In this issue

Greetings from the Golddiggers’ President

Gophers/Golddiggers News

PointU!(betcha)

Upcoming Match Previews

Coach’s Corner

From Coach Hebert:

Friends and neighbors, we played our tails off to win both matches in Michigan. Both Michigan and Michigan State competed at a level considerably higher than they played here at the Pavilion earlier in the season. Both teams pushed the Gophers to the limit.

We enter this week’s home events with an overall record of 20-5 (10-4 in the Big Ten). We have a chance to determine our own destiny as we take on Northwestern and Wisconsin. With three teams tied for second place at 10-4 (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Purdue), two Minnesota wins would result in some much-needed separation between the Gophers and the Badgers. As usual, the Big Ten race heats up considerably over the final three weeks of the season.

For those of you who are following things closely, we tried a number of wrinkles this past weekend. Kyla Roehrig started on the right side on Friday night against Michigan. We entered the break tied at one game apiece. In game three we went with Jess Byrnes on the right to give us her “slide” offense and moved Kyla to the left. Both performed very well and helped turn the match around. The next night in East Lansing, we started the same way with Byrnes on the right and Kyla on the left. But again, match-up needs led the staff to switch to Kyla on the right, and Meghan Cumpston back on the left. Kyla did a good job of helping shut down MSU’s left-side oriented attack and Cumpston was very steady on the left side.

We feel great right now. The team just played its best volleyball since the Nebraska match back in early September. Meredith was awesome, Paula was her usual self, and Florian had her best weekend of the season. Her overall game can go unnoticed, but her ability to pass, defend, serve, block and attack make her the team’s most versatile player.

Our 16.5 blocks against MSU was our second highest block total of the season. We also hummed along quite well on offense as well, hitting for a .260 efficiency vs. MSU with only 11% errors ... this is GOOD!

On the marketing side of things, we are experiencng unprecedented success. We are averaging over 4,000 fans per match for the first time in school history. Wouldn’t it be great if we could post a 4,000+ number for the season!!! We have also made great progress on our locker room renovation/endowed scholarship fund drive. We have raised over $70,000 on our way to the goal of $100,000. Thanks to all of you who have supported Gopher Volleyball.

I'lll meet you at the Pavilion this weekend for some great Big Ten volleyball. Go Gophers!

Head Coach

Minnesota Volleyball

Greetings from the Golddiggers’ President

From John Oravis:

Hello Golddiggers!

As of this writing your Gopher volleyball team is 20-5 overall, and 10-4 in Big Ten play. Our team has rebounded nicely from the tough Ohio State/Penn State home weekend three weeks ago.

There are just a couple of more home weekends left in the regular 2005 season (Northwestern and Wisconsin this weekend, and Illinois and Purdue in three weeks)! Be sure to attend the remaining Chalk Talks and Golddiggers post-match receptions, especially the potluck one after the Purdue match on November 26th when we will also honor and thank our seniors! Those are some of your membership benefits.

We don't know exactly what the next three weeks will bring in terms of possible post-season NCAA tournament play, but we promise that we’ll keep you informed and involved. Ditto on the post-season team awards banquet in late January or early February.

Thanks again for your membership and your great support! See you at the Sports Pavilion!

Go Gophers ... Point U!

John Oravis, President, Golddiggers

Meet the Gophers

We sent the following Q&A to transfer Sarah Florian (and we thank her for taking the time to respond).

Q: What was the main reason you chose Minnesota (after you decided to transfer)?

SF: I chose Minnesota mainly because of the coaching staff and their genuine desire to make volleyball a fun experience. When I came here to visit I felt also that I could fit right in with the girls here at Minnesota so it made the decision pretty clear cut.

Q: What do you like most about being a part of the Minnesota Gophers?

SF: What I like the most is being able to share and compete in a sport with not only teammates who are unbelievably skilled but who are also my best friends. Playing volleyball at Minnesota takes a lot of determination, strength, and effort, but when you are sharing these common characteristics with great people it makes for a wonderful experience.

Q: How would you compare Pac10 and Big10 volleyball? (Maybe biggest similarity and biggest difference? Be honest. We won't be offended. ;)

SF: I think the biggest difference is the fanfare. The crowds in the Pac10 could get pretty intense but not consistently like the Big10. I think both conferences are unique in the teams that compose them, but being from Ohio and playing in the Big10 for me is more fun because I have played against or with many of the different players from other Big10 schools.

Q: What do you like most about volleyball?

SF: What I like most is getting that perfect set, eyeing an opening in or around the block, and bringing every ounce of strength I have to that ball, and hammering it to the floor!

Q: What do you like the least about the sport?

SF: What I like least about volleyball is that it is not widely publicized on TV. I wish that college volleyball was a little more televised because I think it is a great sport with many amazing athletes.

