Rams, Falcons, Aztecs Capture Tourney Titles, Conference Play To Open This Week
Colorado State and Air Force won home tournaments last weekend while San Diego State took the
Cornell Invitational championship. The Rams, whose only loss on the year came to No. 1 Nebraska,
stretched their winning streak to seven matches.
New Mexico placed second at its Lobo Invitational
with a 2-1 record. BYU and Utah split a pair of home matches over the weekend, each falling to No.
13 Arizona and defeating Temple.
Colorado State will host Wyoming Wednesday in the first Mountain West Conference match of the
season before the two teams travel to the Notre Dame Golden Dome Invitational next weekend. The
remaining six MWC teams open conference play Friday.
Diaz Named Player of the Week
Freshman outside hitter Delevane Diaz from Air Force was named the Mountain West Conference
Volleyball Player of the Week after leading Air Force to a 4-1 record.
A native of Tampa, Fla., Diaz helped the Falcons stretch their win streak to four matches while
capturing the Air Force Classic Championship last week. Diaz recorded her fifth double-double of the
year with a career-high 25 kills and 11 digs in a loss to Colorado Tuesday, and tallied a
career-high 24 digs in a sweep of Wisconsin-Green Bay Thursday.
Diaz started the Air Force Classic with a team-high 15 kills in a three-game sweep over Army and
finished the tournament with 32 kills in three matches as the Falcons swept Prairie View A&M and
defeated Winthrop in four games. Diaz was named to the Air Force Classic all-tournament team,
marking the third straight week she earned all-tournament honors. For the week, she racked up 72
kills (5.14 kills per game), 52 digs (3.71 dpg), and nine blocks while hitting .182 (72k-39e-181a).
Upcoming Schedule
USA Today/AVCA ranking listed in parenthesis, All times are local
September 19 (Tuesday)
UC-Riverside at SAN DIEGO STATE, 7:00 p.m.
September 20 (Wednesday)
* WYOMING at COLORADO STATE (4), 7:00 p.m.
September 22 (Friday)
* AIR FORCE at NEW MEXICO, 7 p.m.
* SAN DIEGO STATE at UTAH (18), 7 p.m.
* UNLV at BYU (15), 7 p.m.
CSU and WYOMING
at Golden Dome Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
COLORADO STATE (4) vs. Loyola Marymount (22), 5 p.m.
WYOMING at Notre Dame (24), 7 p.m.
September 23 (Saturday)
* SAN DIEGO STATE at BYU (15), 7 p.m.
* UNLV at UTAH (18), 7 p.m.
CSU and WYOMING
at Golden Dome Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
COLORADO STATE (4) at Notre Dame (24), 7 p.m.
WYOMING vs. Loyola Marymount (22), 5 p.m.
Last Week's Results
USA Today/AVCA ranking listed in parenthesis, All times are local
September 11 (Monday)
Colorado def. AIR FORCE 15-8, 15-11, 3-15, 16-14
September 12 (Tuesday)
Utah State def. BYU (10) 15-13, 15-8, 15-6
September 13 (Wednesday)
AIR FORCE def. Wisconsin-Green Bay 15-13, 15-4, 15-9
September 14 (Thursday)
UC Santa Barbara (14) def. UNLV 15-7, 15-3, 15-6 (in Hawai¹i)
Utah State def. WYOMING 15-8, 15-6, 13-15, 15-6
September 15 (Friday)
AFA hosts Air Force Classic
AIR FORCE def. Army 15-3, 15-7, 15-3
COLORADO STATE hosts Coors Classic
COLORADO STATE (4) def. Massachusetts 15-2, 15-3, 15-3
NEW MEXICO hosts UNM-Clubhouse Inn Invitational
Arizona State def. NEW MEXICO 15-9, 15-9, 15-3
SDSU at Cornell Invitational (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SAN DIEGO STATE def. Northeastern 15-9, 15-11, 15-2
WYOMING hosts Cowgirl Classic
Xavier def. WYOMING 16-14, 15-2, 15-12
