Women's Volleyball Weekly Release #8

Oct. 9, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Offensive Player of the Week

Cheryl Hegemann

UW-Milwaukee

Senior, Middle Blocker, Waterford, Wis.

Hegemann put together a big statistical weekend for the Panthers. She had a season-best 17 kills at Loyola Friday and then bettered that with 19 kills at UIC Saturday. Also on Saturday, she added 12 digs for her second double-double of the season while also adding seven blocks. Hegemann now paces the team in kills per game while also continuing to lead the team in blocks and aces. She also ranks third in the team in digs. For the weekend, Hegemann averaged 4.50 kills, 2.62 digs and 1.12 blocks per game while hitting .304.

Defensive Player of the Week

Ann Deelo

Loyola

Senior, Libero, St. Louis, Mo.

Deelo continued to stablize the Rambler back row, racking up 62 digs (5.17 digs per game) in three matches as the Ramblers went 3-0, including a pair of critical Horizon League wins. Deelo opened the week with 25 digs in a five-game win over Bradley on Tuesday night and picked up right where she left off on Friday night, digging 24 balls-the ninth time this season she has recorded 20 or more digs-to key a strong Rambler defense in a four-game win over UW-Milwaukee. Deelo closed out the weekend with 13 digs against UW-Green Bay, as Loyola held the Phoenix to a scant .007 hitting percentage.

Other Top Performances for the Week

Courtney Ashley

Loyola

Sr., Outside Hitter, Naperville, Ill.

Ashley averaged 3.42 kills per game and 3.25 digs per game to lead Loyola to a perfect 3-0 week, including a pair of home League wins. Ashley opened the week strong, finishing with 15 kills and 19 digs in a five-game win at Bradley before turning it on Friday night, slamming 18 kills to go with 14 digs and three blocks as the Ramblers handed UW-Milwaukee its first Horizon League loss of the year. Ashley wrapped up the weekend with a team-high eight kills in a 3-0 sweep of UW-Green Bay. The wins help the Ramblers get back in the thick of the Horizon League race as the season nears its midway point. For the season, Ashley leads the team with 206 kills (2.90 per game) and is second with 251 digs (3.54 per game).

Becky Peters

UW-Milwaukee

So., Libero, Germantown, Wis.

Peters led a strong defensive effort for the Panthers over the weekend. She collected 25 digs at Loyola Friday and then tallied 20 more Saturday at UIC. Peters also helped the Panthers limit their opponents to a .194 hitting percentage. For the week, Peters averaged 5.62 digs per game and had just one receiving error in 26 attempts.

Ambria Springer

UIC

Sr., Middle Blocker, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

In the Flames fifth consecutive League win and sixth overall victory, Springer recorded a team-high 24 kills in a four-game victory over UW-Green Bay on Friday. She posted a season-high .400 attack percentage and led the squad with six blocks.

Despite falling to UW-Milwaukee in four games on Saturday, Springer dominated on offense once again, drilling 19 kills. She owned a team-high .310 attack percentage and guided UIC at the net with eight blocks.

In Horizon League matches this season, Springer leads the Flames with 100 kills, averaging 4.35 per game. She also paces UIC at the net with 32 total blocks and has recorded 22 digs, two service aces and owns a .281 attack percentage in six matches.

Betty Slinger

UW-Green Bay

Jr., Setter, Faribault, Minn.

Slinger posted back-to-back triple-doubles last week to bring her NCAA Division I-leading total to four on the season. In a victory over Big East opponent DePaul Tuesday, Slinger posted a career-high 18 kills to go along with 22 assists and 11 digs in addition to five blocks and a .359 hitting percentage. In Friday's match at UIC, Slinger was stellar again with 13 kills, 22 assists and 14 digs.

Jenni Ramminger

Cleveland State

So., Middle Hitter, Cincinnati, Ohio

Ramminger led the Vikings with a .410 hitting percentage last week while averaging 3.67 kills and 0.83 blocks as CSU split a pair of League matches. In Friday's sweep at Butler, she tallied a career-high 13 kills on .550 hitting with four blocks. The next day at Wright State she notched nine kills and three digs.

Sarah Poling

Wright State

Sr., Libero, St. Henry, Ohio

Poling posted 24 digs on Friday in a victory over Youngstown State and followed that up with 10 digs in the win versus Cleveland State on Saturday. Poling is leading the Raiders with 356 digs this season, averaging 4.68 digs per game.

Porshia Allen

Butler

Fr., Outside Hitter, Indianapolis, Ind.

Allen paced the Bulldog offense last weekend, notching her fifth double-double of the season against Cleveland State on Friday with 14 kills and 10 digs before pacing all players with 15 kills and a .353 hitting percentage against Youngstown State on Saturday. She led Butler with 4.83 kills per game and a .240 hitting percentage on the week.

Janelle McDonald

Youngstown State

Sr., Libero, Strongsville, Ohio

McDonald led the Penguins with 34 digs (4.86 per game) last week. McDonald posted 16 digs against Wright State and tallied 18 digs against Butler. McDonald ranks second on the team with 280 digs for a rate of 3.64 per game.

News From Around the League

Loyola (11-10, 4-2 HL)

The Ramblers went undefeated (3-0) for the week, notching victories over Bradley, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay.

Junior Melissa Craig pounded out 17 kills and added a career-high nine blocks and senior Sarah Elmer racked up her third triple-double of the season in the win over Bradley. Loyola then handed UW-Milwaukee its first League loss of the season with a hard-fought 3-1 win over the Panthers on Friday. The final match of the week was won by a dominant Loyola defense. The Ramblers held UW-Green Bay to a .007 hitting percentage for the match.

The Ramblers make the short trip to UIC this Friday for their lone match of the week.