Q: Do you have a player or players (past or present) you most admire?

SF: I really admire Stacey Gordon. Although I have only seen her play on film, I admire her dominance in the front and back row. I am amazed by her size and yet her ability to dominate.

Q: Seems as if there are a lot of top-notch volleyball players coming out of Ohio lately. Do you have any explanation for why this is?

SF: Ohio is just a great place to live, and I think that the state does a great job to provide opportunities for young girls to get involved and pursue volleyball at a high level.

Q: What advice would you give to a high school player who hopes to play college ball?

SF: I would tell them to have fun and not stress much over it. Volleyball is something that should be played because it is fun and you enjoy competition. College volleyball will all fall into place and I would tell them to enjoy the experience of recruiting.

Q: What is your favorite song (besides the Rouser)?

SF: My favorite song is Because of You by Kelly Clarkson.

Q: Are you ready for a Minnesota winter?

SF: Yes, I have been having fun buying some really cute coats and scarfs!

Gophers/Golddiggers News

Chalk Talks

The coaching staff is again holding “Chalk Talks” before most Saturday matches during the Big Ten season. These are open only to Golddiggers members, and will be held from 5:30 PM until about 6:15 PM in the Williams Arena Media Room (2nd floor, next to the elevator). If you want to learn more about how the coaches develop their strategy, what the players are going to be doing out on the court, and why they’re going to be doing it, this is the place to be! Chalk Talks will be held on:

Nov 12 - before the Wisconsin match
Nov 26 - before the Purdue match

Golddiggers Apparel

Golddiggers apparel is now available. Information will be available at the reception this Saturday if you have not seen the flyer.

Saturday Promotion

Anyone attending the Gophers football game can show their ticket stub and receive FREE admission to the Wisconsin match.

Fundraising

The Golddiggers are actively assisting in fundraising for the team room and locker room renovations. Please check out the information below. See “Donation Opportunities” or “Donate to Gopher Volleyball” at the Golddiggers website.

http://golddigger.umn.edu/

http://www.golddigger-boosters.org/donations/Donation%20Drive.pdf *PDF

PointU! (betcha)

What a weekend! I know I, for one, am exhausted -- and all I did was listen to Steve Geller’s webcasts. All may be well that ends well, but there’s definitely something to be said for starting well -- it’s much easier on the nerves.

Luckily, the game time was listed incorrectly for the Michigan match and I missed game one, which the Gophers somehow won 32-30 in spite of hitting just .123. Game two then went to the Wolverines 30-23. I was not so fortunate Saturday night. I ignored the incorrect start time and tuned in an hour “early” for Michigan State’s blistering offensive explosion. They hit .347 with 22 kills! I was headed for the proverbial ledge.

However, our plucky Gophers hung in there in both matches. As Coach Hebert discusses above, lineup shifts both nights also made a big difference. And they saved their best volleyball for game four in each match. They hit .325 with only three errors in their 30-24 match-clinching game against the Wolverines, and .400 with again only three errors in their 30-24 game four win against the Spartans.

Highlights from the Michigan match included Jess Byrnes’s 7 kills in 9 swings, Kyla Roehrig’s 12 kills, and Paula Gentil’s 35 digs. The MSU win featured both middles -- Meredith Nelson (.348) and Jessy Jones (.333) -- hitting over .300, and both outside hitters --Sarah Florian (16 kills) and Meghan Cumpston (15 kills) -- posting double-figure kills. Even more impressive were the block totals, with Meredith (8), Jessy (6), Kyla (6), and Sarah (5) all contributing big numbers.

If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think the team was reaching out to me, coaxing me in from that proverbial ledge. Which is a heckuva lot better than the proverbial shove from the proverbial ledge.

Proverbially speaking, of course.

Go Gophers!

Upcoming Match Previews

The Gophers current conference statistical rankings, heading into this weekend’s matches against Northwestern and Wisconsin are:

Team hitting % 5th (.245)

Opponent hitting % 2nd (.142)

Assists per game 4th (14.96)

Opponent assists per game 2nd (12.28)

Kills per game 4th (16.07)

Opponent kills per game 2nd (13.11)

Blocks per game 4th (2.91)

Opponent blocks per game 5th (2.21)

Aces per game 2nd (1.55)

Opponent aces per game 2nd (0.94)

Digs per game 5th (15.73)

Opponent digs per game 6th (15.06)

Paula Gentil shares this week’s Big10 Defensive Player of the Week award with Northwestern’s Christie Gardner. Paula averaged 7.5 digs per game and .5 aces per game over the weekend. She leads the conference in each of those categories (0.53 aces per game and 5.83 digs per game). Finally, the senior libero is now 143 digs away from becoming the all-time NCAA digs leader.

