MWC Posts 6-3 Mark vs. Ranked Opponents
Mountain West Conference teams wrapped up the week with a 6- 3 record vs. top 25 opponents, including a pair of wins over No. 1 Stanford and another victory vs. No. 2 Long Beach State. BYU became the second Mountain West team this week, and the third this season, to defeat a No. 1-ranked opponent as the Cougars topped Stanford in four games in Provo, Utah, Friday. Utah stunned the No. 1-ranked Cardinal Tuesday in Salt Lake City, and Colorado State defeated then-No. 1 UCLAon Aug. 26. The Mountain West is 9-10 overall vs. ranked opponents this year. The top three MWC teams, Utah, Colorado State and BYU, are a combined 9-2 vs. ranked teams, including a 3-0 mark vs. No. 1-ranked opponents.

National Player of the Week
Nina Puikkonen, a 6-3 junior middle blocker from Murray, Utah, helped lead then-No. 17 BYU to a 5-0 record last week with three wins over top 20 teams, resulting in her being named the AVCA/Sports Imports Division I National Player of the Week. Puikkonen's National Player of the Week award marks the first for any Mountain West Conference volleyball student-athlete.

Mountain West Conference Player of the Week
Nina Puikkonen (BYU) was named the Mountain West Volleyball Player of the Week, marking the first time this season and the third time overall Puikkonen has earned the award. Puikkonen helped the Cougars to a 5-0 record last week, highlighted by victories over three ranked opponents. BYU stunned No. 1 Stanford Friday, and came back for a five-game win over No. 2 Long Beach State the next night to win the Mizuno Classic Championship in Provo. The Cougars started the week with a win over No. 20 Kansas State Tuesday. Puikkonen was named the Mizuno Classic Most Valuable Player after racking up 71 kills, 34 blocks and 36 digs to go with a .397 hitting percentage in the tournament. For the week, the two-time All-America selection hit .400 (88k-24e-160a) and totaled 88 kills (4.63 per game), 44 digs (2.32 per game), 41 blocks (2.16 per game) and eight aces.

Tournament Recap
The MWC was a combined 13-12 last weekend in tournament action. Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico and Wyoming host tournaments this weekend, while San Diego State travels for tournament play. Alook at last weekend's results:
* Air Force dropped three matches at the Kansas State Wildcat Classic. The Falcons host the Air Force Classic this weekend.
* BYU highlighted the week with victories over No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Long Beach State to win the BYU Mizuno Classic title.
* Colorado State won its University Holiday Inn Classic with a 3- 0 record after sweeping Auburn, Drake and No. 13 UC Santa Barbara. The Rams host the Coors Classic this weekend.
* New Mexico lost three matches at the Michigan Tournament, including a three-game setback to host and No. 25 Michigan. The Lobos host the Clubhouse Inn Invitational this weekend.
* San Diego State posted a 2-2 record at the Nike Conference Challenge after wins over St. Mary's and Portland State. The Azrecs travel to the Cornell Invitational this weekend.
* UNLV dropped three home matches at the UNLV Invitational.
* Utah captured the Cal Poly Tournament with a 3-0 record, including wins over No. 24 San Diego and host Cal Poly SLO.
* Wyoming posted a 2-1 record at the UW-Milwaukee Tournament after dropping its opening match to the host Panthers. Wyoming hosts the Cowgirl Classic this weekend.

Tournament Honors
All eight Mountain West teams participated in tournaments last weekend. Following is a list of honors received at the tournaments:
* BYU placed three players on the Mizuno Classic all-tournament team. Sunny Tonga (So., RS) and Jackie Bundy (Jr., MB) joined MVP Nina Puikkonen (Jr., MB) for all-tournament honors.
* Colorado State's Angela Knopf (Jr., MB) was named MVPat the University Park Holiday Inn Classic in Fort Collins, while teammates Summer Jennings (Sr., MB) and Krista Swartzendruber (Sr., OH) earned all-tournament honors.
* San Diego State's Nicole Akporiaye (So., OH) was named to the all-tournament team at the Nike Conference Challenge in Portland after helping the Aztecs to a 2-2 record.
* Utah's McKelle Stilson (Jr., MB) was named MVP at the Cal Poly Royal Oak Classic after helping the Utes to a 3-0 mark. Jen Snow-Richards (Sr., OH) and Lenka Urbanova (Jr., OH) joined teammate Stilson on the all-tournament team.
* Wyoming's Melody Friehauf (Sr., MB) earned all-tournament team honors at the Powerade Panther Invitational in Milwaukee after helping the Cowgirls to a 2-1 record.

