Conference Race Decided on Final Day of Regular-season, Tie-break Rules Used for No. 4-7 Seeds
The inaugural Mountain West Conference regular-season title was decided on the final day of the
regular season. The showdown for the title took place with No. 10-ranked BYU playing host to No.
11-ranked CSU. Both teams entered the match with just one conference loss each. CSU had won the
first meeting between the two teams, but suffered a loss to UNLV. This time BYU prevailed in four
games to claim the league title and the No. 1 seed into the championship tournament. CSU will be the
tournament¹s No. 2 seed. Utah became the third MWC team to notch its 20th win of the season with a
sweep over Wyoming on the final day of the regular-season and the Utes claimed third place in the
standings. Wyoming finished in the No. 8 slot.
The showdowns among the fourth through seventh place teams resulted in two ties in the standings,
thus the use of the tie-break rules to determine championship tournament seedings. Tied for fourth
in the standings, Air Force claimed the No. 4 seed over New Mexico. The two teams split their league
meetings, but the Falcons swept and the Lobos needed four games for their win. Tied for sixth-place
in the final standings, San Diego State earned the No. 6 seed and UNLV the No. 7 by virtue of a
series sweep by the Aztecs who claimed both matches in five games.
Inaugural Conference Championship 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 at the Smith Fieldhouse. KBYU TV will broadcast the 7 p.m. semifinal and the 4 p.m.
championship match.
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.
Upcoming Schedule:
Mountain West Conference Championship at BYU
November 24 (Wednesday)
#3 UTAH vs. #6 SAN DIEGO STATE, 11:30 a.m.
#2 COLORADO ST. (No. 11) vs. #7 UNLV, 2 p.m.
#4 AIR FORCE vs. #5 NEW MEXICO, 4:30 p.m.
#1 BYU (No. 10) vs. #8 WYOMING, 7 p.m.
November 27 (Saturday)
Championship, 4 p.m. (KBYU - TV)
Recent Results:
November 17 (Wednesday)
San Diego d. SDSU, 3-1 (8-15, 15-5, 15-5, 15-4)
November 19 (Friday)
* UNLV d. AIR FORCE, 3-1 (15-8, 9-15, 15-13, 15-8)
* NEW MEXICO d. SDSU, 3-2 (15-11, 15-12, 10-15, 9-15, 15-10)
* No. 10 BYU d. WYOMING, 3-0 (15-2, 15-5, 15-2)
* No. 11 CSU d. UTAH, 3-1 (15-9, 15-12, 3-15, 15-11)
November 20 (Saturday)
* UNLV d. NEW MEXICO, 3-0 (15-12, 15-13, 15-12)
* SDSU d. AIR FORCE, 3-0 (15-9, 15-7, 15-13)
* UTAH d. WYOMING, 3-0 (15-11, 15-10, 15-5)
* No. 10 BYU d. No. 11 CSU, 3-1 (15-8, 15-8, 8-15, 15-11)
USA Today/AVCA National Poll
BYU No. 10, CSU No. 11
For the second straight week, all 25 teams remained the same despite minor shifting among the ranks
in this week’s USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches¹ Top 25 national poll.
BYU (22-3/11-1 MWC) holds the No. 10 slot for the fourth straight week. The Cougars’ only losses
this season were to Michigan in the season opener, to then-No. 7 Stanford on Sept. 25 and to
then-No. 15 Colorado State on Oct. 22. BYU also owns wins over Top 25 members Loyola Marymount and
Pepperdine.
Colorado State (24-1/11-1 MWC) also maintained its position at No. 11 for the third week. The Rams
have registered three tournament titles and wins over Top 25 teams Colorado, Loyola Marymount and
BYU.
Here is the complete AVCA poll (As of 11/15) (1st place votes):
1. Penn State (53)
2. Stanford (7)
3. Hawaii
4. Florida
5. Pacific
6. UCLA
7. Long Beach State
8. Pepperdine
9. UC Santa Barbara
10. BYU
11. COLORADO STATE
12. Nebraska
13. Clemson
14. Texas A&M
15. Southern California
16. Texas
17. Northern Iowa
18. Kansas State
19. Arizona
20. Minnesota
21. Colorado
22. Baylor
23. Arkansas
24. University of San Diego
25. North Carolina
UNLV’s Sylvas Named Final Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week
Senior outside hitter Angie Sylvas from UNLV claimed the final Mountain West Conference Volleyball
Player of the Week award. The Rebels finished the regular season with two victories and are riding a
three-match win streak with Sylvas providing the catalyst. UNLV enters the MWC championship
tournament with an overall record of 12-13 and owns a 4-10 conference mark which puts them in a tie
for sixth place in the league standings along with San Diego State. The Rebels will face Colorado
State in the opening round of the championship on Wed., Nov. 24.
