Weekly MWC Women's Volleyball Release #13
NCAA Tournament begins this week for Utah, BYU and CSU.
Dec. 1, 1999
Three Mountain West Conference Teams (BYU, CSU, Utah) Make NCAA Volleyball Field
Three Mountain West Conference teams are among the 64-teams selected to compete in the 1999 NCAA
Division I Women¹s Volleyball Championship. BYU, Colorado State and Utah each received an at-large
bid. Both the Cougars and Rams will host first- and second-round action, while Utah will travel to
Hawai`i the site of this year¹s NCAA Championship finals.
Upcoming Schedule:
NCAA Championship at Fort Collins, Colo.
December 2 (Thursday)
Louisville vs. Kansas State (No. 18), 6 p.m.
COLORADO STATE (No. 12) vs. Loyola (Ill.), 8 p.m.
December 3 (Friday)
First round winners meet, 7 p.m.
NCAA Championship at Honolulu, Hawai¹i
December 2 (Thursday)
UTAH vs. Colorado (No. 21), 5 p.m.
Hawai`i (No. 3) vs. Prairie View, 7 p.m.
December 3 (Friday)
First round winners meet, 7 p.m.
NCAA Championship at Provo, Utah
December 3 (Friday)
Arizona State vs. Wisconsin, 5 p.m.
BYU (No. 9) vs. Princeton, 7 p.m.
December 4 (Saturday)
First round winners meet, 7 p.m.
All times listed are local to match site
Colorado State Sweeps BYU To Claim Inaugural Mountain West Conference Championship
In the third meeting between the league¹s two nationally ranked teams, second-seeded and 12th ranked
Colorado State upset top-seeded and No. 9 ranked BYU, 3-0 (15-8, 15-8, 15-12) to win the Mountain
West Conference Volleyball Championship held at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah. The
regular-season Mountain West Conference champion, BYU, cruised to the finals. The Cougars opened the
tournament with a strong 15-1, 15-1, 15-11 win over eighth-seeded Wyoming, then defeated New Mexico
15-1, 15-0, 15-9 in the semifinals. Colorado State faced a much tougher road to the finals. The Rams
claimed a four-game win over seventh-seeded UNLV (15-9, 3-15, 15-4, 15-9) in the first round, then
battled No. 3-seed Utah for five games (15-3, 10-15, 10-15, 15-13, 17-15) in the semifinals.
NCAA Championship Begins This Week
The 1999 Women¹s Volleyball NCAA Championship will accommodate a field of 64 teams. The
single-elimination tournament begins Dec. 2-5 with first- and second-round matches to be played at
participating institutions. Winners will advance to four regional tournaments scheduled to be played
Dec. 9-12, also at participating institutions. The four regional winners will meet in Honolulu,
Hawai`i for the national semifinals and finals, Dec. 16 and 18. The University of Hawai`i, Manoa
will host the championship event at the Stan Sheriff Center. Competition will be single-elimination,
best three-of-five-game matches. Up-to-date NCAA Championship information is available online at www.ncaachampionships.com”.
MWC Teams Have Rich Postseason History
Six of the eight MWC women¹s volleyball programs have competed in postseason action over the years
while the other two programs have only been in competition since 1996. Leading the charge is BYU,
which is making its 18th appearance in the NCAA tournament. Highlighting BYU¹s NCAA success is a
national runner-up finish in 1993. The Cougars have also reached the Regional Final seven times,
including the past three years.
Colorado State will compete in its fifth consecutive NCAA tournament, bringing its total to 11. Utah
is making is second straight NCAA appearance. San Diego State has played in 12 NCAA tournaments, New
Mexico seven, Wyoming four. In addition, CSU and Utah have each competed in the National
Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
Selection Process
Thirty conferences were granted automatic qualification for the 1999 championship. The remaining 34
teams, including all three Mountain West Conference teams, were at-large selections.
Defending Champion
Last year, Long Beach State won the battle of the undefeated, downing Penn State before a
single-match record crowd of 13,194 in Madison, Wisconsin. The previously unbeaten Nittany Lions
(35-1) forced the 49ers (36-0) into five games before succumbing. The game scores for the
championship match were 15-3, 15-10, 13-15, 14-16, 15-12.
The title was the third for Long Beach State, with victories also in 1989 and 1993. The loss for
Penn State was the second consecutive in a national championship match.
Championship Notes
Ten teams are making their first appearance in the NCAA Division I Women¹s Volleyball Championship.
They are Baylor, Davidson, Florida A&M, James Madison, Northern Arizona, Prairie View and Robert
Morris. Four institutions have played in all 19 championships: Pacific (Cal.), Penn State, Stanford
and UC Santa Barbara.
The Big Ten Conference placed the most teams in the championship field with eight, followed by the
Big 12 Conference with six and the Pacific-10 Conference with five. The Big West and West Coast
conferences are each represented by four institutions. The Mountain West Conference received three
selections.
In the 18-year history of the NCAA Division I Women¹s Volleyball Championship, eight schools have
been crowned champion, all of which are in the 1999 field. Stanford has won four titles (1992, 94,
96, 97), while Hawai`i (1982, 83, 87), Long Beach State (1989, 93, 98) and UCLA (1984, 90, 91) have
claimed three each. Pacific (Cal.) has taken the trophy twice (1985, 86), and Nebraska (1995), Texas
(1988) and Southern California (1981) each once.
