Courtney Cox, the Rams host the McLeodUSA MWC Volleyball Championship this week.
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Weekly Women's Volleyball Release: 11/14
Rams clinch top seed in MWC Championship
Nov. 14, 2000
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Colorado State survived a five-game scare in San Diego Friday and swept UNLV Saturday to clinch the
2000 MWC regular season crown and a No. 1 seed in the 2000 McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference
Volleyball Championship this week in Fort Collins, Colo. CSU is a perfect 14-0 at home this season,
and has a NCAA-leading 42-match home win streak.
BYU and Utah also recorded 2-0 records last week to clinch the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively.
Quarterfinal matches will get underway Thursday, Nov. 16 with semifinals taking place Friday, Nov.
17. The title match is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. All matches will be played at Moby
Arena and televised by SportsWest. Listed below is a glimpse of the MWC Championship matchups
(Championship bracket and TV clearances on page 7):
#1 Colorado State vs. #8 Air Force
#2 BYU vs. #7 Wyoming
#3 Utah vs. #6 UNLV*
#4 SDSU vs. #5 New Mexico*
(*New Mexico earned the No. 5 seed by virtue of the tiebreaker)
Knopf Named MWC Volleyball Player of the Week
Junior middle blocker Angela Knopf from Colorado State was named the Mountain West Conference
Volleyball Player of the Week, marking the second time this season and fourth time overall she has
earned the award. A native of Troutdale, Ore., Knopf recorded Colorado State¹s first triple-double
of the season with 15 kills, 14 blocks and 10 digs in a five-game win at San Diego State Friday. She
added seven kills, 11 digs and six blocks in a three-game victory over UNLV Saturday as the Rams
clinched their first outright regular season conference championship with a 13-1 league record. A
first team All-MWC performer in 1999, Knopf tallied 22 kills, 21 digs, 20 blocks and hit .450 for
the week. Knopf leads the conference with a .447 hitting percentage and has been ranked in the NCAA
statistics top 10 seven straight weeks for hitting percentage and blocks per game.
Remaining Schedule After MWC Championship
See attached 2000 McLeodUSA MWC Volleyball Championship bracket for this week¹s action.
USA Today/AVCA ranking listed in parenthesis, All times are local, Home team in bold, *notes MWC
matches
November 21 (Tuesday)
San Diego State at San Diego, 7 p.m.
November 22 (Wednesday)
UTAH (19) at Weber State, 7 p.m.
November 23 (Thursday)
COLORADO STATE at Bankers Classic (Stockton, Calif.)
COLORADO STATE (4) vs. Arizona (5), 5 p.m.
November 24 (Friday)
BYU (13) at UC Santa Barbara (14), 7 p.m.
COLORADO STATE at Bankers Classic (Stockton, Calif.)
Consolation/Championship, 5/7 p.m.
NEW MEXICO hosts UNM-Dominos Albuturkey Tournament
San Francisco at NEW MEXICO, 7 p.m.
UNLV at Baylor Tournament
UNLV at Baylor, 7 p.m.
November 25 (Saturday)
NEW MEXICO hosts UNM-Dominos Albuturkey Tournament
Consolation/Championship, 5/7 p.m.
UNLV at Baylor Tournament
Consolation/Championship, 5/7 p.m.
Denver at UTAH (19), 1 p.m.
NCAA Selections Sunday, Nov. 26
The 2000 NCAA Division I Women¹s Volleyball Selection Show 64-team announcement will take place
Sunday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. (MST). The winner of the McLeodUSA MWC Championship is guaranteed one spot
in the 64-team field. Last year, the MWC earned three at-large berths (CSU, BYU, Utah).
Last Week's Top Performers
Air Force¹s Ana-Marie Ortega totaled 14 kills and seven digs vs. Utah last week. Devavane Diaz and
Jamie Rempel each recorded double figure kills vs. BYU with 11 and 10, respectively.
BYU¹s Nina Puikkonen led three Cougars in double figure kills with 15 vs. New Mexico. Melissa
Layton totaled 12 kills and Sunny Tonga added 11 as she recorded a match-high .625 hitting
percentage. Sunny Tonga also recorded a match-high 14 kills vs. Air Force.
Colorado State¹s Angela Knopf earned MWC Player of the Week honors after recording the Rams first
triple-double of the season with 15 kills, 14 blocks and 10 digs vs. San Diego State. Krista
Swartzendruber, Courtney Cox and Soraya Santos each recorded double-doubles vs. the Aztecs. Summer
Jennings recorded her first double-double of the year with 11 kills and 10 digs vs. UNLV.