Sylvas’ averages for the week were quite impressive - 8.1 kills and 4.3 digs per game. She totaled
57 kills with 12 errors in 125 attempts for a .360 attack percentage and managed 30 digs on the
week. In both matches she flirted with the 30-kill mark, establishing a new career-high with 29
kills vs. Air Force and following with 28 kills vs. New Mexico. She made both efforts double-doubles
by recording 17 digs vs. the Falcons and 13 vs. the Lobos. She now has 11 double-doubles on the
season, and owns six 20-kill outings.
A native of Las Vegas, Sylvas took over the conference lead in kills per game in league (4.48) and
overall (4.25) matches. She is also among the leaders in conference action in digs (2.62) and
service aces (0.30).
This is the second time in her career that Sylvas has received player of the week recognition and is
the first earned by UNLV this season. Her first career honor came after the first week of an
injury-shortened 1998 season when she was named the Rebels first-ever conference player of the week
in volleyball.
Mountain West Teams In The Rankings This Season
Both BYU and Colorado State have been ranked in the USA Today/AVCA
Division I Coaches Top 25 poll
the entire 1999 season. BYU is currently listed No. 10 and CSU is right behind in the No. 11 slot.
Below is the list of where they have been ranked each week.
Historically, BYU has been listed in the poll the seventh most times of all teams in the nation with
211 appearances. Colorado State stands 16th on the list of most appearances with 113 to date. CSU’s
highest ranking ever was No. 4 in 1985, while BYU has been ranked No. 1 on four occasions.
Non-conference Wrap
The final non-conference regular-season match was played this past week when SDSU lost at cross-town
rival San Diego (West Coast Conference) on Wed., Nov. 17.
To date, Mountain West Conference teams own a 72-40 combined record against opponents from other
conferences. In those matches collectively, MWC teams have won 239 games and lost just 159 in
non-league contests.
Here’s a quick look at how the Mountain West Conference stacks up against other conferences:
America East 0-1
Atlantic Coast (ACC) 3-2
Atlantic 10 2-0
Big East 6-3
Big Sky 5-3
Big South 1-0
Big Ten 0-1
Big 12 4-7
Big West 4-3
Colonial 2-1
C-USA 4-0
Ivy 1-0
Metro Atlantic 1-0
Mid-American 2-0
Mid-Continent 2-0
Mid-Eastern (MAAC) 1-0
Midwestern 1-0
Missouri Valley 5-1
Northeast 1-0
Ohio Valley 3-0
Pacific-10 4-5
Patriot 2-0
Southeastern (SEC) 3-1
Southern 1-0
Southland 1-0
Southwestern (SWAC) 1-0
Sun Belt 4-2
West Coast 3-8
Western (WAC) 3-2
Independents 1-0
Division II 1-0
Totals 72-40
NCAA Championship Draws Near
The 1999 Women’s Volleyball NCAA Championship will accommodate a field of 64 teams. The
single-elimination tournament begins Dec. 2-5 with first and second round matches to be played at
participating institutions. Winners will advance to Regionals scheduled to be played Dec. 9-12, also
at participating institutions. The four regional winners will meet in Honolulu, Hawaii for the
national semifinals and finals, Dec. 16 and 18. The University of Hawaii will host the championship
event at the Special Events Center. Up-to-date NCAA Championship information is available online at
www.ncaachampionships.com.
NCAA Selection Show Sun., Nov. 28
The pairings for the NCAA tournament will be announced on Sun., Nov. 28 during the 1999 Division I
Women’s Volleyball Selection Show at 8 p.m. Mountain. The 30-minute selection show can be viewed
live on television with the use of a DSS dish such as DirecTV or Dish Network. The Sunshine Network
(DirecTV 632 / Dish Network 422) and Empire Sports (DirecTV 626 / Dish Network 432) will air the
show live.
