Oct. 5, 2004
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WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mandy Bible, SMC
The sophomore setter from Santa Barbara, Calif. led Saint Mary's to three wins on the week, including its second victory over then-No. 11 Stanford. The Gaels also snapped Pepperdine's 43-match WCC win streak and its 19-match win streak against SMC. Bible recorded double-doubles in all three matches. She collected 185 assists (15.4 per game average), 33 digs (2.75 per game average), 11 blocks (.917 per game average), 11 kills (.917 per game average), a .500 hitting percentage and three aces on the week. Bible recorded an impressive 71 assists against Stanford at home early in the week. Bible leads a balanced SMC team that sits atop the WCC with a 13-1 overall record, and a 2-0 conference record.
WCC PLAYER OF THE MONTH-September
Annalisa Muratore, SCU
The freshman middle blocker has been a huge offensive and defensive presence on the court for the Broncos this season. Muratore led the WCC and ranked second nationally in hitting percentage at a .470 clip in September, recording 131 kills with only 23 errors in 230 attempts. She also led the WCC and ranked 11th nationally in blocks per game with 1.59. The freshman recorded a double-double in her collegiate debut against Sacramento State with 14 kills and 11 blocks on Sept. 1. Muratore earned MVP honors at the TCU adidas Invitational after a dominating weekend and a perfect 3-0 record. The performance earned Muratore the WCC Player of the Week award on Sept. 21.
Upcoming Schedule
October 5
LMU at No. 13 UCSB - 7:00 pm
San Diego vs. San Diego St. - 7:00 pm
October 8
*No. 19 Saint Mary's at Gonzaga - 7:00 pm
*Pepperdine at LMU - 7:00 pm
*San Francisco at Portland - 7:00 pm
October 9
*No. 19 Saint Mary's at Portland - 7:00 pm
*San Francisco at Gonzaga - 7:00 pm
*No. 12 Santa Clara at San Diego - 7:00 pm
*Conference Match
Around the WCC
WCC Win Streaks Snapped
Saint Mary's ended two significant win-streaks Saturday with its 3-1 victory over Pepperdine. Going into the match, the Waves were riding a 43-match win streak in conference play and had a commanding 19-match win streak against the Gaels. Saint Mary's improved to 2-0 in conference play with the win, while Pepperdine fell to 1-1 and lost its first WCC match since 2000.
SCU & SMC In The National Polls
Santa Clara jumped up one spot in the USA Today/CSTV Coaches Poll sponsored by the AVCA to No. 12, while Saint Mary's entered the poll for the first time this season at No. 19. The No. 19 ranking is the highest in school history for the Gaels. Santa Clara has been ranked by the AVCA for six straight weeks. San Diego was listed in the others receiving votes.
Bible Named National Player Of The Week
Mandy Bible became the first Saint Mary's player and just the third WCC player to be named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week. Sarah Noriega and Sarah McFarland from Loyola Marymount are the only other WCC players to earn the honor. Both Noriega and McFarland earned the honor two times during their careers. McFarland was the last WCC player to earn National Player of the Week on November 6, 2000.
1,800 Career Kills
San Francisco's senior outside hitter Stephanie Voelckers surpassed 1,800 career kills against Loyola Marymount this weekend. The transfer from Hartford finished the night with 1,818 career kills. Voelckers is in her first season with the Dons.
Games To Watch
Loyola Marymount at #13 UC Santa Barbara-Tuesday, October 5 at 7:00 pm
Loyola Marymount is playing well of late despite a 3-1 loss to Saint Mary's to open WCC play last weekend. The Lions picked up their first WCC win at San Francisco and are currently tied for second place with Pepperdine at 1-1. Loyola Marymount is one match back of Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, and San Diego. Senior setter Nicole Oehlman leads the Lions attack and ranks fifth in the WCC with 12.38 assists per game. Senior middle blocker Kelli Nerison leads LMU and the WCC in blocks per game with 1.73, and ranks third in the WCC with a .337 hitting percentage. UC Santa Barbara enters the match at 9-1 overall and 4-1 in Big West play. The Gauchos suffered their first loss of the season last weekend to Pacific. UCSB has won 15 of its last 16 non-conference matches. The Gauchos are led by Janine Sandell and Megan Blackshire. Sandell is averaging a team-high 3.94 kills per game, while Blackshire averages 3.47 kills per game and is hitting at a team-high .448 clip.
