Sept. 17, 2005

Gonzaga - 3
Northern Arizona - 2

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - In a reversal of fortune from Friday night's loss to a bigger Baylor University squad, Gonzaga University had the size advantage at the net on Saturday morning as they pulled out a five game win over host Northern Arizona University at the Fiesta Bowl Classic. The Bulldogs won the battle at the nets with a commanding 23-10 total block advantage as they escaped 30-16, 21-30, 23-30, 30-21, 15-11.

The first four games saw the winning team quickly jump out and control the tempo of the each game with each of the first four games decided by at least seven points. Gonzaga opened the match hitting .632 in the first game with 13 kills on 19 attacks with one error. The Bulldogs would hit .266 for the game as setter Heather Dunn passed out 49 assists.

Gonzaga's offense had to be efficient on the afternoon as they had only 54 kills in the five-game win. Northern Arizona was more effective on the attack finishing with 71 kills as Jenn Wogan had 36 assists for the Lumberjacks. The size difference proved to be in GU's favor as they picked up 13 team blocks for points and forced 35 attacking errors by NAU as the Lumberjacks had to swing around Bulldog blockers.

With the match knotted at two games each, Gonzaga saved its best hitting performance for last as they hit .700 in 15-11 game five win. Gonzaga hammered down 7 kills on 10 attacks with no errors. Senior Lacey Bell helped break open a 7-7 game five tie with two consecutive kills followed by a Megan Thompson service ace to give GU a 10-7 lead. Becky Jones added two more kills and Briawna Mueller closed the door with a kill to hand Gonzaga the win.

Bell, Jones and Mueller all finished hitting above .300 for the match with Bell leading the squad with 17 kills and a .387 percentage. Jones added 12 kills with a .360 mark while Mueller was in with 8 kills and a .368 clip. Freshman Michelle Boevers also reached double digit kills for GU with 11. One surprise performance for Gonzaga was redshirt sophomore Kelly Steinhaus who had a career-high 4 kills and 6 block assists playing in front of her hometown crowd.

Ellie Butterfield led all players with 22 kills for NAU while Colleen Flooker chipped in with 10 kills and a .471 attack percentage.

Gonzaga faces UTEP in their last game of the tournament later Saturday afternoon while NAU hosts Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl Classic finale.

UTEP - 3
Gonzaga - 1

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The University of Texas El Paso knocked off Gonzaga University in four games on Saturday afternoon to win the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz. The loss gave Gonzaga (7-7) a 1-2 record for the weekend as the Bulldogs split their Saturday matches. UTEP (10-2) won 30-19, 23-30, 30-28, 30-15 in the late match after Gonzaga held off host Northern Arizona University in five games earlier in the day.

In a balanced match from on paper, UTEP was able to control two of Gonzaga's top hitters in the match as they held Briawna Mueller and Lacey Bell to a combined 10 kills on 30 attacks. Mueller, the top Bulldogs hitter entering the match, was limited to just 6 kills and a .100 attack clip. Bell had only four kills with a .000 attack mark.

On the Miners side of the net their top guns were very effective as tournament MVP Kari Stacy and Christy Murphy each recorded 16 kills in the win. UTEP also had double-digit kills from Brooke Peugh with 11 as they finished with a .224 mark. The Miners had only five more kills than GU with the teams even in blocks and separated by only one dig. UTEP did hold a large margin in service aces at 10-2 with Brittany Stowers dropping in three.

Gonzaga's Becky Jones was named to the all-tournament team after leading Gonzaga with 19 kills and 13 digs. It was her sixth double-double in the last seven matches, the lone exception the Bulldogs morning win over Northern Arizona. Jones was also effective with a .261 hitting percentage. Freshman Michelle Boevers added 17 as GU hit .160 for the match. Flagstaff native Kelly Steinhaus had her second big match in front of the home crowd with a team-high 8 blocks including one solo. Jessica Herrera led with 16 digs.

Gonzaga plays at Washington State University next Saturday night before opening West Coast Conference action at home on Oct. 1 against the University of Portland at 1 p.m. in the Martin Centr

LMU - 3
San Jose State - 2

LMU - 3
Cal State Fullerton - 2

Fullerton, Calif. - Loyola Marymount remained a perfect 3-0 at the Hawthorne Suites Cal State Fullerton Invitational to claim its second tournament title of the season after a 3-2 (27-30, 30-20, 16-30, 30-17, 15-12) win over the host Titans. It was the third five-game contest in as many matches for the Lions, who improve to 9-1 on the season.

The Lions, who played 15 games in two days, defeated a Cal State Fullerton team that has been nearly unstoppable on its home court over the last two seasons. Following the thriller, senior Dina DeBernardi was named tournament MVP, while Heather Hughes and Krista Houseman joined her on the all-tournament team.