MWC Volleyball Championship All-Tournament Team
McKelle Stilson, So., MB, Utah
Nina Puikkonen, So., MB, BYU
Angela Knopf, So., MB, CSU
Catie Vagneur, Sr., OH, CSU
Summer Jennings, Jr., MB, CSU
Courtney Cox, So., OH, CSU
All-Tournament Setter
Allison Peckham, So., S, CSU
All-Tournament Defensive Specialist
Kristen Vance, Sr., DS, CSU
Tournament Most Valuable Player
Catie Vagneur, Sr., OH, CSU
1999 Mountain West Conference Volleyball Players of the Week
Sept. 7 Courtney Cox, CSU
Sept. 13 Shaylor Billings, AFA, and Anna-Lena Smith, BYU
Sept. 20 Angela Knopf, CSU
Sept. 27 Melody Friehauf, WYO
Oct. 4 McKelle Stilson, UTAH
Oct. 11 Nina Puikkonen, BYU
Oct. 18 Summer Koons, AFA
Oct. 25 Angela Knopf, CSU
Nov. 1 Nicole Akporiaye, SDSU
Nov. 8 Nina Puikkonen, BYU
Nov. 15 Melody Friehauf, WYO
Nov. 21 Angie Sylvas, UNLV
Conference Championship Recaps
In the championship match, CSU came out strong, posting 15-8 wins in the first two games. BYU led
early in the third game, before succumbing 15-12. The loss ended the Cougars¹ win streak at 12
matches and ended a 28-match BYU home win streak. This victory marks the most wins (28) in CSU
history.
CSU¹s Catie Vagneur led all hitters with 19 kills. Courtney Cox added 17 kills and 14 digs.
Sophomore Angela Knopf hit .500 with 16 kills, nine digs and a match-high seven blocks. Junior
Summer Jennings had 14 kills, a .321 hitting percentage and six blocks. Powered by setter Allison
Peckham, who finished the night with 60 assists and 14 digs, Colorado State hit .299 as a team.
Senior Kristen Vance led all players with 20 digs.
The Cougars, who hit a dismal .177 for the match thanks to a three-game season-high 14 team blocks
by the Rams, were led by senior Caroline Bower and sophomore Nina Puikkonen. Both players ended the
match with double-doubles. Bower recorded a team-high 15 kills to go along with 12 digs. Puikkonen,
the only Cougar to be named to the all-tournament team, notched 11 kills and a season-high 16 digs.
She also collected six blocks to lead BYU. BYU's Anna-Lena Smith, named setter of the year for the
Mountain West Conference earlier in the week, finished with 29 assists, tied a career high with nine
kills and had a .563 hitting percentage.
Semifinal Recaps:
CSU Comes From Behind To Defeat Utah
With a dramatic come-from-behind win, Colorado State defeated Utah 3-2 (15-3, 10-15, 10-15, 15-13,
17-15) in the semifinal. After falling behind two games to one and being two points away from
elimination (13-7), the Rams came back to take game four 15-13. That led to the dramatic 17-15
finish in the rally-scored fifth game to give CSU the win.
The Rams were led by First Team All-Mountain West Conference members Angela Knopf and Catie Vagneur,
who collected 19 kills apiece. Knopf was the real story for Colorado State as she added seven blocks
and nine digs to her 19 kills and .400 hitting percentage. Vagneur added 13 digs for a
double-double. Second-team all-conference member Courtney Cox finished with 18 kills. Summer
Jennings notched 17 kills and 10 blocks. Second Team All-Mountain West Conference setter Allison
Peckham registered 65 assists, 13 digs and 5 blocks.
The play of sophomore outside hitter Adrianne Bradley kept the Utes close throughout the match.
Bradley led all hitters with a career-high 23 kills on .432 hitting while matching Vagneur and
Peckham with 13 digs. Lenka Urbanova saw her first action on the left side for the Utes and
collected a career-high 15 kills and 10 digs.
BYU Dominates Lobos in Semifinals
Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Nina Puikkonen led top-seeded BYU to the 3-0 (15-1,
15-0, 15-9) semifinal victory over New Mexico.
Puikkonen, a sophomore middle blocker, led all players with 10 kills in the match. She also finished
with a .533 hitting percentage and four blocks.
The Cougars jumped on the Lobos early, winning game one 15-1 on .563 hitting while holding New
Mexico¹s hitting percentage to -.150.
The momentum that BYU gained in the first game was intensified in the second as the Cougars blanked
the Lobos 15-0 while hitting .800 as a team. Five BYU players finished the night with a hitting
percentage over .500. The Cougars had only six hitting errors in the match and finished with a .466
team attack percentage.
Amber Smith led the Lobos with five kills.
First Round Recaps:
Utah Survives Scare to Advance
Led by All-Mountain West Conference First Team member McKelle Stilson, third-seeded Utah survived a
scare from sixth-seeded San Diego State to win its first round match, 3-2 (6-15, 15-5, 12-15, 16-14,
15-8). The Utes faced elimination when the Aztecs took a 14-12 lead in the fourth game.
Stilson drilled the highest total by a MWC player to date with a career-best 31 kills to lead both
teams in the five game affair. Utah setter Graciela Torres-Lopez, who was also named to the
All-Mountain West Conference Second Team, tied a career high in assists with 72, which put her over
the prestigious 5,000 career assists mark with 5,005. Jen Snow-Richards finished with 19 kills and
13 digs, while All-Mountain West Conference Second Team selection Alisa Geddes added 13 kills and a
match-high 20 digs. Barton, who was named to the All Mountain West Conference Second Team as a
defensive specialist, collected a career-high 18 digs.
Leading the Aztecs with her first 20-kill outing of the season was Jamie Evans who totaled 21 kills
and finished with 16 digs in a losing effort. Katie Magnuson also notched a double-double with 12
kills and 15 digs, while Amy Hallquist registered the Aztecs¹ first 20-dig effort of the season.
Rams Advance with a 3-1 Win Over UNLV
Led by a trio of All-Mountain West Conference players, second-seeded Colorado State advanced to the
semifinals by defeating seventh-seeded UNLV 3-1 (15-9, 3-15, 15-4, 15-9).