Tournament Success
Utah is 6-0 in tournaments this season after winning tournament titles at New Hampshire and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Colorado State is 7-1 in tournaments after capturing the NACWAA State Farm title in Gainesville, and the University Holiday Inn Classic in Fort Collins. The Rams finished second in the Nebraska USBank Tournament. BYU is 5-1 in tournaments after winning the Mizuno Classic in Provo and placing second in the Notre Dame Invitational.

The Rankings
Colorado State reached its best ranking in history at No. 4 this week in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Top 25 Coaches poll while BYU leaped from No. 17 to No. 10. Utah earned its first-ever school ranking at No. 18. The Rams have been ranked in the poll 117 weeks since the poll began in 1982 and the Cougars have been ranked 215 weeks. BYU reached its highest ranking in school history at No. 1 on four occasions.

Playing the Best
The Mountain West Conference continues to play some of the nation's best teams. Colorado State, Utah and BYU have picked up victories over No. 1-ranked opponents this season. The MWC has battled 19 ranked opponents so far this season, including nine vs. top 10 teams. On tap this weekend: No. 13 Arizona at No. 10 BYU, No. 13 Arizona at No. 18 Utah, UNLV at No. 2 Hawai`i.

MWC Record vs. Ranked Opponents
(ranking noted at time teams played)

BYU 4-1
vs. No. 27 Clemson W 3-0
at No. 28 Notre Dame L 2-3
No. 20 Kansas State W 3-1
No. 1 Stanford W 3-1
No. 2 Long Beach State W 3-2

Colorado State 3-1
vs. No. 9 Florida W 3-1
vs. No. 1 UCLA W 3-2
at No. 6 Nebraska L 1-3
No. 13 UC Santa Barbara W 3-0

New Mexico 0-2
No. 3 Stanford L 0-3
at No. 25 Michigan L 0-3

San Diego State 0-4
No. 31 San Diego L 0-3
No. 10 Arizona L 0-3
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara L 0-3
No. 9 Pepperdine L 0-3

UNLV 0-2
vs. No. 9 Florida L 0-3
vs. No. 16 Wisconsin L 0-3

Utah 2-0
No. 1 Stanford W 3-2
vs. No. 24 San Diego W 3-2

Total 9-10

MWC vs. Non-conference
Listed below is the MWC re c o rd against non-confere n c e opponents. Last year, Mountain West teams posted a 45-39 record against the top 15 conferences listed in the 1999 final RPI ranking.

2000 vs. Non-conference
ACC 1-0
Big East 0-1
Big Sky 2-1
Big Ten 1-2
Big 12 2-2
Big West 3-3
Independent 0-1
Metro Atlantic 1-0
Mid-American 1-2
Mid-Continent 1-0
Midwestern 0-1
Missouri Valley 2-1
Ohio Valley 1-0
Pac 10 3-4
SEC 4-4
Southland 2-1
WAC 1-1
West Coast 3-2
Total 28-26

Coaching Milestones
Several MWC volleyball coaches are approching significant milestones this season.
* BYU's Elaine Michaelis, who is second in all-time victories among NCAA Division I coaches with 847, needs just three wins to reach the 850- milestone. The all-time leader in wins among female coaches, Michaelis is currently 847-210-5 in 32 seasons.
* UNLV's Deitre Collins needs just one win to reach 50 career victories. Collins is currently 49-69 in five seasons.
* Colorado State's Tom Hilbert needs 11 wins to reach 100 victories at CSU and 12 wins to reach 275 career victories. Hilbert is currently 263-90 in 12 seasons.
* Utah's Beth Launiere needs 13 wins to reach 200 career victories. Launiere is currently 187-138 in 10 seasons.
* Wyoming's Susan Judge needs just one win to reach 100 career victories. Judge is currently 99-100 in seven seasons.