Brittney Moore and Vanessa Vella represented Cal State Fullerton on the all-tournament team, while Natalie Peters (SMU) and Kym Murphy (SJSU) rounded out the selections.

Hughes helped secure the Saturday night victory with 21 kills and 11 digs. Christianna Reneau also added a double-double with 14 kills and 16 digs. Houseman hit .455 while tallying 12 kills. Defensive specialist Michelle Look contributed 27 digs.

In the earlier 3:00 p.m. match, LMU topped San Jose State (5-6) in a five-game battle (25-30, 30-17, 30-19, 24-30, 15-13) that went down to the wire and ended in a two-point victory for the Lions. Krista Houseman (.528) and Dina DeBernardi (.500) collected 24 and 21 kills respectively, and Michelle Look dug 25 kill attempts in the victory.

The Lions remain on the road to take on Cal State Northridge in the Matadome on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Fans can follow the action on Lions' All-Access at www.LMULions.com.

Portland - 3
Northern Illinois - 1

Montana - 3
Portland - 0

Denver, CO - The University of Portland's women's volleyball team beat Northern Illinois 3-1 (27-30, 30-21, 30-26, 30-25) early Saturday afternoon, then lost 3-0 (30-23, 30-25, 30-25) to Montana in the nightcap.

The Pilots recovered from a loss in the first game to Northern Illinois, winning three consecutive games to record their third win of the 2005 season. Portland hit for a season-high .311 during the match.

Portland sophomore Nicole Thometz overshadowed one of the nation's top offensive players during the Northern Illinois match. Kate McCullagh entered the match ranked third in the NCAA in average kills per game, but Thometz racked up a match-high 23 kills to seize the offensive spotlight. Thometz also had 20 digs, earning her fifth straight double-double.

In what is becoming routine for the freshman middle blocker, Jennifer Sheedy had another solid day for the Pilots. Sheedy had 13 kills on just 18 attacks, recording a .611 hitting percentage. Sheedy becomes the first Pilot to eclipse the .600 mark during a match this season. Sara Vercruyssen (18) and Monique Kettler (14) also broke into double figures in kills.

Sheena Surplus had 58 assists for the Pilots. The senior setter moved into second place all-time in Pilots history in career assists, passing Kelly Parnell (1988-91). Surplus also equaled a career high with four service aces.

The Pilots were less successful in the second match of the day. Portland encountered a strong Montana squad and lost in three straight games to the Grizzlies.

Murphy McClenahan's 30 digs in the Montana match is the highest three-game individual total by a WCC player so far this season. Sheedy led the Pilots with nine kills. Montana's Jade Roskam (11) and Audrey Jensen (10) each hit double figures in kills.

The Pilots now have a two-week break in the schedule before WCC action begins on Oct. 1 at Gonzaga.

Saint Mary's - 3
Utah State - 2

Stanford, CA - It was only fitting that Missie Stidham was at the service line and Kaui Salzman recorded the final kill of the game in the Gaels' 3-2 victory over Utah State on Saturday night at Maples Pavilion. Stidham and Salzman carried the No. 23-ranked Saint Mary's volleyball team all match and led the Gaels to a 30-24, 30-32, 30-26, 25-30, 18-16 victory in their final match of the Stanford Invitational.

Stidham set a career-high with 31 kills in the match with a .308 hitting percentage and Salzman recorded 24 kills with a .333 hitting percentage. The two also recorded a combined 25 digs as the Gaels improved to 8-2 on the season.

Stidham and Salzman performed at a high level all weekend for the Gaels and were named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts.

Saint Mary's was also led by setter Mandy Bible, who recorded 69 assists and seven digs. Christina Kirk set a career-high with 12 kills and added nine blocks.

In the deciding fifth game, both teams played back-and-forth early on until the Gaels scored three straight points to take a 9-7 lead. After a clutch block by Bible, the Gaels took a 12-9 lead, forcing Utah State to take its final timeout. The Aggies battled back to tie the game 13-13 after a key block, forcing the Gaels to take their first timeout. The Gaels used a tough jump serve by Stidham and a kill by Salzman to win the final point.

In the first game the Gaels jumped out early, taking an 11-5 lead before Utah State called its first timeout. After back-to-back aces by Kolkka, the Gaels led 19-11, forcing the Aggies to call their final timeout of the game. The Gaels went on to win the first game 30-24. Saint Mary's was led by Stidham, who had seven kills with a .700 hitting percentage. Salzman added four kills and four digs and Barker and Kirk each had three kills. Bible had 14 assists in the opening game.