Arizona (13) def. BYU (10) 15-12, 15-9, 8-15, 15-5
UTAH (18) def. Temple 18-16, 16-14, 16-18, 15-1
September 16 (Saturday)
AFA hosts Air Force Classic
AIR FORCE def. Prairie View 15-4, 15-8, 15-1
AIR FORCE def. Winthrop 15-12, 6-15, 15-12, 15-3
CSU hosts Coors Classic
COLORADO ST. (4) def. Loyola-Ill. 15-12, 15-6, 6-15, 12-15, 15-10
COLORADO ST. (4) def. Georgia Tech 15-6, 15-6, 15-2
NEW MEXICO hosts UNM-Clubhouse Inn Invitational
NEW MEXICO def. UC-Riverside 15-9, 15-7, 15-4
NEW MEXICO def. Oral Roberts 15-4, 17-15, 15-8
SDSU at Cornell Invitational (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SAN DIEGO ST. def. Kent State 15-8, 15-2, 9-15, 15-12
SAN DIEGO ST. def. Cornell 15-7, 15-17, 15-6, 15-11
WYOMING hosts Cowgirl Classic
Pittsburgh def. WYOMING 15-13, 2-15, 15-13, 15-10
WYOMING def. UW-Green Bay 15-8, 7-15, 15-6, 15-13
Arizona (13) def. UTAH (18) 15-3, 15-8, 15-10
BYU (10) def. Temple 15-2, 15-5, 15-2
Hawai¹i (2) def. UNLV 15-0, 15-12, 15-3
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.
Site: Moby Arena (8,745) -- Fort Collins, Colo., Colorado State University-host
Ticket Information: Call 800/491-RAMS
Date Event
Wednesday, Nov. 15 MWC Banquet
Thursday, Nov. 16 #1 seed vs. #8 seed, TBA
#2 seed vs. #7 seed, TBA
#3 seed vs. #6 seed, TBA
#4 seed vs. #5 seed, TBA
Friday, Nov. 17 Semifinal #1, TBA
Semifinal #2, TBA
Saturday, Nov. 18 Championship, TBA
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.
Playing the Best
The Mountain West Conference continues to play some of the nation¹s best teams. Colorado State, Utah
and BYU have picked up victories over No. 1-ranked opponents this season. The MWC has battled 23
ranked opponents so far this season, including nine vs. top 10 teams. On tap this weekend: Wyoming
and No. 4 Colorado State travel to South Bend, Ind., to battle No. 22 Loyola Marymount and No. 24
Notre Dame.
Tournament Recap
The MWC was a combined 12-3 last weekend in tournament action. Colorado State and Wyoming travel to
the Golden Dome Invitational at Notre Dame this week. A look at last weekend¹s results:
Air Force won the Air Force Classic Championship with a 3-0 mark. Delevane Diaz, Ana-Marie Ortega
and Shaylor Billings earned all-tournament team honors. Brittany Edmonds was tournament MVP.
Colorado State won its Coors Classic title with a 3-0 record. Angela Knopf was named MVP while
teammates Summer Jennings and Soraya Santos earned all-tournament accolades.
New Mexico finished second at its Clubhouse Inn Invitational with a 2-1 record. Micaela Conley and
Jessie Goffard were named to the all-tournament team.
San Diego State won the Cornell Invitational with a 3-0 record. Aspen McPartland was named MVP and
teammates Nicole Akporiaye and Zlatina Anguelova were all-tournament selections.
Wyoming posted a 1-2 record in its Cowgirl Classic. Melody Friehauf and Barbie Bragg earned
all-tournament honors.
Tournament Success
Overall this season, Mountain West teams are a combined 39-28 in tournaments with eight
championships. Utah is 6-0 in tournaments this season after winning tournament titles at New
Hampshire and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Colorado State is 10-1 in tournaments after capturing the
NACWAA State Farm title in Gainesville, and the University Holiday Inn Classic and Coors Classic
tournaments 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. San Diego State won the Cornell Invitational, and Air Force took the Air Force Classic
title.
