Second-Place Navy Aggies Take On First-Place Maroon Aggies Thursday Before First Meeting With Denver Since 1983 On Saturday
Oct. 1, 2012
LOGAN, Utah -
Utah State Volleyball Notes vs. New Mexico State and Denver 
Thursday, Oct. 4 - 7 p.m. (MT)
New Mexico State at UTAH STATE
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270)
Logan, Utah Saturday, Oct. 6 - 7 p.m. (MT)
Denver at UTAH STATE
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270)
Logan, Utah Follow all the action with "Gametracker" and "Watch Live" links at UtahStateAggies.com
The Last Meeting
| New Mexico State | 2 |
| |
| Utah State | 3 |
October 27, 2011
Logan, Utah
|
STORYLINES
• Utah State volleyball opens a season-long five match homestand this weekend, hosting New Mexico State on Thursday, Oct. 4 and Denver on Saturday, Oct. 6 in a pair of Western Athletic Conference home matches that both start at 7 p.m. at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
• USU opens its month-long "Dig For the Cure" as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month... Pledges are now being gathered for every dig the Aggies make during their seven home matches in October... Pledge sheets will be available at all the home matches this month... More information can be found here:
http://bit.ly/RtaUKK.
• Thursday's match is a battle of the top two teams in the WAC standings, as NMSU comes in with a 5-0 league mark atop the standings while USU is second with a 4-1 conference ledger.
• In addition to the match-up of the top two teams in the standings, Thursday's match also features the top two teams in the WAC for opponent hitting percentage in conference only matches, as NMSU is first, holding its opponents to a .136 attack percentage while USU is second, limiting its opposition to a hitting percentage of .141.
• The match-up Thursday between the navy Aggies of USU and the maroon Aggies of NMSU is the 66th meeting all-time, Utah State's longest series with any WAC foe and Thursday's match will tie for the longest in school history behind the 67 meetings with Utah.
• All the players on both USU and Denver's roster were not even born the last time that the Aggies and Pioneers played, as the one previous meeting between USU and DU was in 1983.
• Saturday's match features the top two blocking teams in the WAC overall statistics, as USU enters the weekend leading the league in blocks per set (2.96) while DU is second (2.68 bps).
• USU's five-match homestand is its longest since a six-match homestand in 2000.
• Sophomore setter
Paige Neves enters the weekend with 1,411 assists... Neves now needs 84 more assists for the No. 9 spot held by Kalei Arnold (1992-95) with 1,495 assists.
• Senior outside hitter
Josselyn White enters this week with 257 career block assists, needing one more to tie former teammate
Chelsea Fowles (2007-10) with 258.
LIVE STATS
Live stats for this weekend's matches are available via "Gametracker" links at www.utahstateaggies.com, the official web site of USU athletics.
LIVE VIDEO
All Utah State home matches are streamed on the Internet by clicking on the "Watch Live" link at www.UtahStateAggies.com, the official web site of USU athletics. Fans will need to pay a small fee to watch the match.
AGGIES DIGGING FOR A CURE
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Utah State Women's Volleyball team wants to help by raising money for Breast Cancer Research... Pledges are now being gathered for every dig the Aggies make during their seven home matches in October... For each dig (a defensive move made to control a spiked ball) the Aggies are asking for a donation of $.25... If the Aggies dig 200 balls in the 7 matches, a pledge of $.25 will result in $50.00... Half of this donation will go to the Logan Regional Hospital Foundation to assist in Breast Cancer Research while the other half will be used to support the USU Volleyball team... Pledges can be made in any amount and flat donations are also accepted and appreciated... Any pledge or donation received will enter your name into a drawing which will take place the last home match in October (27th)... Prizes include: t-shirts, volleyballs, and team photos... Come cheer on the Aggies during their October matches and keep track of their DIGS!!! More information can be found here: http://bit.ly/RtaUKK.
LOOKING AT UTAH STATE
USU has a 10-5 overall and 5-1 WAC record after going 2-0 on the road last weekend... The Aggies won at Louisiana Tech in four sets on Thursday, before sweeping UT Arlington Saturday, as USU improved to 3-0 in the state of Texas this season.