In Game 2, the Aggies took an 11-5 lead over the Gaels, before Saint Mary's called its first timeout. Saint Mary's battled back to cut the Aggies' lead to 19-16 before Utah State called its first timeout. The Gaels continued to trail 24-21, but Saint Mary's rallied to take a 27-26 lead after a block by Salzman. Utah State scored the next two points to take a 28-27 lead before the Gaels called their final timeout. The Aggies went on to win the second game 32-30. The Gaels were led by Stidham, who had seven more kills and added three digs. Salzman had six kills and three digs in the game. Bible added 15 assists and two digs.

In the third game, the Aggies jumped in front of the Gaels for the second game in a row, this time taking an 18-13 lead before Saint Mary's called its first timeout. Saint Mary's battled back and went on a 9-3 run to take a 22-21 lead before the Aggies called their first timeout. The Gaels continued to lead 27-25 before the Aggies called their final timeout. Saint Mary's scored three out of the last four points to win the game 30-26. The Gaels were once again led by Stidham, who had eight kills and Salzman added five kills.

In Game 4, Utah State took an early 8-2 lead before the Gaels rallied back to tie the game 14-14. The Aggies then jumped in front 22-18 before Saint Mary's called its first timeout. The Aggies outscored the Gaels 4-1 to take a 26-19 lead, forcing the Gaels to call their final timeout. The Aggies went on to win the fourth game 30-25. Saint Mary's was led by Stidham and Salzman, who each had six kills in the game.

The Gaels return action on Friday, September 23 when they travel to Irvine to face UC Irvine at 7 p.m.

San Diego - 3
American - 0

San Diego - 3
Long Beach State - 1

SAN DIEGO, CA - No. 18 San Diego continues to impress in 2005, as the Toreros won four matches and team championship honors at the 2005 USD Invitational. San Diego (10-1) decisively beat No. 25 Long Beach State (7-3) in the tournament's championship match Saturday night, but the celebration was delayed when veteran Long Beach State head coach Brian Gimmillaro demanded the net be measured- setting off a bizarre scenario prior to the ceremonious announcement of all-tournament honors.

In front of a season-high 1,120 fans attending the tournament finale at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion Saturday night, Torero junior Christie Dawson put down 22 kills and All-American Lindsey Sherburne efficiently set San Diego to an attacking percentage of .315. San Diego raced out to an early lead in Game One and eventually took the match by game scores of 30-18, 21-30, 30-22 and 30-22.

San Diego's spirited effort was disrupted by Gimmillaro, who was twice issued a yellow card during the loss and after the match insisted the net had not been set at regulation height. In the process the 49ers dropped to 0-3 against nationally ranked opponents this fall.

USD junior attacker Kristen Carlson was named the 2005 USD Invitational MVP, marking the second straight weekend she has received such an honor. Carlson was sensational in San Diego's three-game sweep over American University in Saturday's morning session, tallying 22 kills in 26 attempts against the Eagles. Her .808 hitting percentage against AU goes down as the second-best single-game hitting performance in USD Volleyball history. Carlson totaled 79 kills in four matches, averaging 5.64 kills per game and hitting at a clip of .421. USD also received an all-tournament performance from Dawson, who hit .518 and collected 17 blocks. Sophomore McCarthy added 14 kills against Long Beach State to help the Toreros begin its 2005 home schedule with four consecutive wins.

San Francisco - 3
Pacific - 2

San Francisco - USF volleyball recorded perhaps its most impressive win of the season with a 3-2 victory against Pacific (30-24, 30-22, 27-30, 20-30, 15-10) in non-conference action Saturday night at War Memorial Gym. The Dons (12-2) picked up their first ever victory against the Tigers (5-6) in 19 attempts.

Junior outside hitter Theresa Hart and senior middle blocker KeLicia Shorts, two members of the Dons' 2003 NCAA Tournament team that was swept by Pacific in the opening round turned in monster nights for San Francisco. Hart finished with a season-high 23 kills on a career-best .538 hitting to go along with 10 digs. With her third dig, Hart became just the eighth player in USF history to record 700 career kills and digs. Shorts was equally impressive with 15 kills on .333 hitting to go along with three blocks.

USF rolled made quick work of Pacific in the opening game and did not trail en route to a 2-0 advantage heading into the intermission. The Tigers stormed back with a tightly contested win in game three and then rolled the Dons in game four to even the contest at 2-2.

From there, it was the Hart and Shorts show as they combined for nine kills in the decisive game to help San Francisco improve to 4-0 this season in five-game matches.

USF head coach Jeff Nelson was thrilled with his team's effort against a quality Pacific squad.

"I was very pleased with how we played tonight. In games one and two we executed our game plan by jumping up and staying up. In games three and four, Pacific put on the pressure and I thought we played a little tight, but we came back and played loose in game 5. We pushed and stayed ahead. It is an exciting win for our program. We feel we are on the way up and it was an important victory over a great team," Nelson said.