Angela Knopf and Catie Vagneur, both members of the first team, and second team member Courtney Cox,
all finished the match with double-doubles. Cox led all players with 16 kills while adding 10 digs.
Vagneur ended the match with 14 kills and a match-high 17 digs, while Knopf totaled 15 kills, 10
digs and seven blocks while hitting .480.
The tough Ram defense kept UNLV¹s Angie Sylvas, also a member of the all-conference second team, to
a .044 hitting percentage, 11 kills and 10 digs. Jeanette Graves led the Rebels with 14 kills and
five blocks, while Alicia Erickson had 11 kills and a .412 hitting percentage.
Lobos Outlast Falcons
In only its third five-game match of the season, No. 5 New Mexico upset fourth-seeded Air Force, 3-2
(15-10, 15-1, 9-15, 10-15, 15-6). These two teams were tied in the conference standings and had
split their regular-season meetings, thus UNM claims the season series.
New Mexico (11-21, 5-9) was led by Amber Smith who collected her sixth double-double of the season
(and her second straight against Air Force) with 14 kills and 14 digs. Micaela Conley and Jessie
Goffard combined on 31 of the Lobos¹ 66 kills. Air Force (17-12, 5-9) hit just .145 for the match,
connecting on 55-of-172 attempts with 30 errors. The trio of Shaylor Billings, Tracy Wilkerson and
Brooke Effland combined on 42 of the Falcons¹ 55 kills.
Top-Seed BYU Defeats Wyoming 3-0
It took BYU (25-3, 13-1) just over 55 minutes to handle eighth-seeded Wyoming (9-21, 3-11) and
extend its win streak to 11 straight matches, 3-0 (15-1, 15-1, 15-11). The decisive victory marks
the 18th 3-0 win of the season for the ninth-ranked Cougars.
Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, Nina Puikkonen led all hitters with a .669 attack
percentage as she put away 12 kills in 18 attempts without an error. Jackie Bundy drilled 13 kills
with just two errors in 17 attempts for a .667 percentage. Also in double figures was all-conference
first team selection Caroline Bower with 11 kills and a .308 percentage. Wyoming was led by freshman
Michele Keller¹s .267 attack percentage and six kills. UW All-Mountain West Conference First Team
performer Melody Friehauf was held to just three kills on 14 attempts and added four blocks.
All-Mountain West Conference Volleyball Team Named
BYU¹s Puikkonen Named Player of the Year
Sophomore middle blocker Nina Puikkonen headlines the first-ever All-Mountain West Conference
Volleyball Team as the unanimous choice by the coaches for player-of-the-year honors. Puikkonen
ranks fourth in the nation and led BYU with a 1.95 blocks per game average and topped the conference
with a 1.90 average in league matches. Her 378 total kills led the Cougars while her conference
average of 4.07 kills in league matches listed her among the top-three in the conference the entire
season. She hit an impressive .370 in league matches and finished the regular-season hitting .355
overall.
Colorado State¹s Tom Hilbert was selected Coach of the Year by his peers after leading the Rams to a
12-2 league record, a 25-2 overall slate and a current No. 12 national ranking. BYU¹s Sunny Tonga
was named Freshman of the Year.
All-Mountain West Conference Volleyball Teams
First Team All-Conference
Caroline Bower, BYU Sr., OH
Melody Friehauf, Wyoming Jr., MB
Angela Knopf, CSU So., MB
Nina Puikkonen, BYU So., MB
McKelle Stilson, Utah So., MB
Catie Vagneur, CSU Sr., OH
Setter Anna-Lena Smith, BYU Sr., S
Defensive Specialist Kristen Vance, CSU Sr., DS
Second Team All-Conference
Mari Carpenter, BYU Sr., OH
Courtney Cox, CSU So., OH
Alisa Geddes, Utah So., OH
Summer Koons, AFA Sr., MB
Angie Sylvas, UNLV Sr., OH
Graciela Torres-Lopez, Utah Sr., S
Setter Allison Peckham, CSU Sr., S
Defensive Specialist Brooke Barton, Utah Sr., DS
Coach of the Year
Tom Hilbert, CSU
Player of the Year
Nina Puikkonen, BYU So., MB
Freshman of the Year
Sunny Tonga, BYU Fr., OH
USA Today/AVCA National Poll
CSU No. 11, BYU No. 12
For the fourth straight week, all 25 teams remained the same, however repositioning continued to
occur in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 national poll.
BYU (26-4/13-1 MWC) slipped three slots to No. 12 in this week¹s poll after losing to Colorado State
in the Mountain West Conference Championship. The Cougars¹ only other losses this season were to
Michigan in the season opener, to then-No. 7 Stanford on Sept. 25 and to then-No. 15 Colorado State
on Oct. 22. BYU also owns wins over Top 25 members Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
Colorado State (28-2/12-2 MWC) climbed one spot to No. 11 after upsetting then No. 9-BYU in the MWC
championship tournament on Saturday. The Rams registered three regular-season tournament titles and
wins over Top 25 teams Colorado, Loyola Marymount and BYU. Their only losses were to UNLV and
then-No. 11 BYU.
Here is the complete AVCA poll (As of 11/29) (1st place votes):
1. Penn State (52)
2. Stanford (8)
3. Hawaii
4. Florida
5. Pacific
6. Long Beach State
7. UC Santa Barbara
8. UCLA
9. Pepperdine
10. Nebraska
11. COLORADO STATE
12. BYU
13. Texas A&M
14. Southern California
15. Texas
16. Clemson
17. Northern Iowa
18. Arizona
19. Kansas State
20. Baylor
21. Colorado
22. Minnesota
23. North Carolina
24. Arkansas
25. University of San Diego
Conference Race Decided on Final Day of Regular-season,
Tie-break Rules Used for No. 4-7 Seeds
The inaugural Mountain West Conference regular-season title was decided on the final day of the
regular season. The showdown for the title took place with No. 10-ranked BYU playing host to No.