You may also view the show with the use of a C-Band downlink "moveable" satellite dish. The
satellite coordinates are Galaxy 6, Transponder 9. Galaxy 6 is located at 99 degrees west on the
satellite orbital chart. The downlink frequency is 3880 MHz (H). The audio will be sent 6.2 / 6.8
mixed program. The satellite trouble numbers are 317-633-7410 or 317-633-7413 (please note that
these trouble numbers are good only on the night of the show). NCAA Productions will provide a test
signal beginning at 7:30 p.m. Mountain.
Members of the media may obtain a special phone number to listen to the audio portion of the bracket
announcement by contacting the Mountain West Conference office or the volleyball media relations
contact at a member institution.
At the conclusion of the selection show, the chair of the Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee,
Brenda Weare, associate commissioner at Conference USA, will answer questions from the media.
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).
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 10-Block Outing: 10 (1/9) by Wyo’s Melody Friehauf vs. Montana State and (4/6) by BYU’s Nina
Puikkonen vs. Toledo on Sept. 4.
First 20-Kill Outing: 20 by AFA’s Shaylor Billings vs. Morgan State and 21 by UNLV’s Angie Sylvas on
Sept. 10.
First 30-Kill Outing: 30 by Wyoming’s Melody Friehauf vs. Evansville on Sept. 25.
First 20-Dig Outing: 20 by SDSU¹s Jamie Evans vs. Creighton on Sept. 12.
First Triple-Double: (16k-1d-11b) by Wyoming¹s Rachel Lau vs. Montana State on Sept. 4.
Team Hitting Percentage
7th BYU (1403-490-3080) .296
Team Assists
19th CSU 15.17
Team Blocks
3rd BYU (57 BS/497 BA/305 TB) 3.64
Three MWC Teams Record 20-Win Seasons
The Mountain West Conference has three teams who reached the 20-win mark during the league’s
inaugural season. Colorado State was the first to the prestigious mark on Oct. 29 and enters the
championship with a 25-2 overall record. The Rams have earned 20-wins 11 times in program history,
including the last five years straight. BYU reached the plateau on Nov. 5 and brings a 24-3 record
into the tournament. Utah achieved the 20-win status on Nov. 20 and owns a 20-8 record entering the
post-season.
Coaching Milestones
Colorado State head coach Tom Hilbert obtained his 250th career win at Utah on Fri., Nov. 19. His
record entering the championship is 250-88 in 11 years. Earlier this season, Hilbert notched his
70th victory at CSU.
New Mexico head coach Laurel Brassey Iversen passed the 250 mark this season and is UNM’s winningest
coach in program history. She enters the championship with a career record of 254-187, all at New
Mexico.
Match-Bests
Here is a list of the best individual and team single-match performances in the Mountain West
Conference thus far.
Attack Percentage
Indiv.: .909 (10-0-11) by Sunny Tonga (BYU) at Wyoming O 23
Team: .537 (34-5-54) New Mexico vs. Jackson State S 3
Kills
Indiv.: 30 by Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Evansville S 25
Team: 86 UNLV at Nevada, Reno S 28, SDSU vs. Northern Arizona O 25
Blocks
Indiv.: 13 (1/12) by Summer Jennings (CSU) vs. Utah O 23
Team: 22 Wyoming vs. Montana State S 4
Digs
Indiv.: 27 by Caroline Bower (BYU) at Arizona O 26
Team: 95 Colorado State vs. Utah O 23, New Mexico at Wash. State S 11
Assists
Indiv.: 78 by Maria Julia Goes (UNLV) at Nevada, Reno S 28
Team: 81 UNLV at Nevada, Reno S 28, CSU at Air Force N 5
Service Aces
Indiv.: 8 by Christel Eves (UNLV) at Maryland S 11
Team: 17 UNLV at Maryland S 11
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.
Regular-Season Tournament Honors
During the early portion of the season, Mountain West Conference teams competed in a total of 23
tournaments and claimed 10 titles. Individually, 29 different players received a total of 46
all-tournament selections highlighted by six student-athletes earning Most Valuable Player honors
seven times. Following is a breakdown by team of those honors.
Four players from the Air Force Academy earned a total of nine selections including two MVP awards
for the same person at three tournaments. BYU competed in just two tournaments and saw three
players claim five different selections. Colorado State reaped three MVP honors by three different
players and a total of seven selections en route to winning all three of the tournaments in which
the Rams competed. Four New Mexico athletes received six honors during four tournaments. San Diego
State had three different players named all-tournament in two tournaments. UNLV claimed the most
awards as six different players were chosen a total of seven times over three events. Four players
from Utah received five awards in two tournaments. Wyoming notched an all-tournament selection
including one MVP - in each of its three tournaments by just two players.