New Mexico¹s Jessica Goffard picked up a team-high 13 kills vs. BYU and had another eight kills
vs. Utah.
San Diego State¹s Amy Hallquist recorded back-to-back double-doubles last week, bringing her
season total to seven. She had 14 kills and 11 digs vs. Wyoming, and 14 kills and 16 digs vs.
Colorado State. Aspen McPartland racked up nine of the Aztecs 19 blocks vs. the Rams. SDSU has won
11 of their last 14 matches.
UNLV¹s Blair Wilkes recorded a season-high .667 hitting percentage with a team-high eight kills
vs. Colorado State. Four Rebels reached double figures in kills vs. Wyoming, led by Patricia
Assuncao and Michelle Johnson each with 13.
Utah¹s Lenka Urbanova led the Utes with 10 kills vs. New Mexico, and Lenka Urbanova totaled a
match-high 15 kills vs. Air Force.
Wyoming¹s Jamie Burke picked up her 10th double-double of the season vs. San Diego State
(15k-11d), and Michele Rauter notched her ninth double-double vs. UNLV (10k-13d) .
The Rankings
Colorado State jumped one spot to No. 4 and BYU moved up to No. 13 in the USA Today/AVCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches poll this week. Utah remained at No. 19. The Rams have been ranked in the poll 129
weeks since the poll began in 1982 and the Cougars have been ranked 224 weeks. BYU reached its
highest ranking in school history at No. 1 on four occasions. Pacific, Nebraska and Stanford lead
the nation with 247 consecutive weeks in the poll.
National Attendance (compiled by Diane Nordstrom of Wisconsin media relations)
Colorado State is seventh in attendance with an average of 1,972 fans per match. BYU is 15th with
1,426 fans per match. Hawai`i leads the nation with an average of 6,858 fans and an amazing 102,871
fans over 15 matches. Colorado State and BYU played before a conference season-high crowd Sept. 29
when 5,307 fans packed Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. UNLV set the overall MWC high at Hawai`i
Sept. 16 when the teams battled before 6,447 fans. Nebraska set the NCAA regular-season attendance
mark Nov. 4 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center with 12,504 fans.
Coaching Milestones
Utah¹s Beth Launiere needs just one win to reach 200 career victories. Launiere is currently
199-144 in 10 seasons. The Utes face UNLV Thursday.
San Diego State head coach Mark Warner reached 100 career wins last week with the Aztecs victory
over Wyoming. In six seasons, Warner has a record of 100-81.
In The NCAA Statistics
According to the latest NCAA statistics Nov. 14, Colorado State¹s Angela Knopf is No. 2 in the
nation in hitting percentage (.447) and No. 5 in blocking (1.67). SDSU¹s Erin Grady is No. 2 in the
nation in blocking (1.77), followed by BYU¹s Nina Puikkonen at No. 3 (1.76) and Jackie Bundy at No.
11 (1.55). As a team, CSU is No. 4 in hitting (.311) and BYU is No. 10 (.280). The Cougars are No. 2
in team blocking (3.58) and CSU is No. 6 (3.28).
Mountain West Conference First
Colorado State¹s upset of No. 1 UCLA in Gainesville, Fla., in week one marks the first victory by
any Mountain West Conference team over a No. 1-ranked opponent. Utah and BYU matched that feat this
season as the Utes and the Cougars each topped then-No. 1 Stanford in week three.
Mountain West Conference Players of the Week:
Sept. 4 < Courtney Cox, Jr., OH, Colorado State
Sept. 11 < Nina Puikkonen, Jr., MB, BYU
Sept. 18 < Delavane Diaz, Fr., OH, Air Force
Sept. 25 < Angela Knopf, Jr., OH, Colorado State
Oct. 2 < Allison Peckham, Jr., S, Colorado State
Oct. 9 < Lucie Turkova, Sr., S, Utah
Oct. 16 < Nina Puikkonen, Jr., MB, BYU
Oct. 23 < Amy Hallquist, Sr., OH, SDSU
Oct. 30 < Sunny Tonga, So., OH, BYU
Nov. 6 < Nina Puikkonen, Jr., MB, BYU
Nov. 13 < Angela Knopf, Jr., OH, Colorado State
Air Force Falcons (6-20, 0-14 MWC)
Head Coach: Penny Lucas-White
Overall Record: 136-180 (10th year)
School Record: 41-100 (5th year)
Air Force enters the McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Volleyball Championship looking to snap a
13-match losing streak. The Falcons battle No. 4-ranked and No. 1 seed Colorado State at 4 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 16 in a first-round match. The Rams lead the all-time series 11-1.