Wright State (10-10, 4-1 HL)

After starting the season 1-7, the Raiders have since won nine of 12 and reached the .500 mark overall Saturday with a sweep of Cleveland State. Part of that 9-3 record is a 7-1 mark at home, including four straight wins after a five-game setback to Denver in the final match of the Raider Challenge. The victory over CSU broke a three-match losing streak on Saturdays.

The 4-1 Horizon League start for Wright State is the best for the Raiders since beginning the 1994 campaign at 5-1 in the team's first season in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Since going 11-3 in 2001, the most League wins WSU has had in a season has been six (2002, 2003).

Senior outside hitter Jenny Schultz recorded her fifth consecutive double-double and 10th of the season with 15 kills and a career-best 27 digs against Youngstown State on Friday and had 15 kills and 14 digs versus Cleveland State on Saturday.

Wright State faces a key road trip this week as the Raiders head to the Badger State to take on UW-Milwaukee on Friday and UW-Green Bay on Saturday.

UW-Milwaukee (10-5, 4-1 HL)

The Panthers bounced back from their loss Friday night at Loyola thanks in large part to their defensive effort at UIC Saturday. In fact, after recording just four blocks during the entire match at Loyola Friday, UWM tallied five blocks in the first game against UIC. The Panthers wound up with 12 blocks for the match, tying for the second-most by the team this season. UWM's back-row defense was also strong, with the Panthers collecting 70 digs, including a match-high 20 by sophomore Becky Peters.

Melissa David continues to add to her resume of strong senior-year performances. She now has five-straight double-figure kill efforts in league play, including a team-high 18 kills in the loss at Loyola Friday night.

For the second-straight season, UWM will play a match at the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. This Saturday, the Panthers will host Butler at the Arena as part of Panther Madness. Last season, UWM swept UW-Green Bay in a match at the Arena.

UIC (11-11, 5-1 HL)

UIC recorded a 1-1 weekend after dropping UW-Green Bay in four games on Oct. 6, followed by a 3-1 loss to UW-Milwaukee on Oct. 7. Owning a 5-1 record in Horizon League action, the Flames remain in first-place over UW-Milwaukee by half a match.

In two matches, UIC was led on offense by senior Ambria Springer with 43 kills and a .356 attack percentage. Springer also guided the Flames at the net with 14 blocks (five solo). Junior Amanda Kenny recorded two double-doubles, while also pacing the Flames on defense with 32 digs and four solo blocks.

UIC is set to host non-conference foe Bradley on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., followed by a "Red Out" match against crosstown rival Loyola at the Flames Athletic Center on Friday at 6:00 p.m.

Cleveland State (13-5, 3-3 HL)

Cleveland State has a slow week as the Vikings' only match comes on Friday at Youngstown State. CSU has defeated the Penguins 10 consecutive times.

Freshman Beth Greulich continues to rank among the nation's most efficient hitters. Heading into last week, she was 13th in the country with a .427 hitting percentage, and currently remains the Horizon League leader at .410.

Cleveland State's win at Butler not only improved its record to 7-0 on Friday's this year, but it was the Vikings' first-ever win in 13 tries in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

UW-Green Bay (7-10, 1-4 HL)

The six points by DePaul on Tuesday is the second-fewest ever allowed by the Phoenix in a fifth game, trailing only the five scored by Indiana in a win over the Hoosiers Sept. 6, 2003.

After dropping the first 12 matches of its series with DePaul, UW-Green Bay has now won four of the last five meetings including three in a row.

With her four triple-doubles this year, junior Betty Slinger now has seven in her career. She also posted three triple-doubles during her sophomore season.

UW-Green Bay returns home this weekend for a pair of Horizon League matches. The Phoenix will host Butler on Friday evening before welcoming Wright State on Saturday afternoon.

Youngstown State (8-14, 0-6 HL)

With eight wins this season, YSU has surpassed its victory total from last season. With 33 digs over the weekend, senior Cari Leslie moved into second place on the YSU all-time digs list with 1,203 and is just the second player in school history with more than 1,200 career digs. With 876 career kills, Leslie needs 11 more to move to 10th place on the YSU all-time kills list.

Butler (6-13, 1-4 HL)

With seven total blocks this weekend, senior middle blocker Krystal Hendrix now stands tied with Keely Norris (1999-02) for sixth all-time with 409 career total blocks. She leads the team with 82 total blocks on the year.

The Bulldogs' win against Youngstown State gave head coach Sharon Clark her 100th victory in her seventh season at Butler. It also ended a 12-match losing streak. She now stands 100-96 at Butler and 202-204 in her 14-year career which also includes six seasons at UC-Davis and one season at Humboldt State.

Freshman Porshia Allen leads the team on offense in Horizon League matches, averaging 4.00 kills per game in five matches this season. Sophomore Nina Inic paces the Bulldogs on defense in League play, averaging 5.00 digs per game while boasting a .910 reception percentage.

Valparaiso (12-7)

Freshman Angie Porché had more kills than any Crusader this season and junior Sara Hughes had the second-best passing night in program history, but the Brown and Gold dropped a heartbreaking 25-30, 30-28, 21-30, 30-27, 18-16 decision Friday night at Western Illinois. The loss was Valpo's second Mid-Con defeat in as many Fridays, and secured the first two-loss conference season for the Crusaders since 2002. The Brown and Gold have lost only four times in Mid-Con play since the start of the 2003 season, and all four defeats have come in five games.

The Crusaders then went on to slip past UMKC Saturday 30-26, 30-28, 30-27 at the Swinney Recreation Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Valpo (12-7, 3-2 Mid-Con) will return to the Athletics-Recreation Center next weekend for Friday and Saturday night matches at 7:00 p.m. Both contests will be carried live on 95.1 FM and online at www.valpo.edu/athletics.