Superlative Clubs Lists
Triple-Double Club
(15k-12d-11b) Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. CSU N 5
(12k-10d-62a) Graciela Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. CSU O 23
(12k-16d-60a) G. Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. Pepperdine S 17
(10k-11d-60a) G. Torres-Lopez (Utah) vs. Weber State S 7
(16k-11d-11b) Rachel Lau (Wyo) vs. Montana State S 4
20 Kill/20 Dig Club
(24k-20d) Jeanette Graves (UNLV) vs. Air Force N 19
30-Kill Club
30 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Evansville S 25
20-Kill Club
29 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) vs. Air Force N 19
28 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) vs. New Mexico N 20
27 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Denver O 6
26 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at Wyoming N 13
25 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Cal S 25
25 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at Air Force O 23
24 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. Arkansas S 11
24 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Tenn. Tech S 11
24 Amber Smith (UNM) vs. SDSU O 23
24 Catie Vagneur (CSU) at Air Force N 5
24 Courtney Cox (CSU) vs. UNLV N 11
24 Micaela Conley (UNM) vs. Air Force N 12
24 Jeanette Graves (UNLV) vs. Air Force N 19
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
23 Angela Knopf (CSU) vs. Utah O 23
23 Catie Vagneur (CSU) vs. Utah O 23
23 Alisa Geddes (Utah) vs. Notre Dame O 20
23 Summer Koons (AFA) vs. Colorado State N 5
22 Amy Hallquist (SDSU) at Creighton S 12
22 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Utah O 2
21 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at 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
21 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. UNLV O 23
21 Angie Sylvas (UNLV) at San Diego State O 29
21 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Weber State O 30
21 Brooke Effland (AFA) at New Mexico N 12
21 Brooke Effland (AFA) at UNLV N 19
21 Summer Koons (AFA) at UNLV N 19
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
20 Mari Carpenter (BYU) vs. Weber State O 5
20 Jamie Burke (Wyo) vs. New Mexico O 9
20 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Notre Dame O 19
20 Jeanette Graves (UNLV) at Air Force O 23
20 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Colorado State O 23
20 Mari Carpenter (BYU) at Arizona State O 25
20 Courtney Cox (CSU) at Air Force N 5
20 Catie Vagneur (CSU) vs. San Diego St. N 13
Double-Figure Block Club
13 Summer Jennings (CSU) vs. Utah O 23
13 Erin Grady (SDSU) vs. UNM N 19
12 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Colorado St. N 20
11 Summer Koons (AFA) vs. Utah O 2
11 Rachel Lau (Wyo) vs. Montana St. S 4
11 Alicia Erickson (UNLV) at SDSU O 29
11 Shaylor Billings (AFA) vs. Colorado St. N 5
11 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) at SDSU N 5
11 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) at UNLV N 6
10 Alicia Erickson (UNLV) vs. SDSU O 2
10 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) at Colorado S 14
10 McKelle Stilson (Utah) at Georgia S 10
10 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. Montana St. S 4
10 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Toledo S 4
10 Justine Kamelamela (UNLV) at SDSU O 29
10 Melody Friehauf (Wyo) vs. UNLV N 13
10 Nina Puikkonen (BYU) vs. Wyoming N 19
10 Jessie Goffard (UNM) at SDSU N 19
10 Vanessa Shields (UNM) at SDSU N 19
20-Dig Club
27 Caroline Bower (BYU) at Arizona O 26
26 Alisa Geddes (Utah) at Colorado State O 23
25 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. Tennessee Tech S 11
22 Micaela Conley (UNM) at Wyoming O 9
22 Tracy Wilkerson (AFA) vs. Denver O 6
22 Alisa Geddes (Utah) at California S 25
21 Janelle Torres (UNM) vs. Wash. State S 11
21 Brooke Effland (AFA) vs. UNLV O 23
20 Tharommony In (AFA) vs. Utah O 2
20 Jamie Evans (SDSU) at Creighton S 12
20 Tracy Wilkerson (AFA) vs. UNLV O 23
20 Nana Allison (UNM) vs. SDSU O 23
20 Kristen Vance (CSU) vs. SDSU N 13
Grand Fan Club
4,112 BYU at Colorado State O 22
3,533# Pepperdine at BYU S 18
2,557 Utah at BYU N 12
2,584 Colorado at Colorado State S 1
2,063 Notre Dame at Colorado State S 25
1,563 San Diego State at Colorado State N 13
1,532 Utah State at BYU S 17
1,471 SMU at Colorado State S 17
1,415 Wyoming at Colorado State O 29
1,381 Colorado State at Wyoming O 2
1,318 Evansville at Colorado State S 24
1,218 Notre Dame at BYU O 19
1,175 Utah at Colorado State O 23
1,154 New Mexico at BYU O 29
1,140 UNLV at Colorado State N 11
# New Arena Record
This Week’s Additions
Five entries were made in the 20-kill club this week, all coming from just two matches Air Force
at UNLV and New Mexico at UNLV. Five entries were also made in the blocking category, two first-time
entrants by New Mexico, two more by Nina Puikkonen of BYU and another first by Erin Grady of SDSU.