Utah State continues to lead the WAC overall in blocking at 2.96 blocks per set and the Aggies also are third in the league in WAC only matches at 2.82 blocks per set... USU also is fifth in both overall attack percentage (.206) and WAC only attack percentage (.200)... USU also is seventh in the league overall with 13.95 digs per set while ranking third in WAC only matches with 16.77 dps... With 11.50 assists per set in all matches, the Aggies are tied for fifth overall while ranking fourth in WAC only matches with 12.27 aps... Utah State is also fifth in both overall kills per set (12.45) and WAC only kills per set (13.18)... A 1.12 aces per set ranks the Aggies sixth in the WAC overall while they are tied for eighth in conference only matches with 1.00.
Senior opposite side hitter Shay Sorensen (North Ogden, Utah) is fifth in WAC only matches in kills per set (3.45) while ranking eighth overall (2.93), as well as fifth in conference only matches for points per set (4.14) while ranking sixth overall (3.63)... Sorensen has logged a double-double in five of USU's last eight matches, and has a team-leading six on the season
Senior outside hitter Josselyn White (Smithfield, Utah) has now played in the Aggies' last six matches after missing the previous four and a half matches with illness... White is seventh in the WAC overall for both kills per set (2.97) and points per set (3.50).
Redshirt-freshman middle blocker Elle Brainard (Saratoga Springs, Utah) leads the Aggies and is second in the WAC in both overall blocks per set (1.55) and conference only matches (1.68)... Brainard also is sixth in the WAC overall in hitting percentage (.309)... With 87 total blocks, Brainard leads the league for total blocks as well also leading the league WAC only matches with 37 total blocks... The 1.55 blocks per set ranks Brainard seventh in the NCAA statistics.
Sophomore setter Paige Neves (Otto, Wyo.) is second in WAC only matches with 11.14 assists per set, ranking third overall with 10.13 aps... Neves became the 12th Aggie volleyball player to reach the 1,000 career assists milestone when USU played in San Diego, Calif., and now with 1,411 assists, Neves has cracked into the top 10, taking over the No. 10 spot from Mindi Jackson (1995-96) with 1,280 assists... Neves needs 84 more assists for the No. 9 spot held by Kalei Arnold (1992-95) with 1,495 assists.
Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn VanHoff (Draper, Utah) is second on the team and third in the WAC overall for blocks with 1.21 blocks per set, ranking fifth overall in the league with 68 total blocks... VanHoff is tied for eighth in WAC only matches with 1.00 blocks per set... She also is 55th in the NCAA in blocks per set with the 1.21 bps.
In the last three weeks, sophomore libero Ashlan Rogers (Highland, Utah) has climbed from seventh to second overall in the WAC in digs per set (4.04) as well as second in the WAC in conference only matches with 5.14 digs per set... Rogers also is third in the WAC overall in service aces per set (0.32).
Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Orr (Thatcher, Ariz.) is 10th for both WAC overall kills per set (2.88) and conference only kills per set (3.05).
RUDE WELCOMING TO WAC NEWCOMERS
USU is 4-0 so far against WAC newcomers, beating UTSA (3-1) and Texas State (3-0) on Sept. 13 and 15, respectively, as well as Seattle (3-0) on Sept. 20 and UT Arlington (3-0) on Sept. 29.
UTAH STATE IN THE WAC
Utah State is 64-53 (.547) all-time in WAC play which includes a 38-19 (.667) home record and a 26-33 (.441) record on the road.
UTAH STATE IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
Utah State is 99-47 (.678) at home in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum during the last 13 years, which includes a 70-36 (.660) record against conference opponents.
AGGIES 10TH, BRAINARD SEVENTH IN BLOCKING IN NCAA STATS
With its 2.96 blocks per set team average, Utah State leads the WAC and is 10th in the NCAA statistics... Texas leads the nation with 3.35 bps... Individually, redshirt-freshman Elle Brainard (Saratoga Springs, Utah) is seventh in the NCAA with a 1.55 blocks per set average.
