Conference Action Underway
With the first Mountain West Conference volleyball matches played this past week, the eight league teams settle in for the second week of primarily conference action. Over the weekend, UNLV travels to No. 10 BYU, then Utah, San Diego State visits Utah, then No. 10 BYU, New Mexico heads to No. 15 Colorado State, then Wyoming, Air Force is at Wyoming, then No. 15 Colorado State. In this week’s non-conference action, BYU travels to Weber State on Tuesday, Air Force plays host to Denver on Wednesday and Wyoming heads to Utah State next Monday, Oct. 11.
USA Today/AVCA National Poll
BYU No. 10, CSU No. 15
There was much realignment within the ranks in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 national poll this week as Penn State reclaimed the top slot.
Brigham Young University (9-2/2-0 MWC) regained one notch in this week’s poll after opening Mountain West Conference action with two wins this past week. The Cougars’ only losses this season have been to then-No. 7 Stanford on Sept. 25 and in the season opener to Michigan. BYU owns wins over Top 25 members Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
Colorado State University (14-0/1-0 MWC) held steady in the No. 15 position of this week’s national poll. The Rams have registered three tournament titles and victories over Top 25 members Colorado and Loyola Marymount.
Utah’s Stilson Chosen MWC Volleyball Player of the Week
Following the first week of conference action, sophomore outside hitter McKelle Stilson from the University of Utah has been selected the Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. She helped lead Utah (11-4, 2-0) to two victories in the first week of Mountain West Conference action, as the Utes defeated New Mexico, 3-1, and Air Force, 3-2. During the two matches she totaled 34 kills, for a 3.78 per game average, and hit .311 (34-11-74). She also added eight blocks, 15 digs and served four aces during the week.
Stilson hit a team-high .308 with 13 kills and five errors in 26 attempts in Friday’s Mountain West Conference opener at New Mexico. She also put down five blocks, including one solo, collected five digs and served a pair of aces in the match. In Saturday’s five-game win at Air Force, Stilson led the Utes with 21 kills and registered a double-double by collecting 10 digs. She also assisted on three blocks and served two more aces. This marked her fourth 20-plus kill outing of the season and the 12th time in 15 matches this season that she has reached double figures.
A native of Orangeville, Utah, Stilson currently leads the Utes with 178 total kills (3.87 per game), a .362 hitting percentage and 61 total blocks (1.33 per game).
This is the first time in her career that Stilson has received conference player of the week honors and marks the first selection for Utah this season.
Mountain West Conference Volleyball Players of the Week: Sept. 7 Courtney Cox, CSU, Sept. 13 Shaylor Billings, AFA, and Anna-Lena Smith, BYU, Sept. 20 Angela Knopf, CSU, Sept. 27 Melody Friehauf, WYO., Oct. 4 McKelle Stilson, UTAH.
Non-Conference Wrap
Only two non-conference matches took place this past week as the Mountain West Conference teams turned their attention to league play. The MWC added one win and one loss against non-league foes. All told, Mountain West Conference teams own a 65-36 record against opponents from other conferences, to date. Collectively MWC teams have won 215 games and lost just 139 in non-league contests. Here¹s a quick look at how the Mountain West Conference stacks up against conferences played at least three times:
ACC 3-2
Big East 4-3
Big Sky 3-1
Big 12 4-7
Big West 4-2
Colonial 2-1
C-USA 4-0
Missouri Valley 5-1
Ohio Valley 3-0
Pac-10 2-5
SEC 3-1
Sun Belt 3-2
West Coast 3-7
WAC 3-2
MWC Volleyball Milestones
First Serve: Colorado at CSU, 6:58 p.m., Sept. 1.
First MWC Kill: by CSU’s Catie Vagneur at 6:59 p.m., Sept. 1 against Colorado.
First Point Scored: On a kill by CSU’s Catie Vagneur at 6:59 p.m., Sept. 1 against Colorado.
First Victory: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 3-Game Win: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 4-Game Win: BYU d. Toledo (3-1) Sept. 4.
First 5-Game Win: BYU d. Georgia (3-2) Sept. 3.
First Victory vs. Ranked Opponent: No. 24 CSU d. No. 19 Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Home Victory: CSU d. Colorado (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Away Victory: BYU d. Georgia (3-2) Sept. 3.