Jeanette Graves (UNLV) made the first entry in the rare 20 Kill/20 Dig Club.
Team Notes:
Air Force Falcons (17-11, 5-9 MWC)
The Falcons tied with New Mexico for fourth place in the league standings, but claimed the No. 4
seed in the championship tournament by virtue of the tie-break scenario … Air Force and New Mexico
split their head-to-head matches, but the Falcons won in a sweep, while it took the Lobos four games
to claim their victory … Brooke Effland (Sr., OH) and Summer Koons (Sr., MB) both surpassed the
20-kill mark at UNLV … Effland just missed a rare 20/20 entry as she totaled 21 kills and 19 digs in
the match … Koons also drilled 21 kills vs. the Rebels … This outing marked the fifth 20-plus kill
effort of the season for Effland and the second for Koons … Effland was the only Falcon to reach
double figures at SDSU as she collected 10 kills … Earlier, Effland became only the 10th player in
Air Force history, and the first since the program moved to the Divison I level in 1996, to reach
the prestigious 1,000 career kill milestone on Nov. 5 … Effland enters the final week of the
regular-season with 1,076 … The 21 kills by Koons is her second entry into the 20-kill club … For
the second straight week, Tracey Wilkerson (Sr., OH) just missed another entry on the 20-dig list
with 19 at UNLV … The Falcons continue to have individuals at the top of two conference statistical
categories, as Tharommony In (Sr., S) leads the league in service aces (0.47) per game and Wilkerson
tops the digs list with a 3.69 per game average … Shaylor Billings (Jr., MB) registered a
double-double at UNLV with 16 kills and 13 digs and is one of only three MWC players to register a
triple-double this season (15 kills, 12 digs and 11 blocks vs. CSU) … Historically, AFA entered the
season with just two wins ever over Mountain West Conference opponents, yet they totaled five this
season … Air Force faces New Mexico in the opening round.
BYU Cougars (24-3, 13-1 MWC)
The Cougars won the inaugural Mountain West Conference title by avenging their only loss in league
play on Saturday … With the title, BYU head coach Elaine Michaelis has led the Cougars to the first
conference title in all five leagues in which they have played … BYU registered another sweep on
Friday and has now won 12 of the 14 conference matches in the minimum three games … CSU is the only
league team to take a game from the Cougars handing BYU a 3-0 loss in the first meeting, then
extending the most recent meeting to four games … The Cougars bring a 10-match win streak into the
championship tournament … As a team, BYU hit .293 for the week and held the opposition to an .094
attack percentage … Caroline Bower (Sr., OH) helped the Cougars clinch the title by drilling a
team-high 17 kills and hitting .347 vs. CSU … Sunny Tonga (Fr., OH) has yet to make an error against
Wyoming … In the first meeting with the Cowgirls, Tonga set a BYU single match percentage record
(10-0-11, .909) and this week she followed with a 10-0-13, .769 performance … Mari Carpenter (Sr.,
OH) averaged four kills per game while hitting .390 for the week and collected 16 kills vs. CSU …
Jackie Bundy (So., MB) established a new career-high with 11 kills vs. Wyoming, then improved that
with 15 and a team-best 13 digs vs. CSU … Although, Nina Puikkonen (So., MB) was held below double
figures in kills twice this week, she owns 24 double-digit kill matches in BYU’s 27 outings …
Puikkonen did reach double figure in blocks in both matches with 10 vs. Wyoming and 12 vs. CSU and
surpassed the 400-mark in career total blocks vs. CSU … She enters the championship with 405 career
blocks in only her second season … Her 1.90 blocks per game average leads the league and ranks
fourth in the nation … Anna-Lena Smith (Sr., S) continues to lead the conference with a 13.02
assists per game average … As a team, BYU continues to lead the league and rank among the national
leaders in two statistical categories - blocks per game (3.70) and hitting percentage (.296) … As
host of the championship, the Cougars will play the late match each day and face Wyoming in the
opening round.