11-ranked CSU. Both teams entered the match with just one conference loss each. CSU had won the
first meeting between the two teams, but suffered a loss to UNLV. This time BYU prevailed in four
games to claim the league title and the No. 1 seed into the championship tournament. CSU received
the tournament¹s No. 2 seed. Utah became the third MWC team to notch its 20th win of the season with
a sweep over Wyoming on the final day of the regular-season. The Utes claimed third place in the
standings, while Wyoming finished eighth.
The showdowns among the fourth through seventh place teams resulted in two ties in the standings,
thus the use of the tie-break rules to determine championship tournament seedings. Tied for fourth
in the standings, Air Force claimed the No. 4 seed over New Mexico. The two teams split their league
meetings, but the Falcons swept and the Lobos needed four games for their win. Tied for sixth-place
in the final standings, San Diego State earned the No. 6 seed and UNLV the No. 7 by virtue of a
series sweep by the Aztecs who claimed both matches in five games.
Three MWC Teams Record 20-Win Seasons
Three Mountain West Conference teams reached the 20-win mark during the league¹s inaugural season.
Colorado State was the first to the prestigious mark on Oct. 29 and enters the NCAA tournament with
a 28-2 overall record, and the most wins in school history. The Rams have earned 20-wins 11 times in
program history, including each of the last five years. BYU reached the plateau on Nov. 5 and brings
a 26-4 record into the tournament. Utah achieved the 20-win status on Nov. 20 and enters NCAA action
with a 21-9 record.
Mountain West Teams In The Rankings This Season
Both BYU and Colorado State have been ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 poll
the entire 1999 season. CSU is currently listed No. 11 and BYU is right behind in the No. 12 slot.
Below is the list of where they have been ranked each week.
Date BYU CSU
9/6 12 19
9/13 12 17
9/20 10 17
9/28 11 15
10/4 10 15
10/11 8 14
10/18 8 15
10/25 11 12
11/1 10 11
11/8 10 11
11/15 10 11
11/22 9 12
11/29 12 11
Historically, BYU has been listed in the poll the seventh most times of all teams in the nation with
213 appearances. Colorado State stands 16th on the list of most appearances with 115 to date. CSU¹s
highest ranking ever was No. 4 in 1985, while BYU has been ranked No. 1 on four occasions.
Coaching Milestones
Colorado State head coach Tom Hilbert obtained his 250th career win at Utah on Fri., Nov. 19. His
record entering the NCAA tournament is 253-88 in 11 years. Earlier this season, Hilbert notched his
70th victory at CSU.
New Mexico head coach Laurel Brassey Iversen passed the 250 mark this season and is UNM¹s winningest
coach in program history. She finished the season with a 255-188 career record, all at New Mexico.
Non-conference Wrap
The final non-conference regular-season match was played when SDSU lost at cross-town rival San
Diego (West Coast Conference) on Wed., Nov. 17.
To date, Mountain West Conference teams own a 72-40 combined record against opponents from other
conferences. In those matches collectively, MWC teams have won 239 games and lost just 159 in
non-league contests.
Here¹s a quick look at how the Mountain West Conference stacks up against other conferences:
America East 0-1
Atlantic Coast (ACC) 3-2
Atlantic 10 2-0
Big East 6-3
Big Sky 5-3
Big South 1-0
Big Ten 0-1
Big 12 4-7
Big West 4-3
Colonial 2-1
C-USA 4-0
Ivy 1-0
Metro Atlantic 1-0
Mid-American 2-0
Mid-Continent 2-0
Mid-Eastern (MAAC) 1-0
Midwestern 1-0
Missouri Valley 5-1
Northeast 1-0
Ohio Valley 3-0
Pacific-10 4-5
Patriot 2-0
Southeastern (SEC) 3-1
Southern 1-0
Southland 1-0
Southwestern (SWAC) 1-0
Sun Belt 4-2
West Coast 3-8
Western (WAC) 3-2
Independents 1-0
Division II 1-0
Totals 72-40 (.643)
MWC NCAA Participants¹ Series vs. NCAA Field (Non-MWC)
Arizona 1-0
Arizona State 1-0
Cal Poly 1-0
Colorado 1-0
Houston 1-0
Louisville 1-0
Loyola Marymount 2-0
Northern Iowa 0-1
Notre Dame 3-0
Michigan 0-1
Pepperdine 1-1
Southeast Missouri State 1-0
Stanford 0-2
As a Whole (.723) 13-5
BYU
vs. NCAA Field (Non-MWC Teams):
L 0-3 Michigan S 03
W 3-0 Houston S 10
W 3-0 Loyola Marymount S 11
W 3-2 Pepperdine S 18
L 0-3 Stanford S 25
W 3-0 Notre Dame O 19
W 3-1 Arizona State O 25
W 3-2 Arizona 0 26
6-2 vs. NCAA Field (Non-MWC Teams)
vs. NCAA Field (MWC Teams):
W 3-0 at Utah O 15
L 0-3 at CSU O 22
W 3-0 vs. Utah N 12
W 3-1 vs. CSU N 20
L 0-3 vs. CSU N 27
3-2 vs. NCAA Field (MWC Teams)
BYU Total: 9-4 vs. NCAA Field
CSU
vs. NCAA Field (Non-MWC Teams):
W 3-0 Colorado S 01
W 3-2 Southeast Missouri St. S 04
W 3-0 Loyola Marymount S 05
W 3-0 Louisville S 11
W 3-0 Cal Poly S 18
W 3-0 Notre Dame S 25
6-0 vs. NCAA Field (Non-MWC Teams)
vs. NCAA Field (MWC Teams):
W 3-0 vs. BYU O 22
W 3-2 vs. Utah O 23
W 3-1 at Utah N 19
L 1-3 at BYU N 20
W 3-2 vs. Utah N 26
W 3-2 vs. BYU N 27
5-1 vs. NCAA Field (MWC Teams)
CSU Total: 11-1 vs. NCAA Field
Utah
vs. NCAA Field (Non-MWC Teams):
L 0-3 Northern Iowa S 01
L 2-3 Pepperdine S 17
L 0-3 Stanford S 24
W 3-1 Notre Dame O 20
1-3 vs. NCAA Field (Non-MWC Teams)
vs. NCAA Field (MWC Teams):
L 0-3 vs. BYU O 15
L 2-3 at CSU O 23
L 0-3 at BYU N 12
L 1-3 vs. CSU N 19
L 2-3 vs. CSU N 26
0-5 vs. NCAA Field (MWC Teams)
Utah Total: 1-8 vs. NCAA Field
MWC Volleyball Milestone
First Serve: Colorado at CSU, 6:58 p.m., Sept. 1.