Mountain West Players of the Week
Sept. 4 Courtney Cox, Jr., OH, Colorado State
Sept. 11 Nina Puikkonen, Jr., MB, BYU

Mountain West Conference First
Colorado State's upset of No. 1 UCLA in Gainesville, Fla., in week one marks the first-ever victory by any Mountain West Conference team over a No. 1-ranked opponent. Utah and BYU matched that feat last week as the Utes and the Cougars each topped No. 1 Stanford.

MWC Granted Automatic Qualification
Entering its second year in existence, the Mountain West Conference was granted automatic qualification by the NCAA, meaning the champion of the postseason tournament will receive an automatic bid to the 2000 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. Last year without the automatic bid, BYU, Utah and Colorado State received at-large bids to the 64-team tournament.

MWC Championship in Fort Collins
The 2000 Mountain West Conference volleyball championship will take place in Fort Collins, Colo. Colorado State will serve as host to the championship which takes place Nov. 16-18 at Moby Arena. For media credential information, contact Ron Christian at 719-533-9510.

2000 Mountain West Conference Match Clubs
30-Kill Club
30 Courtney Cox (Colorado State) at Nebraska, Sept. 2

20-Kill Club
25 Delevane Diaz (Air Force) vs. Colorado, Sept. 11
25 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Stanford, Sept. 8
24 Krista Swartzendruber (Colorado State) vs. UCLA, Aug. 26
24 Courtney Cox (Colorado State) vs. UCLA, Aug. 26
24 Katrena Ellett (Utah) vs. Stanford, Sept. 5
23 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Stanford, Sept. 5
20 Jamie Burke (Wyoming) at Tex.-Arlington, Sept. 4
20 Delevane Diaz (Air Force) vs. Mississippi State, Sept. 4

30-Dig Club
31 Adrianna Bradley-Drake (Utah) vs. San Diego, Sept. 9
30 Jen Snow-Richards (Utah) vs. Stanford, Sept. 5

20-Dig Club
25 Krista Swartzendruber (Colorado State) vs. UCLA, Aug. 26
20 Krista Swartzendruber (Colorado State) at Nebraska, Sept. 2
22 Alissa Geddes (Utah) vs. Stanford, Sept. 5

10-Block Club (total blocks)
15 Erin Grady (San Diego State) vs. Idaho, Sept. 9
14 Jackie Bundy (BYU) vs. Notre Dame, Sept. 2
10 Angela Knopf (Colorado State) vs. Nebraska, Sept. 2
10 Summer Jennings (Colorado State) vs. Colorado, Sept. 5
10 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Stanford, Sept. 8.

Team Notes:

Air Force Falcons (2-4, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Penny Lucas-White
Overall Record: 132-164 (10th year)
School Record: 37-84 (5th year)
* Air Force started the season at 2-0 before dropping its last five matches.
* Senior outside hitter Ana-Maria Ortega and freshman outside hitter Delevane Diaz lead the MWC in double-doubles with four each this season.
* Shaylor Billings ranks fourth in the league in kills per game (3.85) and hitting percentage (.380). Delevane Diaz is second in aces per game (.55) and Ana-Maria Ortega is third in digs per game (3.05).

BYU Cougars (6-1, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Elaine Michaelis
Overall Record: 847-210-5 (32nd year)
School Record: 847-210-5 (32nd year)
* All-American middle blocker Nina Puikkonen nearly completed two triple-doubles and led BYU in kills in each of its five match victories last week. Puikkonen, the BYU Mizuno Classic MVP, MWC Player of the Week and AVCANational Player of the Week, helped the Cougars defeat three top-20 teams, including wins on back-to-back nights over No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Long Beach State. Puikkonen averaged 4.63 kills, 2.32 digs, 2.16 blocks and 0.42 aces per game while hitting .400 during BYU's perfect 5-0 week. She led the Cougars to a come-from-behind win over No. 2 Long Beach State, tying her career-bests in kills (25) and digs (12) while setting a new high with four aces. Sophomore Sunny Tonga added a career-best 21 kills vs. 49ers.
* The Cougars hit .310 as a team during the five victories, while averaging 18.74 kills and 3.95 blocks per game. BYU held its opponents to a .146 hitting percentage, including a meager .052 hitting percentage by Stanford.
* The Cougars lead the MWC in blocks (3.83 bpg) and kills (17.19 kpg).