#19 Saint Mary's at Portland -Saturday, October 9 at 7:00 PM
A red hot Saint Mary's team will travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on Portland. The Gaels earned their first USA Today/CSTV Coaches Top 25 ranking this week after beating then-No. 11 Stanford, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine at home. This match is the first road WCC match for Saint Mary's and the first home WCC match for Portland. The Gaels sit atop the WCC standings at 2-0, while the Pilots have yet to win a WCC match and are 0-2. SMC is led by WCC and National Player of the Week, sophomore setter Mandy Bible, senior outside hitter Lindsey Bogason and junior outside hitter Kaui Salzman. Portland is led by senior middle blocker Michelle Oakland, junior outside hitter Sara Vercruyssen and junior setter Sheena Surplus.
#12 Santa Clara at San Diego - Saturday, October 9 at 7:00 PM
In a battle of WCC unbeatens, Santa Clara will travel to San Diego this weekend. The Broncos and the Toreros are tied for first place in the WCC with Saint Mary's at 2-0. Santa Clara has won five straight against San Diego dating back to 2001. Both SCU and USD were impressive in the opening weekend of WCC play. Both teams beat Gonzaga and Portland. Santa Clara leads the WCC in hitting percentage and blocks, while San Diego leads the conference in assists, kills, and service aces. Santa Clara is led by WCC Player of the Month, freshman middle blocker Annalisa Muratore and junior outside hitter Toni Muratore. The younger Muratore leads the WCC in hitting percentage and is second in blocks per game. San Diego is led by junior setter Lindsey Sherburne and senior outside hitter Devon Forster. Sherburne leads the WCC in assists per game and service aces per game. Forster leads the WCC in kills per game and points per game.
Team Notes
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga dropped its first two matches of WCC play on the road last weekend at Santa Clara and San Diego, and was swept by Idaho earlier in the week...The Bulldogs nearly upset then-No. 13 Santa Clara, but eventually dropped the fifth game and lost 3-2...Gonzaga then was swept by San Diego, 3-0...Freshman middle blocker Briawna Mueller had another big blocking night of her young career against SCU finishing with 10 block assists...Mueller currently ranks fifth in the WCC with 1.30 blocks per game...Senior setter Emilee Gihring passed out 49 assists against Idaho, tying her for third on the Gonzaga single-match list for assists in a three-game match...The Bulldogs will host a red-hot No. 19 Saint Mary's team and San Francisco this weekend...Gonzaga is looking for its first WCC win this season.
Loyola Marymount Lions
Loyola Marymount earned its first WCC victory of the season on the road against San Francisco, 3-1 last weekend after losing at Saint Mary's, 3-1...LMU's 39 block assists against USF set a new all-time program record for team block assists in a four-game match, passing the previous 18-year record of 35 set in 1986...Freshman outside hitter Keri Anglin and senior setter Nicole Oehlman each put up double-double performances against USF, with Anglin recording career-highs in both kills and digs...Senior middle blocker Dina DeBernardi chipped in 14 kills and a career-high nine blocks against the Dons...The Lions wrap up a seven-match road swing as they take on No. 13 UC Santa Barbara Tuesday...Loyola Marymount will then take on Pepperdine in its first home WCC match of the year Friday night.
Pepperdine Waves
Pepperdine picked up its first WCC win of the season on the road against San Francisco, 3-0 this weekend, but its 43-match WCC win streak came to a disappointing end as Saint Mary's downed the Waves for the first time in 10 years, 3-1...The win also put an end to the 19-match win streak the Waves were looking to extend against the Gaels...Pepperdine dominated San Francisco in the opener as junior setter Melissa Mehlhorn ran a near perfect offense...The Waves hit at a season-best .381 clip in the three-game sweep of the Dons...Junior outside hitter Katy Daly led the Waves with her team-leading seventh double-double of the year, recording 18 kills and 11 digs against USF...Pepperdine will travel to cross-town rival Loyola Marymount for its only match of the week Friday night.