Freshman setter Kristin Huitt has 691 assists this season--the second most in the Division I era.
Freshman Delavane Diaz is third in the conference in kills per game (4.03) and third in the league
in digs per game (3.03). Her 4.03 kills per game average is fifth on the Falcon single-season list.
Diaz has reached double-digit kills in six of her last eight matches.
Air Force made its first post season tournament appearance in the Division I era last year as a
No. 4 seed in the MWC Championship. Air Force will be the No. 8 seed entering this year¹s conference
championship.
BYU Cougars (20-6, 12-2 MWC)
Head Coach: Elaine Michaelis
Overall Record: 861-215-5 (32nd year)
School Record: 861-215-5 (32nd year)
No. 2-seed BYU battles No. 7-seed Wyoming in the first match of the championship at 11 a.m.
Thursday. The Cougars, last year¹s runnerup in the MWC Championship, hold a 46-3 advantage in the
series with the Cowgirls. BYU has won 21 straight vs. Wyoming.
The Cougars posted a .291 team hitting percentage and held Wyoming to a .078 hitting percentage in
two matches this season.
BYU has now won seven straight matches, which is its longest streak of the season. The Cougars
have won nine straight conference matches, including home wins over then-No. 5 Colorado State and
No. 19 Utah. Their last loss was Oct. 18 at Pepperdine in five games.
BYU leads the MWC in blocks (3.58 per game), kills (16.48 per game) and aces (1.79 per game).
Sunny Tonga, last year's Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, is now averaging 3.29
kills per game and a .327 hitting percentage for the season. Against New Mexico, Tonga had 11 kills
and a .625 hitting percentage. Against Air Force she finished with 14 kills and a .458 hitting
percentage.
BYU was a perfect 7-0 in the second half of conference play, including wins over Air Force and New
Mexico in its final MWC road matches of the year.
Colorado State Rams (27-2, 13-1 MWC)
Head Coach: Tom Hilbert
Overall Record: 282-91 (12th year)
School Record: 108-19 (4th year)
Colorado State enters the 2000 McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Volleyball Championship as host
and No. 1 seed. The Rams take on No. 8-seed Air Force at 4 p.m. Thursday. CSU has won 11 straight in
the series.
The Rams are in the midst of a NCAA-leading 42-match home win streak dating back to Arizona¹s
victory over CSU Sept. 6, 1998.
The Rams have led the conference in hitting percentage and have also been ranked in the NCAA top
10 for hitting percentage most of the season. CSU is currently hitting .311 as a team.
Junior Courtney Cox tallied her 1,000th career kill against San Diego State on Friday, bringing
her career total to 1,024 kills. She also notched her 2,500th career attack and now stands at 2,542.
Angela Knopf recorded the first triple-double in Tom Hilbert¹s era as head coach when she totaled
15 kills, 14 blocks and 10 digs against San Diego State on Friday.
Colorado State has won its last nine five-game matches. The Rams defeated San Diego State on
Friday in five, and earlier this season, defeated both Loyola-Chicago and UCLA in the rally game.
Over the last three years, the Rams are 15-2 when the match comes down to the last game.
Twice in the last four matches (New Mexico on 11/3 and San Diego State on 11/10), all five
starting hitters (Courtney Cox, Summer Jennings, Angela Knopf, Soraya Santos and Krista
Swartzendruber) notched double figure kill totals.
New Mexico Lobos (9-15, 5-9 MWC)
Head Coach: Laurel Brassey Iversen
Overall Record: 288-207 (17th year)
School Record: 288-207 (17th year)
The Lobos are a No. 5 seed in the McLeodUSA MWC Championship this week and battle No. 4-seed San
Diego State at 7 p.m. Thursday. UNM dropped both matches to the Aztecs this season and trail 9-15 in
series play.
New Mexico ranks second in the MWC in digs per game with 14.69. Micaela Conley (3.09 dpg) and
Jessica Goffard (3.04 dpg) are No. 1 and No. 2 in the league, respectively, in digs per game.
Jessica Goffard was the lone Lobo to score double figure kills against BYU with 13. Goffard, who
is tied with teammate Micaela Conley for the league lead in double-doubles at 11, has scored double
figure kills in 18 of 23 matches this season.
