.

HOUSTON: To wrap up the 2004 season, the Cougars came out victorious in a five-game thriller at the SEC/C-USA Challenge in Baton Rouge, La. against host institution LSU on Saturday night. The win gave Houston its 11-21 overall mark on the 2004 season. Tournament MVP Loure Dews, who had a career-high 13 blocks in the championship match against LSU, and racked up 17 kills on the evening to finish the tournament with 39 kills, led Houston. Junior libero Jaci Gonzalez, who was the 2004 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, garnered the Libero of the Tournament honors with her 39 digs against the Tigers and her career-high 43 against the Crimson Tide.

LOUISVILLE: Following a 3-0 decision over Pittsburgh in the Cardinals’ final regular season home match, U of L extended its winning streak to 20 straight matches and 57 straight games, sweeping its last 18 matches. The Cardinals improved to 28-2 on the season and will now face Illinois in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Dec. 3 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo., with the winner advancing to face either Arkansas or Missouri the following evening.

MARQUETTE: Marquette wrapped up its 2004 regular season in its first-ever Conference USA title match. The Golden Eagles fell to 20th-ranked Louisville, 3-0 with scores of 30-24, 30-22, 30-24. Junior outside hitter Theresa Coughlin recorded 14 kills to lead Marquette in the match, while freshman outside hitter Kimberley Todd had 12 kills and sophomore outside hitter Jamie Mueller landed 11.

MEMPHIS: Memphis was eliminated from the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Tournament after dropping a 3-0 decision to the top-seeded Louisville Cardinals Sunday afternoon in the tournament's semifinal round. Nancy Nellans led the Tigers with 12 kills, while setter Heather Watts posted 33 assists and Tiara Gilkey downed eight kills in the duo's final match as Tigers. Memphis finishes the season 27-10, marking the program's second consecutive 25-plus-win campaign. An All-Tournament Team selection Watts, led in assists all year and capped a stellar career by breaking the C-USA mark for a single season. She broke the previous record of 1,792 assists, which she set in 2003, with a 61-assist performance in the Tigers' five-game victory over TCU in the quarterfinal round. Watts, who also earned C-USA Setter of the Year honors prior to the tournament, finished the year with 1,830 assists.

SAINT LOUIS: Saint Louis dropped a 3-0 decision to Cincinnati in the quarterfinals of the 2004 ChevronTexaco Conference USA Volleyball Tournament Saturday, Nov. 20 in Louisville, Ky. The seventh-seeded Billikens end their season at 15-17. Lauren Boissevain narrowly missed posting her second consecutive triple-double with 16 assists, 10 digs and nine kills on the match. Aida Antanaviciute led the Billikens with 12 kills, while Jessica Kmitta had a match-high 12 digs.

SOUTHERN MISS: The Golden Eagles snapped a nine-match losing streak, sweeping both USF and UAB 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 had participated in every conference tournament since the induction in 1995; before failing to qualify this year.

TCU: The Horned Frogs completed their 2004 season with their 23rd win, the most wins TCU has ever put together in a single season. Senior Dominika Szabo tallied her 1,000th dig in her squads’ final match against Fairfield at the University Rec Center. Sophomore Anna Vaughn led the Frogs offensively with 16 kills and no errors for a .533 hitting percentage, with seniors Szabo and Ellen Rehme adding 13 apiece. Freshman libero Talaya Whitfield tallied another 18 digs to finish the season with a new TCU record of 619.
TULANE: Tulane dropped its final two 2004 season matches against LSU and Alabama in the SEC/C-USA Challenge in Baton Rouge, La. The Green Wave ended the season with an overall record of 17-12. Sarah Weiland led Tulane with 23 kills against the Crimson Tide, followed by Deva Fowler with 16. Kelli Dickson posted a match-best 21 digs.

UAB: The Blazers finished their 2004 regular season action as the team fell to league opponents Tulane and Southern Miss. UAB’s freshman Nicole Bowland led the Blazers with 12 kills in the team’s 3-1 loss to USM on Saturday, Nov. 13. This is the first year since 2001 that UAB has not clinched a berth in the C-USA tournament. The Blazers held the seventh-seed in 2003 and the No. 9 seed in 2002.

USF: USF fell in its final match of the 2004 season to the Miami Hurricanes, 3-0. Sophomore Johari Williams led the team with eight kills against the Canes, while freshmen Kristina Fabris and Michelle Stalbaum followed closely with six each. Junior setter Juliana Nogueira notched a double-double with 21 assists and 12 digs on the match. The Bulls end the season 9-20 and will return all players next year.