Portland Pilots
Portland's five-match win streak came to end on the road this weekend as the Pilots were swept by San Diego 3-0...Portland then took then-No. 13 Santa Clara to four, before losing, 3-1...Junior outside hitter Sara Vercruyssen recorded 19 kills and 16 digs, her fifth double-double of the season, against Santa Clara...Junior middle blocker Liz Lord also recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs...Senior middle blocker Michelle Oakland led the Pilots with 12 kills and an impressive .435 hitting percentage against San Diego...Oakland is currently second in the WCC with a .397 hitting percentage...The Pilots will play their first home WCC matches of the season this weekend against San Francisco and No. 19 Saint Mary's...The Pilots look to end a three-match losing streak against the Dons and a five-match losing streak against the Gaels.
Saint Mary's Gaels
Saint Mary's continues to turn heads as it received its first USA Today/CSTV Coaches Top 25 ranking of the year coming it at No. 19...The Gaels opened WCC play at home last weekend...SMC beat a tough Loyola Marymount team, 3-1, and snapped Pepperdine's 43-match WCC win streak by beating the Waves 3-1...Earlier in the week, Saint Mary's beat then-No. 11 Stanford for the second time this year, 3-1...The win against Pepperdine also marked the first time SMC has beaten the Waves in 10 years and 20 matches...Sophomore setter Mandy Bible was named WCC Player of the Week and Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week...Bible is the first SMC player to earn National Player of the Week...The Gaels will travel to the Pacific Northwest this weekend to take on Gonzaga and Portland.
San Diego Toreros
San Diego was impressive at home in the opening weekend of WCC play...The Toreros swept both Portland 3-0 and Gonzaga 3-0...The Toreros extended their win streak against the Pilots to 25 matches...The win streak is the second longest current streak in the WCC, just behind Santa Clara's 28-match win streak against USF...Against Gonzaga, the Toreros hit for a season-high hitting percentage of .410...Senior outside hitter Devon Forster recorded 15 kills against Portland and 17 kills against Gonzaga...San Diego, as a team, currently leads the WCC in assists, kills and service aces...San Diego will host a mid-week match against San Diego State before hosting No. 12 Santa Clara Saturday night...The Toreros are looking for their first win against the Broncos in their last six matches.
San Francisco Dons
San Francisco opened WCC play last weekend 0-2 at home, after being swept by Pepperdine, 3-0 and falling to Loyola Marymount, 3-1...The Dons played well in stretches against LMU, but the Lions were able to shake off a slow start and secure the victory...Freshman outside hitter Kristin Hasselberg and junior middle blocker KeLicia Shorts each recorded 10 kills in the loss to the Waves...Senior outside hitter Stephanie Voelckers recorded 20 kills and 13 digs against LMU, while sophomore outside hitter Theresa Hart chipped in a double-double with 12 kills in the match and career-high 22 digs...Voelckers surpassed the 1,800 career kills mark against LMU, and now has 1,818 on her career...USF will travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on Portland and Gonzaga this weekend.
Santa Clara Broncos
Santa Clara went 3-0 last week after sweeping then-No. 12 Cal and downing WCC competition Gonzaga and Portland...The Broncos beat Gonzaga 3-2 and Portland 3-1...The Broncos have now won 20 straight matches against Gonzaga and 19 straight matches against Portland...Freshman middle blocker Annalisa Muratore posted 20 kills against Gonzaga and 17 kills and a career-high 12 blocks against Portland...Junior outside hitter Toni Muratore also posted 20 kills against Gonzaga...Six Broncos reached double digits in kills against Portland...The younger Muratore was named WCC Volleyball Player of the Month...Santa Clara will next play at San Diego Saturday in WCC action...Both SCU and USD are undefeated in conference play.
