Oct. 9, 2003

VILLANOVA, PA. -

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Sitting Courtside: Villanova posted its first BIG EAST victory of the season with a 3-1 defeat of West Virginia on Sunday. Four different Wildcats tallied double-digit kills, fueled by Kerri Sullivan (Downers Grove, Ill./South) with 19. The Wildcats also hosted Pittsburgh at home on Saturday, suffering a 3-2 setback to the Panthers. Katie Lanting (Loveland, Colo./Alexander Dawson) led Villanova's effort against Pittsburgh with 20 kills. The Wildcats now stand at 4-12 overall and 1- 3 in the BIG EAST.

Block Party: Junior Katie Lanting (Loveland, Colo./Alexander Dawson) set a season-high with one solo block and six block assists against West Viriginia. The Wildcats finished the match with nine total team blocks. Freshman Adrian Semrau (Grafton, Ohio/Midview) chipped in with four block assists, and senior Erin Birunas (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) added three block assists.

Welcome Back: Two Villanova hitters returned to the lineup over the weekend after missing matches due to injuries. Freshman Adrian Semrau (Grafton, Ohio/Midview) started both matches, and finished with 22 kills, nine block assists and four service aces. Sophomore Megan Abbott (Jacksonville, Fla./Jacksonville) tallied two kills, one service ace and one block assist in limited action.

Lanting Lights Up Scoreboard: Junior Katie Lanting (Loveland, Colo./Alexander Dawson) hit two season highs for kills in a match and blocks in a match over the weekend. Against Pittsburgh, Lanting tied her season-high for kills with 20 on 43 attempts, finishing with a .395 hitting percentage. She followed that with a standout blocking performance with one solo block and six block assists against West Virginia. Lanting tallied a team-high 44.5 points in the two matches to lead the Wildcats.

Here Come the Hokies: Virginia Tech is coming off a loss to Boston College and enters the week with an 8-9 overall mark and 2-1 record in the BIG EAST. The Hokies have registered wins over conference foes Seton Hall and Rutgers. Junior outside hitter Annie Spicer leads Virginia Tech with 267 kills, while sophomore Melissa Markowski has posted 721 assists. Up front for the Hokies, a pair of freshmen in Katie Esbrook and Allie Kupec have managed 67 and 66 blocks, respectively. Greg Smith enters his fourth season as head coach of Virginia Tech.

Mapping Out Miami: The Hurricanes enter the weekend with a 13-4 overall record and 3-0 start in the BIG EAST. The team is riding a five-match win streak and has not lost a conference match at the Knight Sports Complex in its last seven contests. The 2002 BIG EAST Player of the Year Valeria Tipiana leads the Hurricane attack with outside hitter Leyre Santaella Sante. Both players have already reached the 200-kill plateau this season. Freshman Jill Robinson serves as the primary setter, with more than 500 assists. Head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch is in her third season with Miami.

Figuring Out Florida International: Villanova battles the Golden Panthers in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. FIU enters the weekend 10-5 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. Seniors Jennifer Owens and Julie Doan lead the squad with 185 kills and 178 kills to go along with 62 blocks a piece. Senior Betsy Moreland has tallied 719 assists. The Golden Panthers are 1-1 against BIG EAST teams this season, with a 3-2 win over Syracuse and a 3-0 loss to Miami. Cookie Stevens starts her fifth year as head coach.

All-Around Efforts: Four Wildcats showed their versatility over the weekend, racking up big numbers in two different categories. Erin Birunas 22 kills 25 digs Celine Nguyen 18 kills 36 digs Jennifer Badran-Grycan 25 digs 50 assists Jennifer Edwards 49 assists 25 digs

A Break in the Action: Following Tuesday's match at Florida International, Villanova will take a week off before resuming action with a non-conference contest at Fairfield on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The Wildcats return to Jake Nevin Field House on Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. when BIG EAST rival Georgetown comes to visit. Seven of Villanova's final nine matches will be played on the Main Line.

Wildcats on the Web: Check out the Wildcats in upcoming BIG EAST volleyball action via the Internet. The broadcasts can be heard at www.villanova.com by going to the audio/video link on the top of the front page and looking for the volleyball audio information. A one year subscription to the Villanova "School Pass" can be purchased for a monthly fee of $4.95 a month ($29.95 a year). The price includes the radio broadcast of all Villanova men's basketball and football games along with an expanded list of services that will include numerous women's basketball games, Olympic sports and radio shows.

Sullivan Holds Strong In Standings: Junior Kerri Sullivan (Downers Grove, Ill./South) continues to be ranked among the top five in two BIG EAST categories. She ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with an average of 4.12 kills per game and fourth in the points standings, averaging 4.74 a game.