Colorado State Rams (25-2, 12-2 MWC)
Listed No. 11 in the USA Today/AVCA national poll again this week … Although the regular-season
conference title eluded them, the Rams finished with the program’s best regular-season record (25-2)
and the fewest losses in program history .. As the second place team this season, CSU has earned the
right to host the 2000 championship tournament in Fort Collins … The Rams completed the home portion
of their 1999 schedule undefeated (16-0) and improved their home win streak to 26 matches … CSU
claimed 18 matches in the minimum three games this season and is 4-0 in games that went the full
five games … The Rams are 3-1 against ranked teams, including a series split with BYU … Four
players reached double figures in kills in each of this week’s matches, including two
doubles-doubles in each … Catie Vagneur (Sr., OH), collected two double-doubles with 12 kills and 15
digs at Utah and 19 kills and 12 digs at BYU … Vagneur stands third in the league with a team-high
4.03 kills per game average … Courtney Cox (So., OH) collected a double-double with 11 kills and 13
digs at Utah … Krista Swartzendruber (Jr., OH) reached a double-double at BYU with 11 kills and 14
digs … Angela Knopf (So., MB) also hit double figures both nights (15 kills at Utah and 11 at BYU) …
As a team, CSU maintains the conference lead in kills (16.64) per game, service aces (1.86) and
assists (15.11) … The Rams also stand second in hitting percentage (.244) and digs (15.09) … CSU
drew an average of 1,399 fans per match this season topping the 1,000 mark for the first time since
1993 (1,112) … The Rams own eight of the top-15 attendance figures in the MWC, including the largest
crowd by a MWC team to date when 4,112 cheered them to victory over BYU on Oct. 22 … CSU will meet
UNLV, the first team to tarnish the Rams record this season, in Wednesday’s first round.
New Mexico Lobos (10-21, 5-9 MWC)
After splitting this week’s action, the Lobos climbed into a tie with Air Force for fourth place in
the league standings … New Mexico will be the No. 5 seed in the conference championship due to the
tie-breaker which took into account the Lobos split in matches with the Falcons but saw UNM come out
on the short end of a 4-3 games split … Amber Smith (Sr., OH) drilled double figure kills in both
matches with 15 at SDSU and 11 at UNLV to improve her career total to 1,089 (fourth on the UNM
career charts) … Micaela Conley (Jr., OH) registered her 10th double-double of the season at SDSU
with 18 kills and 17 digs … Vanessa Shields (So., MB) and Jessie Goffard (So., OH) established new
career-highs with 10 block assists each at SDSU … The first round of the championship pits the Lobos
against rivals Air Force.
San Diego State Aztecs (11-18, 4-10 MWC)
The Aztecs finished tied for sixth in the conference standings after splitting their matches with
New Mexico (2-3) and Air Force (3-0) last week … Nicole Curtis (Sr., MB) returned to the lineup in
SDSU’s season finale and made significant contributions in the Aztecs’ sweep of the Falcons on
senior night … After missing the majority of the season with a knee injury, this was only the
seventh match of the season for Curtis … She hit .375 and totaled nine kills and five blocks … Jamie
Evans (Sr., OH) collected her 10th double-double (17 kills, 14 digs) of the season despite the
five-game loss to New Mexico … Evans was the only Aztec in double figures (15 kills) in the final
non-conference match of the regular-season vs. San Diego … Lisa Bostian (Sr., S/OH) enters the week
with 1,579 career assists and needs just 10 more assists to move into a tie for seventh on the
Aztecs’ all-time chart … Seeing most of her time at outside hitter in recent action, Bostian
contributed 9 kills and 11 digs vs. San Diego and totaled 11 kills, eight digs and eight blocks vs.