First MWC Kill: by CSU¹s Catie Vagneur at 6:59 p.m., Sept. 1 against Colorado.
First Point Scored: On a kill by CSU¹s Catie Vagneur at 6:59 p.m., Sept. 1 against Colorado.
First Victory: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 3-Game Win: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 4-Game Win: BYU d. Toledo (3-1) Sept. 4.
First 5-Game Win: BYU d. Georgia (3-2) Sept. 3.
First Victory vs. Ranked Opponent: No. 24 CSU d. No. 19 Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Home Victory: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Away Victory: BYU d. Georgia (3-2) Sept. 3.
First Neutral Victory: UTAH d. SMU (3-0) Sept. 3.
First Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 3-Game Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 4-Game Loss: Montana State d. WYOMING (3-1) Sept. 4.
First 5-Game Loss: Georgia d. UTAH (3-2) Sept. 7.
First Home Loss: Northern Iowa d. UTAH (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Away Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Neutral Loss: Michigan d. BYU (3-0) Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title: AIR FORCE won the Air Force Invitational Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title at Home: AIR FORCE won the Air Force Invitational Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title on Road: UTAH won the Texas Tech Four Points Sheraton Classic Sept. 4.
First Player of the Week: CSU¹s Courtney Cox (So., OH)
First 10-Block Outing: 10 (1/9) by Wyo¹s Melody Friehauf vs. Montana State and (4/6) by BYU¹s Nina Puikkonen vs. Toledo on Sept. 4.
First 20-Kill Outing: 20 by AFA¹s Shaylor Billings vs. Morgan State and 21 by UNLV¹s Angie Sylvas on Sept. 10.
First 30-Kill Outing: 30 by Wyoming¹s Melody Friehauf vs. Evansville on Sept. 25.
First 20-Dig Outing: 20 by SDSU¹s Jamie Evans vs. Creighton on Sept. 12.
First Triple-Double: (16k-1d-11b) by Wyoming¹s Rachel Lau vs. Montana State on Sept. 4.
Superlative Clubs Lists
Triple-Double Club
(15k-12d-11b) Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. CSU N 5
(12k-10d-62a) Graciela Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. CSU O 23
(12k-16d-60a) G. Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. Pepperdine S 17
(10k-11d-60a) G. Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. Weber State S 7
(16k-11d-11b) Rachel Lau (Wyo) vs. Montana State S 4
20 Kill/20 Dig Club
(24k-20d) Jeanette Graves (UNLV) vs. Air Force N 19
30-Kill Club
31 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. SDSU N 24
30 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Evansville S 25
20-Kill Club
29 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) vs. Air Force N 19
28 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) vs. New Mexico N 20
27 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Denver O 6
26 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at Wyoming N 13
25 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Cal S 25
25 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at Air Force O 23
24 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. Arkansas S 11
24 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Tenn. Tech S 11
24 Amber Smith (UNM) vs. SDSU O 23
24 Catie Vagneur (CSU) at Air Force N 5
24 Courtney Cox (CSU) vs. UNLV N 11
24 Micaela Conley (UNM) vs. Air Force N 12
24 Jeanette Graves (UNLV) vs. Air Force N 19
23 Courtney Cox (CSU) at Denver S 21
23 Catie Vagneur (CSU) at Denver S 21
23 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at Nevada-Reno S 28
23 Angela Knopf (CSU) vs. Utah O 23
23 Catie Vagneur (CSU) vs. Utah O 23
23 Alisa Geddes (Utah) vs. Notre Dame O 20
23 Summer Koons (AFA) vs. Colorado State N 5
23 Adrianne Bradley (Utah) vs. Colorado State N 26
22 Amy Hallquist (SDSU) at Creighton S 12
22 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Utah O 2
21 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at Louisville S 10
21 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Arkansas S 11
21 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. Notre Dame S 24
21 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Air Force O 2
21 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. UNLV O 23
21 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at San Diego State O 29
21 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Weber State O 30
21 Brooke Effland (AFA) at New Mexico N 12
21 Brooke Effland (AFA) at UNLV N 19
21 Summer Koons (AFA) at UNLV N 19
21 Jamie Evans (SDSU) vs. Utah N 24
20 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Morgan State S 10
20 Amber Smith (UNM) vs. Wash. State S 11
20 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Utah State S 16
20 Brooke Effland (AFA) at Alabama S 17
20 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Pepperdine S 17
20 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Pepperdine S 18
20 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Notre Dame S 24
20 Amber Smith (UNM) vs. SMU S 25
20 Mari Carpenter (BYU) vs. Weber State O 5
20 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. New Mexico O 9
20 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Notre Dame O 19
20 Jeanette Graves (UNLV) at Air Force O 23
20 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Colorado State O 23