The Fastest To 100
Sixteen Mountain West players have topped 100 kills this season. Colorado State¹s Courtney Cox
wasted little time reaching the century mark as she reached 101 kills in just six matches.
Diaz leads the MWC in kills per game at 4.44, followed by Cox at 4.10, Puikkonen at 3.97 and
Billings at 3.78.
The Rankings
Colorado State remained No. 4 this week in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Top 25 Coaches poll while
BYU slipped to No. 15 . Utah stayed at No. 18. The Rams have been ranked in the poll 118 weeks since
the poll began in 1982 and the Cougars have been ranked 216 weeks. BYU reached its highest ranking
in school history at No. 1 on four occasions.
Coaching Milestones
Several MWC volleyball coaches are approching significant milestones this season.
BYU¹s Elaine Michaelis, who is second in all-time victories among NCAA Division I coaches with
848, needs just two wins to reach the 850-milestone. The all-time leader in wins among female
coaches, Michaelis is currently 848-212-5 in 32 seasons.
UNLV¹s Deitre Collins needs just one win to reach 50 career victories. Collins is currently 49-71
in five seasons.
Colorado State¹s Tom Hilbert needs eight wins to reach 100 victories at CSU and nine wins to
reach 275 career victories. Hilbert is currently 266-90 in 12 seasons.
Utah¹s Beth Launiere needs 12 wins to reach 200 career victories. Launiere is currently 188-139 in
10 seasons.
Wyoming¹s Susan Judge topped the career 100 victory mark with the Cowgirls four-game win vs.
Wisconsin-Green Bay Sept. 16. Judge is currently 101-103 in seven seasons.
Grand Fan Club
Following is a list of matches that topped 1,000 fans this season:
UNLV at Hawai`i, S 16 6,447
Arizona at BYU, S 15 1,505
Colorado St. at Nebraska, A 25 3,987
Georgia Tech at Colo. St., S 9 1,289
Colorado St. at Florida, A 25 3,123
Army at Air Force, S 15 1,210
UCSB at Colorado St., S 9 2,522
Stanford at Utah, S 5 1,072
Stanford at BYU, S 8 2,326
BYU at Utah State, S 12 1,048
Colorado St. vs. UCLA, A 26 2,255
Auburn at Colorado St., S 8 2,123
Long Beach State at BYU, S 9 2,096
Mountain West Conference First
Colorado State¹s 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.
Team Notes
Air Force Falcons (6-5, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Penny Lucas-White
Overall Record: 136-165 (10th year)
School Record: 41-85 (5th year)
Air Force is currently on a four-match winning streak.
The Falcons set a season high attendance vs. Army Sept. 15 with 1,210 fans.
Shaylor Billings is fourth in the MWC in hitting percentage (.356).
Freshman Delevane Diaz became just the second freshman to earn MWC Player of the Week honors after
helping the Falcons win the Air Force Classic. (SDSU¹s then-freshman Nicole Akporiaye was Player of
the Week Nov. 1, 1999).
BYU Cougars (7-3, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Elaine Michaelis
Overall Record: 848-212-5 (32nd year)
School Record: 848-212-5 (32nd year)
BYU suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since 1997 with a road loss at Utah State
(0-3) on Tuesday and a home setback vs. No. 13 Arizona (1-3) Friday. The Arizona loss was BYU's
first home loss of the year and halted a seven game home winning streak.
In its win over Temple, BYU coach Elaine Michaelis achieved her 848th career victory. She can
reach the 850 win mark this week with wins over UNLV and San Diego State.
After defeating the nation's top two ranked teams last week, BYU hit a season-low .158 at Utah
State in a three-game loss - BYU's first loss to the Aggies since 1980. On Saturday, BYU rebounded
from its two losses earlier in the week to hit a season-best .412 attack percentage in a three-game
win over Temple.
Nina Puikkonen, who was named the AVCA national player of the week last week, recorded her fourth
double-double of the year with 10 kills and a season-high 12 blocks vs. Temple.