Colorado State Rams (8-1, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Tom Hilbert
Overall Record: 263-90 (12th year)
School Record: 89-18 (4th year)
* The Rams are in the midst of a 31-match home win streak dating back to Arizona's victory over Colorado State Sept. 6, 1998.
* Summer Jennings and Allison Peckham both had career highs in service aces against UCSB with three and four, respectively. Peckham did not play in the first two matches of last weekend's tournament due to a shoulder injury which was dislocated during the Colorado match on Tuesday.
* Colorado State has won the first game of every match this season. The Rams, 6-0 when winning games one and two, have led every match in kills this year.
* Summer Jennings tallied her 700th career kill and 300th block assist this weekend. Krista Swartzendruber notched her career 600th kill against UCSB on Saturday.

New Mexico Lobos (2-5, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Laurel Brassey Iversen
Overall Record: 282-198 (17th year)
School Record: 282-198 (17th year)
* Since returning to action from a shoulder injury, senior outside hitter Micaela Conley has tallied two double-doubles in her last three matches.
* Freshman Amy Amundson continues her stellar play by leading the Lobos in hitting percentage with .349 (75k-17e-166a). and total blocks (5 solo, 19 assists).
* The Lobos lost the services for the season of junior middle blocker Vanessa Shields to a knee injury suffered in the second

San Diego State Aztecs (2-5, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Mark Warner
Overall Record: 85-75 (6th year)
School Record: 85-75 (6th year)
* Freshman Zlatina Anguelova continues to impress in her first year of collegiate competition. She leads the Aztecs in total attempts (162) and ranks second in kills (67). Last weekend, she racked up 39 kills in three matches.
* Senior middle blocker Erin Grady set a MWC senior record with 15 total blocks vs. Idaho. The conference leader with 1.95 bpg, she had 31 block assists in four matches last weekend.
* The Aztecs used four different starting lineups over the weekend. Melissa Wright, Erin Grady and Zlatina Anguelova were the only three players to start each match.

UNLV Rebels (0-7, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Deitre Collins
Overall Record: 49-69 (5th year)
School Record: 49-69 (5th year)
* Last year UNLV started the season 7-0, but this year the Rebels are off to an 0-7 start. It doesn't get any easier for the Rebels as their next four matches are vs. ranked teams.
* Freshman outside hitter Leiana Oswald ranks sixth in the conference in kills per game (3.74).
* Junior middle blocker Amder Graham is fourth in the MWC with 2.92 digs per game.

Utah Utes (7-0, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Beth Launiere
Overall Record: 187-138 (11th year)
School Record: 187-138 (11th year)
* The Utes earned their first-ever ranking in volleyball by checking in at No. 18 this week after two victories over ranked opponents. Stanford's loss to the Utes was the first Cardinal setback to an unranked team since 1989.
* Utah would record the best start in school history with a win over Temple Friday. The Utes already matched the school's best start of 7-0 set by the 1992 team.
* Senior outside hitter Jen Snow-Richards has the league's only triple-double of the season after totaling 12 kills, 11 assists and 14 digs vs. Nevada on Sept. 8.
* Lucie Turkova set the single-match assist record with 81 vs. Stanford Sept. 5, and the Utes also set the team mark in that category with 93.
* Utah, who leads the MWC in digs, set the MWC team record for digs in a match with 101 vs. San Diego Sept. 9. Jen Snow-Richards and Adrianna Bradley-Drake, who rank one and two in the MWC in digs, respectively, set the MWC single-match senior and junior records for digs last week (see page 5).

Wyoming Cowgirls (4-4, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Susan Judge
Overall Record: 99-100 (7th year)
School Record: 62-68 (5th year)
* Senior middle blocker Melody Friehauf, a 2000 NCAA Woman of the Year State winner, is third in the MWC for hitting percentage at .389. Friehauf is in the pool of 51 candidates for consideration as the national NCAAWoman of the Year which will be announced Oct. 15.
* Sophomore Stephanie Snyder, a transfer from North Dakota, and freshman Katy Brown have teamed up to handle the setting duties for the Cowgirls this season. Snyder is averaging a team-high 9.82 assists per game, followed by Brown at 9.0 apg.
* The Cowgirls, 4-0 when hitting over .200 this season, are on a two-match win streak and play their next five matches at home.

This Season's Triple-Doubles
Jen Snow-Richards (Utah) 12k-11ast-14d vs. Nevada, Sept. 8