First Neutral Victory: UTAH d. SMU (3-0) Sept. 3.
First Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 3-Game Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First 4-Game Loss: Montana State d. WYOMING (3-1) Sept. 4.
First 5-Game Loss: Georgia d. UTAH (3-2) Sept. 7.
First Home Loss: Northern Iowa d. UTAH (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Away Loss: Denver d. WYOMING (3-0) Sept. 1.
First Neutral Loss: Michigan d. BYU (3-0) Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title: AIR FORCE won the Air Force Invitational Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title at Home: AIR FORCE won the Air Force Invitational Sept. 3.
First Tournament Title on Road: UTAH won the Texas Tech Four Points Sheraton Classic Sept. 4.
First Player of the Week: CSU’s Courtney Cox (So., OH)
First 20-Kill Outing: 20 by AFA’s Shaylor Billings vs. Morgan State on Sept. 10.
First 30-Kill Outing: 30 by WYO’s Melody Friehauf vs. Evansville on Sept. 25.
First 20-Dig Outing: 20 by AFA’s Tharommony In vs. Utah on Oct. 2.
First Triple-Double: (16k-1d-11b) by WYO’s Rachel Lau vs. Montana State ob Sept. 4.
Conference Championships at BYU
The inaugural Mountain West Conference Volleyball Championship will be hosted by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. All eight MWC institutions will compete for the first league title November 24-27 in the Smith Fieldhouse.
Tickets for the event are available through the BYU ticket office by calling (801) 378-2981 or (800) 322-2981. For media credentials contact Elaine Adams at the Mountain West Conference Office (719) 533-9510.
Triple-Double Club
(12k-16d-60a) Graciela Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. Pepperdine S17
(16k-11d-11b) Rachel Lau (Wyo) vs. Montana State S4
20-Dig Club
20 Tharommony In (AFA) vs. Utah O2
30-Kill Club
30 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Evansville S 25
20-Kill Club
25 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Cal S 25
24 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. Arkansas S 11
24 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Tenn. Tech S 11
23 Courtney Cox (CSU) at Denver S 21
23 Catie Vagneur (CSU) at Denver S 21
23 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at Nevada-Reno S 28
22 Amy Halquist (SDSU) at Creighton S 12
22 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Utah O 2
21 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) vs. Louisville S 10
21 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Arkansas S 11
21 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. Notre Dame S 24
21 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Air Force O 2
20 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Morgan State S 10
20 Amber Smith (UNM) vs. Wash. State S 11
20 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Utah State S 16
20 Brooke Effland (AFA) at Alabama S 17
20 McKelle Stilson (Utah) vs. Pepperdine S 17
20 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Pepperdine S 18
20 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Notre Dame S 24
20 Amber Smith (UNM) vs. SMU S 25
Double-Figure Block Club
11 Summer Koons (AFA) vs. Utah O2
Grand Fan Club
3,533# Pepperdine at BYU S 18
2,584 Colorado at Colorado State S 1
2,063 Notre Dame at Colorado State S 25
1,532 Utah State at BYU S 17
1,471 SMU at Colorado State S 17
1,381 Colorado State at Wyoming O 2
1,318 Evansville at Colorado State S 24
# New Arena Record
Mountain West Among NCAA Leaders
(As of Sept. 26)
Hitting Percentage
7. Mari Carpenter (BYU) (106-21-205) .415
Air Force Falcons (11-4, 0-2 MWC)
Hosting No. 11 BYU and Utah in the first week of Mountain West Conference action put an end to Air Force’s five-match win streak despite a tough five-game battle with Utah … In spite of this week’s losses, the Falcons have already posted more victories than ever in the history of the AFA women’s volleyball program since going Division I in 1996 … Individually, Tharommony In became the first player in the conference to join the 20-dig club as she collected 20 against Utah … Summer Koons (Sr., MB) also made the first entry of the season in the double-figure blocking club as she registered a career-high 11 against Utah … Brooke Effland (Sr., OH) made her first entry of the season in the 20-kill club as she drilled a match-high 22 kills against Utah … This week the Falcons play host to Denver on Tuesday, then travel to Wyoming and Colorado State, Friday and Saturday.