Colorado State Rams (11-1, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Tom Hilbert
Overall Record: 266-90 (12th year)
School Record: 92-18 (4th year)
The Rams are in the midst of a 34-match home win streak (25 of which have been three-game sweeps)
dating back to Arizona¹s victory over Colorado State Sept. 6, 1998.
Senior Katherine Pettit recorded her 1500th assist against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Pettit is
seventh on the Colorado State career chart for assists.
Senior Summer Jennings tallied her 320th block assist on Saturday, moving her from seventh to
fifth on the Rams career ladder.
All six starters for CSU have been named to at least one all-tournament team this season. Angela
Knopf has been named to all four, including MVP awards at both CSU home tournaments (UPHI Classic
and Coors Classic) the past two weeks. Summer Jennings, Courtney Cox and Krista Swartzendruber have
each been named to two teams, while Allison Peckham and Soraya Santos have each been honored once.
New Mexico Lobos (4-6, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Laurel Brassey Iversen
Overall Record: 284-199 (17th year)
School Record: 284-199 (17th year)
Freshman Amy Amundson continues to lead the Lobos in hitting percentage with .318 (92k-25e-211a),
also good for eighth in the MWC. She leads the team in blocks as well.
The Lobos placed second at their Clubhouse Invitational.
UNM hit a season high .317 in a win vs. UC Riverside.
The Lobos lost the services for the season of junior middle blocker Vanessa Shields to a knee
injury suffered in the second game of the Stanford match (Sept. 3). The roster is now pared down to
10 players.
San Diego State Aztecs (5-6, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Mark Warner
Overall Record: 88-75 (6th year)
School Record: 88-75 (6th year)
The Aztecs used a balanced attack to win the Cornell Invitational last weekend. Three players
reached double-digits in kills in the win over Kent State, and four players topped double-digits in
kills in the championship match vs. Cornell. Freshman Aspen McPartland led the Aztecs with 33 kills
in three matches.
Freshman Zlatina Anguelova leads the Aztecs with 97 kills and 242 total attempts. Last week, she
totaled 30 kills in three matches.
Senior middle blocker Erin Grady, who set a MWC senior record with 15 total blocks vs. Idaho,
topped 50 block assists on the season and 200 for her career after totaling 10 in two matches last
week. Grady is second in the MWC with 1.77 blocks per game.
Sophomore setter Melissa Wright recorded a season-high 56 assists vs. Cornell.
UNLV Rebels (0-9, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Deitre Collins
Overall Record: 49-71 (5th year)
School Record: 49-71 (5th year)
The Rebels are still looking for their first victory of the season. The 0-9 start is the worst in
school history. This weekend, UNLV travels to BYU and Utah.
Freshman outside hitter Leiana Oswald ranks ninth in the conference in kills per game (3.41).
Junior setter Maria Julia Goes is seventh in the conference in assists per game (9.86).
Utah Utes (8-1, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Beth Launiere
Overall Record: 188-139 (11th year)
School Record: 188-139 (11th year)
The Utes earned their first-ever ranking in volleyball by checking in at No. 18 last week.
Utah recorded the best start in school history at 8-0 after defeating Temple Friday, topping the
7-0 mark set by the 1992 team. No. 13 Arizona snapped the Utes eight-match win streak Saturday.
Utah freshman Kim Turner had a season- and career-high 16 kills for an impressive .407 hitting
percentage vs. Temple.
Utah is 6-0 at neutral sites to date for the 2000-2001 season.
Wyoming Cowgirls (6-7, 0-0 MWC)
Head Coach: Susan Judge
Overall Record: 101-103 (7th year)
School Record: 64-71 (5th year)
Freshman Michele Rauter posted a career-high 19 kills vs. UW-Green Bay.
Freshman Katy Brown is tied for the MWC lead with 17 aces.
Senior middle blocker Melody Friehauf, a 2000 NCAA Woman of the Year State winner, earned
all-tournament honors at the Cowgirl Classic. Friehauf is in the pool of 51 candidates for
consideration as the national NCAA Woman of the Year which will be announced Oct. 15.