DUBOSE FOR 100 PLEASE ALEX
USU head coach Grayson DuBose earned his 100th career win with the Aggies' win over Seattle on Sept. 20, 2012... DuBose, who is in his seventh-year as Aggie head coach, has a 102-94 (.520) record... With USU's four-set win at Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 17, 2011, DuBose moved ahead of former Aggie head coach Burt Fuller (2001-05) and into second-place all-time at USU for career wins... DuBose becomes just the second coaching position to reach 100 wins as Marilyn McReavy and Mary Jo Peppler hold the school record with 209 wins as they were co-head coaches from 1976-81.
AGGIES AGAINST THE WEEKEND FOES
Utah State is a combined 27-39 (.409) record against this weekend's foes, as the Aggies are facing both their most-played conference opponent in NMSU and their least-played conference foe in Denver... The match-up Thursday between the navy Aggies of USU and the maroon Aggies of NMSU is the 66th meeting all-time, Utah State's longest series with any WAC foe and Thursday's match will tie for the longest in school history behind the 67 meetings with Utah... Meanwhile, Saturday's meeting with Denver will be USU's first since 1983 and only the second all-time meeting in school history.
NEW MEXICO STATE - Utah State is 26-39 all-time against New Mexico State, which includes an 11-17 home record... After NMSU had a nine-match winning streak in the series, USU has won three of the last four meetings, including a five-set win in the semifinals of the 2010 WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, as well as a five-set win in the last meeting, last season in Logan.
DENVER - The Aggies and Pioneers have only one previous meeting, back before any of the players on either teams' rosters were born, back in 1983, meeting in the Northern Colorado Invitational... "Back then" the matches were played to 15 with side out, and due to tournament rules were the best of three sets with the Aggies winning, 2-0 (15-1, 15-1).
TURNING PAIGE 1,000 IN RECORD BOOK
Sophomore setter Paige Neves became the 12th Aggie player to reach the 1,000 assists milestone earlier this season... Now with 1,411 career assists, Neves needs 84 more assists for the No. 9 spot held by Kalei Arnold (1992-95) with 1,495 assists.
Assists
1) 4520 Chelsea Fowles 2007-10
2) 3942 Carrie Steverson 1988-91
3) 3533 Lori Sargent-McKnight 1996-99
4) 2809 Chelsi Neves 2000-01
5) 2618 Stephanie Maurer 1984-87
6) 2265 Andrea Delsigne 2001-03
7) 2025 Randi Winn 1992-93
8) 1965 Dominique Arsenault 2003-05
9) 1495 Kalei Arnold 1992-95
10 1411 Paige Neves 2009-Pres.
11) 1280 Mindi Jackson 1995-96
12) 1139 Heather Hillier 2005-08
13) 937 Zuzana Cerniansa 2002-05
WHITE IN UTAH STATE TOP 10 FOR BOTH ATTACKS AND BLOCKS, CLOSING IN ON KILLS
Senior outside hitter Josselyn White ranks 10th all-time at Utah State with 2,532 career attacks and is 153 attacks away from tying Niki Conner (1995-98) for ninth all-time with 2,685 career attacks... Last weekend, White also reached the USU top 10 for career total blocks, now with 180, tying Melissa Schoepf (1997-2000)... White also is approaching the USU top 10 career lists in three other categories... She has 702 kills, needing 161 to crack into the career kills list... White has also totaled 26 career solo blocks, needing 11 more to reach the No. 10 spot on the career solo block list and logging 254 career block assists, needing four more to tie for 10.
SORENSEN CHASING AGGIES' TOP 10 FOR KILLS AND HITTING PERCENTAGE
Senior opposite side hitter Shay Sorensen has 680 kills, needing 183 to break into the career top 10 kills list as well as having a .198 career hitting percentage, needing to improve by .028 to tie for the No. 10 mark on the career hitting percentage list.
SCOUTING THE WEEKEND FOES
NEW MEXICO STATE - The maroon Aggies are 11-4 overall and enter the weekend atop the WAC standings with a 5-0 league ledger... NMSU lost a non-conference match on Wednesday, falling in five sets at UTEP, but returned to WAC play on Saturday with a sweep over Denver.