BYU Cougars (9-2, 2-0 MWC)
Ranked No. 10 in the nation, BYU opened conference play with a pair of road victories at Air Force and New Mexico … The Cougars, who lead the conference with a 3.55 blocks per game average and a .293 hitting percentage, were listed sixth and fifth, respectively, in the latest NCAA statistical rankings (as of Sept. 26) … BYU also leads the league in assists (15.02), kills (16.84), and service aces (2.00) … After posting 73 assists during the first week of league play, Anna-Lena Smith (Sr., S) needs just 253 more assists to break the BYU career record of 5,321 held by current U.S. National Team setter Charlene Johnson Tagaloa … Smith currently leads the league and ranks 11th in the nation with a 13.55 assists per game average … BYU hit an impressive .404 as a team at New Mexico and out blocked the Lobos 15-3 … Caroline Bower (Sr., OH) hit .542 at UNM and totaled 23 kills, 18 digs and nine blocks for the week … BYU plays at Weber State on Wednesday, then hosts UNLV and San Diego State in conference play at Friday and Saturday.
Colorado State Rams (14-0, 1-0 MWC)
Still ranked No. 15 in the nation in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll, CSU extended its record-setting best start in school history to 14 matches with a win at Wyoming in the conference opener … Catie Vagneur (Sr., OH) added 18 kills to her team leading 184 total and is currently ranked third in the league with a 4.0 per game average … The Rams host New Mexico and Air Force in league play this week.
New Mexico Lobos (5-13, 0-2 MWC)
A season-high 769 fans jammed the Johnson Center for the first-ever Mountain West Conference action against Utah on Friday … Despite three players in double figures, the Lobos suffered the first of its two losses for the weekend … Micaela Conley (Jr., OH) notched her third double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs against Utah and hit .375 with 13 kills against BYU … The Lobos host No. 15 Colorado State and Wyoming in more conference action on Friday and Saturday.
San Diego State Aztecs (7-7, 1-0 MWC)
The Aztecs rebounded from a mid-week loss at No. 12 Pepperdine to claim a five-game win over UNLV in the opener of conference play … Due to a change of role in which she split time as a hitter and setter, Lisa Bostian (Sr., S/OH) registered a season-high 11 kills in both matches during the week while also collecting nine assists in each outing … Jamie Evans (Sr., DS) was a key in the Aztecs’ win at UNLV as she registered her fifth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs … Amy Hallquist (Jr., OH) notched her fourth double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs … The Aztecs play at Utah and No. 10 BYU on Friday and Saturday.
UNLV Rebels (8-4, 0-1 MWC)
UNLV split its results in a pair of five-game matches this past week … The Rebels claimed a win at Nevada, but suffered a five-game loss in the conference opener to SDSU … After opening the season with a school-best seven consecutive wins, the Rebels have now lost four of the last five matches … Julia Goes (So., S) registered a career-high 78 assists against Nevada, a mark just two shy of the UNLV school single-match record … Angie Sylvas (Sr., OH) made her first entry of the season in the 20-kill club as she totaled 23 vs. Nevada … Justine Kamelamela (Jr., OH) registered 19 digs against SDSU … UNLV plays at No. 10 BYU on Friday and Utah on Saturday.
Utah Utes (11-4, 2-0 MWC)
The Utes started conference play on a winning note, defeating New Mexico and Air Force … McKelle Stilson (So., MB) claimed league player of the week honors as she notched her fourth 20-plus kill outing with 21 at Air Force … Stilson has reached double-figures in kills in 12 of the 15 matches this season and ranks third in the league in hitting percentage (.353) and fifth in kills (3.85) … Utah’s all-time record holder with 4,410 career assists, Graciela Torres-Lopez (Sr., S) is second in the league in assists (13.04) and was 16th in the latest national leaders list … Utah plays host to San Diego State and UNLV on Friday and Saturday.
Wyoming Cowgirls (6-8, 0-1 MWC)
The Cowgirls suffered a loss to No. 15 Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams … Jamie Burke (Jr., OH) was the lone Cowgirl in double-figures against CSU as she put away 14 kills … Melody Friehauf (Jr., MB) stands second among the league leaders in hitting percentage (.410) and kills (4.04) and is listed third in blocks (1.33) … Friehauf owns the only 30-kill outing in MWC history, after drilling the career-high against Evansville on Sept. 25 … As a team, Wyoming is second in the conference in blocks (2.89) and service aces (1.96) … This week, the Cowgirls play host to Air Force and New Mexico on Friday and Saturday.