UNM … The only freshman and first SDSU choice for Mountain West Conference Player of the Week (on
Nov. 1), Nicole Akporiaye (Fr., MB) collected 14 kills vs. UNM and added nine vs. San Diego … The
schedule has not been easy for SDSU, which opened the season against four ranked opponents and has
played a total of nine top-25 foes … SDSU snapped a six-match slide with Saturday’s win over Air
Force … As the No. 6 seed in the championship, the Aztecs will face third-seeded Utah in the opening
round.
UNLV Rebels (12-13, 4-10 MWC)
The Rebels won both matches this week (Air Force, 3-1, New Mexico, 3-0) to put together their first
win streak during conference play … UNLV has won its last three outings and climbed into a tie with
San Diego State for sixth place in the league standings … The Rebels will be the seventh seed in the
championship due to losses vs. to SDSU … Angie Sylvas (Sr., OH) not only notched her fifth and sixth
20-kill entries of the season, but flirted with the 30-kill mark in both matches as she drilled a
career-high 29 vs. Air Force then followed with 28 vs. New Mexico … She made both efforts
double-doubles as she collected 17 digs vs. the Falcons and 13 vs. the Lobos and now has 11
double-dips on the season … Averaging 8.1 kills and 4.3 digs per game while hitting .360 for the
week, Sylvas took over the conference lead in kills per game average (4.25) … Jeannette Grave (Sr.,
OH) notched a rare 20/20 with 24 kills and 20 digs vs. Air Force, then added 19 kills and 12 digs
vs. New Mexico for her second double-double of the week … Julia Goes (So., S) dished out 62 assist
vs. Air Force and 59 vs. UNM as she set the team to an impressive .302 for the week … After opening
the season with a school-best seven consecutive wins, the Rebels have lost 10 of the last 12
matches, five of those losses have come at the hands of ranked foes (USC, Pepperdine, BYU twice and
CSU) … UNLV claimed its first league win with an upset of previously undefeated No. 14-ranked
Colorado State on Oct. 16 … The Rebels will look to repeat that win against CSU, when they meet the
Rams in the opening round of the championship.
Utah Utes (20-8, 10-4 MWC)
The hopes of a of share of second place came to a hault, as Utah suffered a 3-1 loss to CSU and
settled for a third place finish in the league standings … The Utes reached the 20-win mark with a
sweep over Wyoming in the regular-season finale … McKelle Stilson (So., MB) was the only Ute in
double figures on Friday with 14 … Stilson also collected 12 kills Saturday and has reached double
figures in kills during 23 of 28 matches this season … Jen Snow-Richards (Jr., OH) and Brenda Beal
(Fr., MB) both hit an efficient .563 (11-2-16 and 10-1-16, respectively) … Graciela Torres-Lopez
(Sr., S), who owns three triple-doubles this season, has totaled 1,227 assists this season making
her Utah’s all-time assist record holder with a career total to 4,933. Averaging 12.27 assists per
game, Torres-Lopez continues to close in on the prestigious 5,000 milestone and needs just 67 to
reach the mark … As a team, Utah leads the league in digs per game with a 15.66 average and is third
in four other categories … All but one of Utah’s losses (vs. Georgia) this season have been to top
25 ranked teams (No. Iowa, Pepperdine, Stanford, BYU twice, and CSU) … The Utes will face
sixth-seeded San Diego State in the opening round.
Wyoming Cowgirls (9-20, 3-11 MWC)
The Cowgirls faced two of the top-three conference teams in the final week of the regular season and
suffered a pair of sweeps at the hands of BYU and Utah … Last week, Melody Friehauf (Jr., MB),
claimed her second player of the week honor of the season, but she was held to a total of 18 kills
and seven blocks this week … Friehauf ranks second in the conference with a team-high .368 attack
percentage and a 1.37 blocks per game average … Friehauf owns 973 career kills to stand seventh in
Wyoming history and is second in career blocks with 443 to date … Rachel Lau (So., MB), a starter in
every match this season, hit .333 (6-2-12) vs. Utah … Jamie Burke (Jr., OH) leads the Cowgirls in
digs (224) and is second in kills (261) on the season … Brooke Lowry (Fr., S) has played in 29 with
25 starts as the Cowgirls setter and is listed sixth in the conference with a 10.34 assist per game
average … The Cowgirls face regular-season champion BYU in the tournament’s first round.