San Diego State Aztecs (17-12, 9-5 MWC)
Head Coach: Mark Warner
Overall Record: 100-81 (6th year)
School Record: 100-81 (6th year)
No. 4-seed San Diego State will play No. 5-seed New Mexico Thursday in the first round of the
McLeodUSA MWC Championship. The Aztecs have taken the last three from the Lobos and lead the
all-time series 15-9.
The Aztecs finished fourth in the MWC standings--their best conference finish since 1997.
SDSU battled Colorado State toe-to-toe last week in San Diego before dropping a five-game match to
the Rams. The Aztecs matched CSU with 19 blocks in the match, led by Aspen McPartland with nine
blocks.
With 1,208 assists, sophomore Melissa Wright is No. 9 on the SDSU career list in her first season
as an Aztec. The transfer from Washington State is also No. 7 on the single-season top 10.
Senior Erin Grady set the school record for single-season block assists with 172, breaking the
mark of 165 set by Kris Morton in 1985. Grady leads the league in blocks this week at 1.77 per game.
Sophomore Nicole Akporiaye has totaled 10 or more kills in seven straight matches. She has a
team-high 259 kills this season.
San Diego State has won 11 of its last 14 matches to improve to 17-12 on the season. SDSU won only
11 matches overall last season and a total of 16 over the past two years.
UNLV Rebels (6-18, 5-9 MWC)
Head Coach: Deitre Collins
Overall Record: 55-80 (5th year)
School Record: 55-80 (5th year)
The Rebels are a No. 6-seed in the McLeodUSA MWC Championship. UNLV lost the tiebreaker to New
Mexico, and as a result, must face the No. 3-seed Utah in a first round match Thursday. The Utes are
8-1 vs. the Rebels after winning the last four meetings.
Junior Amber Graham is No. 7 on the UNLV all-time kill list with 549. She has 183 kills this
season.
Freshman Leiana Oswald has notched double-digit kills in 13 matches this season, including seven
of her last eight. Oswald is No. 6 in the MWC with 3.45 kills per game.
Maria Julia-Goes broke her 1999 season record of 586 assists with 795 and counting in 2000. She is
fourth on the UNLV all-time season list and No. 2 on the career list with 1,381 assists.
Utah Utes (19-6, 10-4 MWC)
Head Coach: Beth Launiere
Overall Record: 199-144 (11th year)
School Record: 199-144 (11th year)
Utah defeated Air Force and New Mexico last week to lock down the No. 3 seed in the McLeodUSA MWC
Championship this week. The Utes face No. 6-seed UNLV at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Utah has given new meaning to ³team² this season. Utah has a league-high 24 MWC records this
season, 16 of which are team records. Although the Utes are third in the MWC standings, only one Ute
player appears in the top three of any category in the conference statistics (Lucie Turkova is third
in the MWC for assists at 11.8 per game). As a team, Utah leads the league in digs with 16.04 per
game.
Senior Brooke Barton ranks fourth on the Utes all-time service ace list with 122. Barton has a
team-high 25 this season.
Junior McKelle Stilson is fourth on the Utah all-time block list with 349, and third on the block
assist chart with 309.
Wyoming Cowgirls (10-21, 2-12 MWC)
Head Coach: Susan Judge
Overall Record: 105-117 (7th year)
School Record: 68-85 (5th year)
Wyoming is a No. 7-seed entering the McLeodUSA MWC Championship this week. The Cowgirls meet No.
2-seed BYU at 11 a.m. Thursday to start championship play. BYU leads the all-time series 46-3.
Wyoming last defeated BYU in 1989.
The Cowgirls recorded a season-high 19.5 blocks vs. San Diego State, led by Rachel Lau with 10.
Wyoming outblocked SDSU 19.5 to 11 in the match.
Senior Jamie Burke recorded her 17th double figure kill match this season with 15 kills vs. SDSU.
Burke also had 11 digs vs. the Aztecs, marking her 10th double-double this season.
Senior middle blocker Melody Friehauf is the all-time block leader at Wyoming with 614 career
blocks. Her 167 for the year is No. 3 on the single season list.
Melody Friehauf continued her assault on the Cowgirl record book by moving up to No. 3 on the
all-time kill list. In four seasons, Friehauf has 1,285 career kills, including 309 this season.
Freshman Michele Rauter set a conference record with a career-high 27 digs in a five-game match
vs. New Mexico. Rauter has a team-high 322 digs this season.