20 Mari Carpenter (BYU) at Arizona State O 25
20 Courtney Cox (CSU) at Air Force N 5
20 Catie Vagneur (CSU) vs. San Diego St. N 13
Double-Figure Block Club
13 Summer Jennings (CSU) vs. Utah O 23
13 Erin Grady (SDSU) vs. UNM N 19
12 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Colorado St. N 20
11 Summer Koons (AFA) vs. Utah O 2
11 Rachel Lau (Wyo) vs. Montana St. S 4
11 Alicia Erickson (UNLV) at SDSU O 29
11 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Colorado St. N 5
11 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) at SDSU N 5
11 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) at UNLV N 6
10 Alicia Erickson (UNLV) vs. SDSU O 2
10 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) at Colorado S 14
10 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Georgia S 10
10 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Montana St. S 4
10 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Toledo S 4
10 Justine Kamelamela (UNLV) at SDSU O 29
10 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. UNLV N 13
10 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Wyoming N 19
10 Jessie Goffard (UNM) at SDSU N 19
10 Vanessa Shields (UNM) at SDSU N 19
10 Summer Jennings (CSU) vs. Utah N 26
20-Dig Club
27 Caroline Bower (BYU) at Arizona O 26
26 Alisa Geddes (Utah) at Colorado State O 23
25 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Tennessee Tech S 11
22 Micaela Conley (UNM) at Wyoming O 9
22 Tracy Wilkerson (AFA) vs. Denver O 6
22 Alisa Geddes (Utah) at California S 25
21 Janelle Torres (UNM) vs. Wash. State S 11
21 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. UNLV O 23
20 Tharommony In (AFA) vs. Utah O 2
20 Jamie Evans (SDSU) at Creighton S 12
20 Tracy Wilkerson (AFA) vs. UNLV O 23
20 Nana Allison (UNM) vs. SDSU O 23
20 Kristen Vance (CSU) vs. SDSU N 13
20 Amy Hallquist (SDSU) vs. Utah N 24
20 Alisa Geddes (Utah) vs. SDSU N 24
20 Kristen Vance (CSU) vs. BYU N 27
Grand Fan Club
4,112 BYU at Colorado State O 22
3,533# Pepperdine at BYU S 18
2,557 Utah at BYU N 12
2,584 Colorado at Colorado State S 1
2,063 Notre Dame at Colorado State S 25
1,563 San Diego State at Colorado State N 13
1,532 Utah State at BYU S 17
1,471 SMU at Colorado State S 17
1,415 Wyoming at Colorado State O 29
1,381 Colorado State at Wyoming O 2
1,318 Evansville at Colorado State S 24
1,218 Notre Dame at BYU O 19
1,175 Utah at Colorado State O 23
1,154 New Mexico at BYU O 29
1,140 UNLV at Colorado State N 11
# New Arena Record
Championship Additions
Seven entries were made during the championship. Utah¹s McKelle Stilson drilled the highest total by
an MWC player with a career-best 31 kills, bringing her number of 20-kill efforts to five this
season. San Diego State¹s Jamie Evans registered her first 20-kill match with 21. Amy Hallquist
(SDSU) made her first entry in the 20 Dig Club and also the first for the Aztecs this season. Alisa
Geddes (Utah) notched her third 20-dig outing of the season. Adrianne Bradley (Utah) registered her
first 20-kill effort with 23 vs. CSU. Summer Jennings (CSU) recorded her second double-figure
blocking effort of the season with 10 vs. Utah. Kristen Vance (CSU) collected 20 digs for the second
time this season in the championship match.
Team Notes (Entering NCAAs):
Air Force Falcons (17-12, 5-9 MWC)
The Falcons battled New Mexico for five games in the first round of the conference championship
before succumbing … AFA finished tied with UNM for fourth place in the league standings, but claimed
the No. 4 seed in the championship tournament by virtue of the tie-break scenario … Air Force and
New Mexico split their head-to-head matches, but the Falcons won in a sweep, while it took the Lobos
four games to claim their victory … The Lobos claimed the season series with the tournament victory.
Brooke Effland (Sr., OH) led the Falcons with 16 kills and 15 digs in her final match … Effland
ended her career ninth on the all-time list with 1,092 kills and is only the 10th player in Air
Force history, and the first since the program moved to the Divison I level in 1996, to reach the
prestigious 1,000 milestone … Her 3.71 kills per game average ranked seventh in the conference and
stands fifth on the academy¹s list for season bests. All-conference selection, Summer Koons (Sr.,
MB) totaled eight kills and a match-high seven blocks in her final outing … Koons finished ninth on
the AFA all-time list with 404 total blocks and stands seventh with 282 assisted blocks in her
career. The league leader in digs per game with a 3.59 average, Tracey Wilkerson (Sr., OH) collected
eight digs and 13 kills in her career finale. Tharommony In (Sr., S) finished the season with a
12.01 assists per game average a mark which established a new academy season record and ranked
fourth in the conference … For her career, In managed the sixth-highest assist total in AFA history
with 2,214 … In also ranked second in the league with an 0.45 ace per game average. Shaylor Billings
(Jr., MB), who is one of only three MWC players to register a triple-double (15 kills, 12 digs and
11 blocks vs. CSU), added 13 kills in the final match of the year. Historically, AFA entered the
season with just two wins ever over Mountain West Conference opponents, yet they totaled five this
season.