? Sophomore outside hitter Kristin Hasselberg added 15 kills and eight digs for USF, while senior opposite hitter Jencie Lejeune matched her career-high of 12 for the third straight match. Sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Kearney tallied 10 kills on .400 hitting and added three blocks. Junior setter Jamie Kartchner dished out 69 assists to go along with 11 digs, while sophomore libero Brynn Maurer recorded a match-high 29 digs.

"Teresa Hart had an outstanding game offensively. Brynn Mauer was great on defense - she was all over the court making plays. Linzy Kearney was left open and answered the call in the middle and Jencie Lejeune played well for us also," Nelson said.

Senior outside hitter Ashley Groothius tallied a match-high 27 kills for the Tigers, while senior middle blocker Sidney Bennet joined her in double-figures with 15 on .444 hitting.

San Francisco returns to action when it hosts Sacramento State Tuesday September 20. First serve against the Hornets set for 7:00 PM at War Memorial Gym.

Utah - 3
Santa Clara - 2

Salt Lake City, Utah - For the first time in 2005, the Santa Clara women's volleyball team lost a match, snapping its seven-match win streak. The Broncos (7-1) were defeated tonight in the championship final of the Hampton Inn Utah Classic by the host school, the University of Utah. Game scores were 22-30, 30-20, 30-27, 28-30, and 15-13. Sophomore middle blocker Anna Cmaylo set career highs in both kills (20) and attempts (35) to lead the Broncos, all while hitting at a .486 clip. Junior outside hitter Kim McGiven added 17 kills, while senior opposite Cassie Perret and freshman outside hitter Brittany Lowe contributed 11 kills apiece.

"They had a loud crowd and I thought we handled those emotions ok," said head coach Jon Wallace. "It came down to execution and unfortunately, we just didn't get it done tonight."

Added Wallace: "I thought Brittany Lowe and Anna Cmaylo played well for us. Cmaylo is a big component for our team and for a freshman, I thought Lowe did well in such a hostile environment."

Santa Clara built a 7-3 lead in the first game to start off the match, thanks to back-to-back kills by Lowe and sophomore setter Crystal Matich. Despite the early deficit, the Utes never got discouraged, stringing together points to close the gap to 10-11. Santa Clara never lost its composure and was able to pull away to a sizeable 20-13 advantage after another Lowe kill. An attack error by a Utah attacker gave SCU the 30-22 first game victory.

To start off the second frame, Cmaylo gave the Broncos a boost with two early kills to knot up the score at 4-4. The two teams would continue to play fairly even and although Utah pushed ahead to a 9-6 lead, SCU would close the gap to 15-14 after a block by Perret and junior middle blocker Megan Pura. The advantage of playing at home began to manifest itself, however, and the Utes maintained a healthy edge the rest of the game. Utah would capture the second game 30-20 after a Utah kill.

After the 10-minute intermission, the Broncos came back to the court with a determined and focused effort. Early kills by McGiven, Cmaylo, and Perret jumpstarted the Bronco offense, which countered Utah's solid play. Trailing 10-7, Santa Clara outscored the home team 4-0 to capture the lead at 11-10, prompting Utah head coach Beth Launiere to call a timeout. Santa Clara would continue to apply the pressure on the Utes and pulled away 25-19 behind some big kills by Cmaylo and McGiven. However, Utah would not give up and managed to claw back to tie the game at 26-26 after an attack error by McGiven. Santa Clara would be outscored 4-1 for the remainder of the game, dropping the third frame 30-27 to Utah.

The Broncos got the fourth game off on a positive note, as McGiven notched a kill and Perret and Pura teamed up for a block, giving SCU the early 2-0 lead. Santa Clara and Utah would play evenly for much of the fourth frame, as neither team was able to build a sizable advantage. After claiming two straight points to go up 20-18, the home team looked to have all the momentum and Wallace took a timeout to slow down the Utes. Coming out of the break, back-to-back kills by Perret and McGiven tied the score up at 20-20 and the Broncos seized control from then on. After a kill by Lowe, Santa Clara claimed the fourth game 30-28 to send the match into a decisive fifth game.

In the fifth and final game, there was not much separating the two squads, as each team was able to match the other point for point. After a kills by a Utah attacker, the home team went on a 2-0 run that pushed them ahead for good and Santa Clara was never able to recover. The five-game thriller ended after Lowe made a hitting error.

Despite the loss, it was a night of career highs for several Bronco players. In addition to Cmaylo, Matich tied her career high in assists with 61, to go along with her four blocks, and Lowe contributed a career high in digs with 19 to lead all players in the match.

Four Bronco players made the All-Tournament team: McGiven, Perret, Cmaylo, and libero Caroline Walters.