MWC Preseason Coaches’ Predictions
The coaches from the eight Mountain West Conference institutions registered their votes for projected order of finish in the new conference prior to the season. BYU, which has won the conference title in its first year with each of its previous three conferences, is favored to claim the inaugural MWC crown. The league competition should be exciting as the voting was very close the rest of the way. Colorado State was chosen to be the runner-up, Utah was picked to finish third and UNLV completes the upper half at fourth.
Here is the complete preseason poll:
1. BYU
2. Colorado State
3. Utah
4. UNLV
5. Wyoming
6. New Mexico
7. San Diego State
8. Air Force
Four MWC Teams Were Mentioned In Preseason National Poll
Four women’s volleyball teams from the Mountain West Conference received mention in the USA Today/AVCA preseason national poll. Two were listed among the nation’s top-25 and two others received votes.
Brigham Young University enters the season ranked No. 7 in the nation. The Cougars finished 1998 listed No. 6 in the final poll with a 31-4 record. Colorado State climbed into the preseason poll at No. 24. The Rams posted a 24-8 record in 1998 but were not ranked at the end of the season.
Utah received 24 votes to place just outside of the top-25. The Utes owned a 21-10 record in 1998. UNLV brings the conference total to four teams mentioned in the preseason poll by gaining one vote. The Rebels went 23-8 this past season.
Rich Postseason History
Six of the eight MWC women’s volleyball programs have competed in postseason action over the years while the other two programs have only been in competition since 1996. Leading the charge is Brigham Young University, which has competed in the NCAA tournament 17 times. Highlighting BYU’s NCAA success is a national runner-up finish in 1993. The Cougars have also reached the Regional Final seven times - including the past three years.
Colorado State has competed in the last four NCAA tournaments bringing its total to 10. San Diego State has made 12 NCAA appearances, New Mexico seven, Wyoming four and Utah one. In addition, CSU and Utah have each competed in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
Starting Fresh With History On Its Side
Although 1999 is the first season of competition for the Mountain West Conference, the histories of its women’s volleyball programs gives this new league a solid national reputation on which to build an exciting future. Prior to forming the MWC, all eight institutions competed in the 16-team Western Athletic Conference where they enjoyed considerable national recognition in the sport of women’s volleyball.
Obtaining Information on the Mountain West Conference
Information on the Mountain West Conference and its eight member institutions is available in several ways. For those with internet access, the official MWC website (www.mountainwestconf.com) is the best source. The site is maintained by John Romo of the MWC communications staff and hosted through FANSonly. Each volleyball box score will be made available on the website no later than the Monday following the match. Updated conference statistics and standings, along with conference leaders will be available on a weekly basis. The MWC website also provides links to each school¹s official website, and sport specialty sites which post national polls, etc. In addition, the MWC news stand provides links to stories from newspapers around the MWC and nation.
Those who prefer fax machines as their source will find all of the same information available through Fax-On-Demand. Call Info Connection at (800) 300-2050 to enter your PIN number and access the system. If you do not have a PIN number, call Pivotal Communications at (770) 399-0096 to obtain one. The Mountain West Conference Passcode is 692. The document numbers to obtain information on MWC volleyball are as follows: 1015Release, 1016Statistics, 1017Standings, 1018Schedule, 1019All-Mountain West Conference Teams, 1020Mountain West Conference Championship Information, 1021Breaking News. This service is also utilized by all eight member institutions.
Perhaps the most convenient method to obtain information on the Mountain West Conference or any of its eight member institutions is through Pivotal Communications’ Media Teamlink service. This is an internet product which allows media members to sign up to receive documents via email and/or fax as soon as they are updated by the media relations staffs. Receiving information via email is free, while faxes require a minimal charge. To signup, go online at www.mediateamlink.com.
In addition to the above sources, the Mountain West Conference staff welcomes the opportunity to assist in your coverage of MWC volleyball. Please feel free to contact Elaine Adams, Director of Communications, via email (eadams@mountainwestconf.com) or phone (719-533-9510) at any time.