BYU Cougars (26-4, 13-1 MWC)
Ranked No. 12 in this week¹s national poll, BYU is one of three conference teams to receive an
invitation to the NCAA championship … This marks the Cougars¹ 18th appearance in the 19th year of
the tournament. BYU won the inaugural Mountain West Conference regular-season title giving head
coach Elaine Michaelis and the Cougars the first conference title in all five leagues in which they
have played. The Cougars finished as runner-up to Colorado State in the inaugural conference
championship … CSU is the only league team to take a game from the Cougars handing BYU a 3-0 loss in
the first meeting, extending the regular-season showdown to four games, then sweeping the tournament
finals … BYU registered two more sweeps (Wyoming and New Mexico) during the championship and has now
won 19 matches in the minimum three games … Ironically, all four of BYU¹s losses have also been
sweeps. MWC Player of the Year Nina Puikkonen (So., MB) headlines a list of five BYU players who
received all-conference honors … Puikkonen is joined on the first team by seniors Anna-Lena Smith
and Caroline Bower … Senior Mari Carpenter received second-team honors and rookie Sunny Tonga was
named the MWC Freshman of the Year. Puikkonen earned all-tournament recognition after reaching
double figures in all three championship matches and bringing her number of double-digit kill
efforts to 27 in BYU¹s 30 outings … She hit .418 during the championship, including .667 (12-0-18)
vs. Wyoming and .533 (10-2-15) vs. UNM … She totaled 13 blocks in three matches and already owns 418
career blocks in only her second season … Her 1.86 blocks per game average leads the league and
ranks third in the nation. Smith is averaging 12.89 assists per game and has the Cougars hitting
.295 as a team (a mark which ranks sixth in the nation) … BYU also continues to lead the league and
rank among the national leaders with a 3.66 blocks per game average. Bower led the team with 15
kills vs. CSU and connected on four of her five swings vs. UNM. Jackie Bundy (So., MB) hit .647
(13-2-17) vs. Wyoming as the Cougars hit .378 as a team. Carpenter, who tied Puikkonen and Wyoming¹s
Friehauf for the league lead with a .360 hitting percentage, helped lead the way (5-0-8) as BYU hit
.466 as a team vs. UNM, including a .800 (12-0-15) team mark in the second game. The Cougars will
host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament and face Princeton at 5 p.m. Friday … The winner
plays the victor of the Arizona State vs. Wisconsin match Saturday at 7 p.m.
Colorado State Rams (28-2, 12-2 MWC)
The winner of the inaugural Mountain West Conference Volleyball Championship and one of three MWC
teams selected to compete in the NCAA Championship, CSU climbed to No. 11 in the USA Today/AVCA
national poll this week. The Rams enter the postseason with the most wins (28) in the history of the
program. As the second place team in the regular-season, CSU earned the right to host the 2000
championship tournament in Fort Collins. The Rams completed the regular-season home portion of their
1999 schedule undefeated (16-0) and improved their home win streak to 26 matches. CSU claimed 19
matches in the minimum three games this season and is 5-0 in matches that went the full five games.
The Rams are 4-1 against ranked teams, including 2-1 vs. BYU. During the championship, CSU opened
with a four-game win over UNLV, outlasted Utah in five in the semifinals, then swept host BYU in the
finals. After having five players selected to the all-conference teams prior to the championship,
the Rams dominated the all-tournament team with six being selected. A first team all-MWC pick, Catie
Vagneur (Sr., OH), was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player after totaling 52 kills and 38 digs
… Vagneur stands third in the league with a team-high 4.07 kills per game average and is quickly
approaching the 1,500 mark with 1,495 kills entering the post-season … Another first team all-MWC
choice, Angela Knopf (So., MB) hit .455 during the championship as she totaled 50 kills with just
nine errors in 90 attempts and added 28 digs and 21 blocks … The first team Defensive Specialist of
the Year, senior Kristen Vance was also chosen the tournament¹s top DS after posting her second
20-dig match and totaling 39 digs for the tournament … Vance enters the post-season fifth on the CSU
all-time list with 1,113 career digs and tied for sixth in career aces with 120 … Named the MWC
second team Setter of the Year, sophomore Allison Peckham also received the championship¹s top
setter honors … Peckham crossed the 1,500 assist mark during the opening match of the tournament and
totaled 176 assists in the three matches to take over the conference lead with a 13.00 per game
average … Peckham also added 35 digs and 14 blocks during the week … A second team all-MWC pick,
Courtney Cox (So., OH) totaled 51 kills and 30 digs during the three matches … Summer Jennings (Jr.,
MB) averaged 2.0 blocks per game during the tournament and hit .313 (39-14-80) for the event … CSU
drew an average of 1,399 fans per match this season topping the 1,000 mark for the first time since
1993 (1,112) … The Rams own eight of the top-15 attendance figures in the MWC, including the largest
crowd by a MWC team to date when 4,112 cheered them to victory over BYU on Oct. 22 … CSU will host
first- and second-round matches and meet Loyola (Ill.) Thursday at 8 p.m. The winner advances to
play the winner of the Louisville vs. Kansas State match at 7 p.m. Friday.
New Mexico Lobos (11-22, 5-9 MWC)
After tying with Air Force for fourth place in the league standings, New Mexico entered the
championship as the No. 5 seed due to the tie-breaker which took into account the Lobos split in
matches with the Falcons. The tiebreaker saw UNM come out on the short end of a 4-3 games split. The
Lobos survived a five-game battle with the Falcons in the tournament opener, then were swept by BYU
in the semifinals. Amber Smith (Sr., OH) improve her career total to 1,113 which stands fourth on
the UNM career charts … Smith is also fourth on the Lobo¹s all-time blocking chart with 258 total
career blocks. Janelle Torres (Sr., S) continued to add to her Lobo career record and finished with
3,794 assists … Torres also passed the century mark in career digs and ended with 1,001. Micaela
Conley (Jr., OH) led all hitters in the Air Force match with 18 kills … Erika Sansoni (Fr., MB) hit
.556 (10-0-18) vs. AFA.