New Mexico State is second in the WAC overall in hitting percentage (.237) but lead the league in conference only matches (.253)...NMSU is also first in conference only matches for opponent hitting percentage (.136) as the southern Aggies are second in WAC only matches for blocks per set (2.90)... In overall matches, NMSU is fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.178) and third in blocks (2.51 bps)... In the other WAC overall stats, New Mexico State is second in service aces per set (1.35), while ranking third in kills per set (13.23) and assists per set (12.10) and 10th in digs (13.00)... In other WAC only match statistics, NMSU is fourth in both kills per set (13.20) and aces per set (1.20) while ranking sixth in assists per set (11.85) and ninth in digs per set (13.00).
NMSU is led by sophomore outside hitter Meredith Hays, who is second in the WAC overall with 4.22 kills per set, ranking fourth in conference only matches with 3.80 kps... Hays also is second in the league overall for points per set (4.82), ranking fourth in conference only matches (4.35 pps)... Additionally, Hays is sixth in the WAC overall for service aces per set (0.28)... Junior setter Ciara Brown is 10th in the WAC overall for assists per set (5.69) while ranking eighth in WAC only matches (5.65)... Junior middle blocker Desiree Scott is fifth in the WAC overall for blocks per set (1.15) as well as fourth in conference only matches (1.45 bps), in addition to ranking fifth in the league overall for hitting percentage (.322).
New Mexico State head coach and former USU assistant coach Mike Jordan is in his 15th season as head coach of the maroon Aggies, and has amassed a career record of 319-142... Jordan spent two seasons (1996-97) as an assistant coach at Utah State.
DENVER - The Pioneers tote an 8-7 overall and 2-3 WAC mark into the weekend and DU will play at San Jose State on Thursday prior to coming to Logan... Denver went 0-2 last week on the road, dropping a five-setter at Air Force on Tuesday before getting swept at New Mexico State on Saturday.
DU has an identical .246 hitting percentage in both overall and WAC only matches, leading the league in overall matches while ranking second in conference only matches... The Pioneers also lead the WAC in blocking in conference only matches (3.12 per set) while ranking second in WAC overall matches in blocking (2.68), behind USU... In overall matches, DU also is third in the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.167), fourth in both assists per set (11.52) and kills per set (12.48), as well as fifth in service aces per set (1.13) and ninth in digs per set (13.04).
The Pioneers are led by senior middle blocker Faimie Kingsley, who leads the WAC overall in hitting percentage (.390) while ranking second in WAC only matches (.403)... Kingsley also is tops in the conference in blocks per set both overall (1.65) and WAC only matches (2.0)... Junior right side hitter Colleen King is 10th in the WAC overall for attack percentage (.264), ranking seventh in WAC only matches for kills per set (3.29)... For assists per set, sophomore setter Frances Carroll is eighth in the WAC overall (7.69) while ranking ninth in conference only matches (5.59), just ahead of sophomore teammate Bailey Karst who is 10th with 5.50 aps... Senior libero Lyndi Johnson is eighth in the WAC overall for digs per set (3.63), while her 3.00 dps average in league only matches is not in the top 10.
DU head coach Jesse Maloney is in his first year leading the Pioneer's program, coming to Denver after seven years as an assistant coach at CSU... Prior to CSU, Maloney was head coach at Division II Fort Hays State, where he from was head coach from 1999-2004.
Shay Sorensen TABBED WAC VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah State volleyball player Shay Sorensen was named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 10-16. This is the first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor for Sorensen.
A senior opposite side hitter from North Ogden, Utah, Sorensen averaged 4.30 kills on .296 hitting, 3.30 digs and 0.60 blocks per set in a pair of road wins at UTSA and Texas State. She posted a pair of double-doubles to lead Utah State to its first 2-0 start to WAC action since 2007. In Thursday's four-set win over UTSA, Sorensen logged 15 kills and 11 digs, adding a pair of blocks and a service ace. In Saturday's sweep at Texas State, she tallied a match-high 15 kills on a season-high .353 hitting to go with 12 digs and two blocks.
This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for a USU vollleyball player since Liz McArthur earned the accolade last season on Oct. 17.
Josselyn White NAMED USU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK TWICE
Utah State volleyball player Josselyn White has been named the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week twice this season, earning the honors on Aug. 27 and Oct. 1. This award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.
White, a senior outside hitter from Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS), was the first USU student-athlete to earn the honor this school year, getting recognized after she was named to the Utah State Invitational, sponsored by Gossner Foods, all-tournament team in the season-opener weekend as she helped USU to a 3-1 record and a second-place finish. During the tournament, White hit .278 (43-13-108) with 43 kills, 34 digs and 10 blocks. White posted a career-high .500 attack percentage (14-0-28) in the win against Portland and logged a career-high 18 digs against Southern Utah.
The senior earned it a second time this season after she led USU to a pair of Western Athletic Conference road wins over the weekend of Sept. 27 and Sept. 29, with a four-set win over Louisiana Tech on Sept. 27 and a sweep at UT Arlington on Sept. 29. She tallied her fourth double-double of the season in the win over Louisiana Tech, posting a career-high 20 digs to go with 10 kills. White added a season-high 17 kills on a .429 attack percentage (17-2-35), her third-highest of the season in the sweep of UT Arlington. For the weekend, the senior had a .338 attack percentage (27-5-65), averaging 3.86 kills per set to go with a matching 3.86 digs per set average, adding 0.43 blocks per set and 0.29 aces per set.
This is White's first two career USU Student-Athlete of the Week accolades.
AGGIES NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS HISTORY
With two USU players named to the SDSU Aztec Challenge all-tournament team and three Aggie players being named to the USU Invitational sponsored by Gossner Foods all-Tournament team, Utah State adds to its collection of all-Tournament team honors... Here's a closer look at the current Aggies' all-Tournament team collection:
2012
SDSU Aztec Challenge
Rachel Orr - OH
Elle Brainard - MB
Utah State Invitational
Josselyn White - OH
Elle Brainard - MB
Ashlan Rogers - LIB
2011
Utah State Invitational
Shay Sorensen - OH
Josselyn White - OH - *MVP
2010
Utah Classic
Josselyn White - OH
Montana Invitational
Shay Sorensen - OPP - *MVP
UTAH STATE VERSUS THE STATE OF UTAH
Utah State improved to 30-20 (.600) versus the state of Utah during the last 12 years after going 2-1 against in-state foes in the opening weekend, including a 16-7 (.696) home record... Under seventh-year head coach Grayson DuBose, USU is 14-12 (.538) versus teams from the Beehive State, including an 8-6 (.571) record at home.
UTAH STATE RANKED 10TH IN THE NATION IN BLOCKING LAST SEASON
Utah State ranked 10th in the country in blocking (2.79) last season... Individually, middle blocker Kaitlyn VanHoff ranked 47th in the nation in blocking (1.19), while senior All-American outside hitter Liz McArthur ranked 82nd in the nation in kills per set (3.72) and 98th in points per set (4.17).
UTAH STATE LED THE WAC IN BLOCKING
Utah State finished the 2011 season ranking first in the WAC in blocks (2.79), second in digs (15.05), sixth in hitting percentage (.168), seventh in kills (11.15), seventh in assists (10.38) and eighth in service aces (0.97).
RECAPPING LAST SEASON
Utah State finished the 2011 season with a 17-12 overall mark, posting an even 7-7 WAC record to tied for fourth in the conference... As the No. 4 seed, the Aggies lost to fifth-seeded Fresno State in three sets (25-18, 25-19, 25-10) in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament... Opposite side hitter Shay Sorensen earned second-team all-WAC honors following her junior season as she hit .202 and averaged 2.57 kills, 0.71 digs and 0.86 blocks per set... Setter Paige Neves was named to the WAC's all-freshman team in 2011 after hitting .225 and averaging 8.83 assists, 2.48 digs and 0.71 blocks... Sorensen hit .202 last season and averaged 2.57 kills, 0.71 digs and 0.86 blocks per set... Neves ranked seventh in the WAC in assists at 8.83 per set and added 2.48 digs per set as well as 16 service aces, second among the USU returners... Outside hitter Josselyn White was among the WAC leaders statistically last year as she was ninth in kills (2.73), eighth in blocks (1.01) and seventh in points (3.45) per set... Libero Ashlan Rogers averaged 2.61 digs per set as well as leading the team with 23 service aces a season ago as a freshman, while Kaitlyn VanHoff was fourth in the WAC in blocks at 1.19 per set.
-USU-