San Diego State Aztecs (11-19, 4-10 MWC)
The Aztecs finished tied for sixth in the conference standings with UNLV. SDSU claimed the No. 6
seed in the championship by virtue of the tie-break rules and a pair of five-game wins over the
Rebels … SDSU came out strong in the tournament, claiming the first and third games from Utah before
succumbing in five games. Jamie Evans (Sr., OH) drilled a career-high 21 kills to make her first
entry on the 20-kill chart … Evans made it her 11th double-double of the season by adding 16 digs.
Lisa Bostian (Sr., S/OH) finished her SDSU career seventh on the Aztecs¹ all-time chart with 1,659
career assists … Bostian provided 64 assists and 13 digs in the loss. Amy Hallquist (Jr., OH) made
her first entry in the 20-dig club and the first for the Aztecs this season with a career-high 20
vs. Utah. After missing the majority of the season with a knee injury and returning to the lineup in
SDSU¹s regular-season finale, Nicole Curtis (Sr., MB) again made significant contributions hitting
.333 with seven kills. Katie Magnuson (So., OH) registered a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs
in the final match of the season. The only freshman and first SDSU choice for Mountain West
Conference Player of the Week (on Nov. 1), Nicole Akporiaye (Fr., MB) collected 12 kills vs. Utah.
The schedule was not easy for SDSU, which opened the season against four ranked opponents and played
a total of nine top-25 foes.
UNLV Rebels (12-14, 4-10 MWC)
The Rebels tied for sixth place in the standings, but were the seventh seed in the championship due
to losses vs. SDSU. Although they claimed the second game of the match, the Rebels fell to
eventual-champ CSU in four games. A second-team all-conference selection, who was also named the
final conference player of the week, Angie Sylvas (Sr., OH) notched her 12th double-double of the
season with 11 kills and 10 digs in the final match … The conference leader in kills per game with a
4.19 average, Sylvas finished her UNLV career with a school record 912 kills as a Rebel and 1,681
overall (including two seasons at San Jose State) … Sylvas also stands fourth on the UNLV all-time
list with 574 digs in her UNLV career and 1,054 overall. Jeannette Graves (Sr., OH) led the Rebels
with 14 kills in the final match and ended her two-year UNLV career seventh on the all-time list
with 515 career kills. The UNLV record holder for most matches and games played, Christel Eves (Sr.
MB) totaled 829 career kills to stand second on the all-time list and is third in digs with 600.
Justine Kamelamela (Jr., OH) is already third on the UNLV career chart with 769 kills and stands
second in digs with 626. After opening the season with a school-best seven consecutive wins, the
Rebels lost 10 of their next 12 matches … Six of the Rebels¹ losses came at the hands of ranked foes
(USC and Pepperdine once, then BYU and CSU twice each) … UNLV claimed its first league win with an
upset of previously undefeated No. 14-ranked Colorado State on Oct. 16, then put together a
three-match win streak to end the regular-season.
Utah Utes (21-9, 10-4 MWC)
One of three conference teams to receive an NCAA championship invitation, Utah is making its second
straight appearance in the tournament. The Utes earned third place in the league standings and the
No. 3 seed in the championship. Both MWC tournament matches went five games with Utah prevailing
over San Diego State in the first, but falling to Colorado State in the semifinals. The Utes reached
the 20-win mark for the fourth consecutive season with a sweep over Wyoming in the regular-season
finale. Second team all-conference selection Graciela Torres-Lopez (Sr., S) reached the prestigious
5,000 milestone with a career-high tying 72 assists vs. SDSU. Utah¹s all-time assist record holder,
she added 53 vs. CSU for a total of 5,058 career assists entering NCAA action … Torres-Lopez owns
three triple-doubles this season and is averaging 12.29 assists per game. First team all-conference
pick McKelle Stilson (So., MB) drilled the highest total by an MWC player to date with a career-high
31 kills vs. SDSU … She added 11 kills and eight blocks vs. CSU … Stilson has reached double figures
in kills during 25-of-30 matches this season, including five with 20-plus. Jen Snow-Richards (Jr.,
OH) also registered a career-best with 19 kills vs. the Aztecs and made it a double-double with 13
digs. Second-team all-conference choice Alisa Geddes (So., OH) notched her third 20-dig effort with
20 vs. SDSU. Brenda Beal (Fr., MB) contributed 12 kills and seven blocks vs. SDSU then 10 kills and
nine blocks vs. CSU. Adrianne Bradley (So., OH) hit .432 and collected her first 20-kill match of
the season as she led all hitters with 23 kills vs. CSU. Lenka Urbanova (So., OH) registered a
double-double (15 kills, 10 digs) in her first action on the left side all season. All but one of
Utah¹s losses (vs. Georgia) this season have been to top 25 ranked teams (No. Iowa, Pepperdine,
Stanford, BYU twice, and CSU twice) … The Utes meet Colorado in the first round of the NCAA
tournament at 5 p.m. in Honolulu on Thursday … A victory will advance the Utes to face the winner of
the Hawai`i vs. Prairie View match on Friday at 7 p.m.
Wyoming Cowgirls (9-21, 3-11 MWC)
After finishing eighth in the league standings, the Cowgirls faced top-seeded BYU in the opening
round of the championship. First-team all-conference selection, Melody Friehauf (Jr., MB) finished
the season tied for the league lead with a team-high .360 attack percentage, sixth in kills per game
(3.74) and second in blocks per game (1.37) … Friehauf owns 976 career kills to stand seventh in
Wyoming history and is second in career blocks with 447. Jamie Burke (Jr., OH) led the Cowgirls in
digs (224) and is second in kills (261) on the season. Rachel Lau (So., MB), finished second on the
team in blocks (93) and third in kills (201). Michele Keller (Fr., OH) hit .267 vs. BYU in the final
match and collected a team-high six kills.