Jessy Jones and Meredith Nelson are both in the top ten in Big10 hitting percentages, at .340 and .327, respectively. Meredith is also 10th in blocks per game (1.15).

The team has returned to the 6-2, with Kelly Bowman and Rachel Hartmann setting, and have been using Meghan Cumpston, Sarah Florian, Jess Byrnes and Kyla Roehrig as leftside/rightside hitters. Malama Peniata continues to thrive as the Big10’s best DS.

Friday November 11 7:00 PM Northwestern

The Wildcats are coming to Minnesota fresh off two big wins at home, over then #15 Purdue and Illinois. They have a legitimate shot at 6th place in the conference and an invite to the NCAAs, which would be their third in the last four years.

The Wildcats are 8th in Big10 team hitting percentage (.222) and 9th in opponent percentage (.217). Brittney Aldridge is hitting .324 (9th in the conference) and Christie Gardner is averaging 4.81 digs per game (7th in the conference).

http://nusports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/nw-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://nusports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/nw-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://nusports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2005-2006/teamcume.html (stats)

Saturday November 12 7:00 PM Wisconsin

The Badgers beat Illinois in five last Friday night, but lost to Purdue, at home, on Saturday. They are in a 3-way tie for 2nd place in the conference with the Gophers and Purdue. They are still trying to decide who is their setter -- Jackie Simpson or Katie Lorenzen -- with the result that both are entering and exiting matches with regularity.

Wisconsin is hitting .254 in the conference (ranking 4th) and their opponents only .150 (good for 3rd). They lead the conference in blocking, averaging 3.60 per game and are 3rd in digs per game (16.23). Taylor Reineke is 10th in hitting percentage (.307) and 1st in blocks per game (1.72). Sheila Shaw is 2nd in blocks per game (1.53) and Jocelyn Wack is 6th in digs per game (4.85).

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/vb/headlines/index.aspx (website)

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/vb/bios/ (roster)

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/vb/stat_poll/ (stats)

Road matches

The Gophers will then take the always challenging trip to Penn State and Ohio State 11/18 and 11/19, looking to avenge the losses to each at home. You can follow these matches at the Gophers web site. Look for the Next Event/Gameday section for audio and LiveStats links (when available).

http://www.gophersports.com/Sports/Sport.asp?option=repeat&sport_id=wvoll

Rankings

The CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll was released 11/7/2005. The link to the complete rankings follows, but the top 10 were: 1--Nebraska, 2--Washington, 3--Penn State, 4--Stanford, 5--Florida, 6--Arizona, 7--Louisville, 8--Notre Dame, 9--Hawai’i, and 10--Santa Clara. The Gophers remain at #17 this week. In addition, Wisconsin falls to #13, Purdue moves up to #14 and Ohio State stays at #19.

http://www.avca.org/collegiate/dipoll/dipoll11-7-05.asp

Two other rankings we have been following come from the RichKern.com site, the first creatively named the RichKern.com Volleyball Poll. This is a poll compiled from rankings by fans around the country. The Gophers are #15 in this poll.

http://www.richkern.com/vb/rankings/rankw.asp?VBYear=2005&Div=DI&poll=d1wvb&week=10-Nov+7+&sort=team&avg=all

The second is the Pablo ranking system, based on an algorithm developed by a fan of the sport, and it is based solely on match results. You can read more about it in the FAQ at the RichKern.com site. The actual rankings link and the FAQ link are below. If nothing else, it’s an interesting alternative to the polls. The Gophers are ranked #14 there.

http://www.richkern.com/vb/rankings/rankw.asp?VBYear=2005&Div=DI&poll=Pablo&week=10-Nov+7+&sort=team&avg=all

http://www.richkern.com/vb/rankings/PabloFAQ.asp

National Update

For statistical leaders -- individuals and teams -- check out the following link (updates are slow, but do come):

http://www.ncaasports.com/volleyball/womens/stats/stats

Here’s another quick trip around the Top 15 (excluding Big10 teams).

#1 Nebraska (23-0 overall, 14-0 Big12, #3 Pablo)

The Huskers play Texas A&M and Missouri this week, as they continue to roll through a strong Big12 conference. The team is now hitting .326 while holding their opponents to .117. They have swept their last 8 opponents.

Melissa Elmer has raised her hitting percentage to .426 and is also averaging 2.27 blocks per game. Sarah Pavan is now hitting .358 and Christina Houghtelling .350.

#2 Washington (22-0 overall, 13-0 Pac10, #1 Pablo)

The Huskies are not to be outdone, statistically, by the Huskers. They are hitting .363 as a team and their opposition only .119. However, their sailing in the Pac10 has not been nearly as smooth as Nebraska’s in the Big12. They have pulled out two 5-game wins in their last four matches, against Arizona and California (the second time this year Cal has taken them to five).

Four starters are hitting over .350: Alesha Deesing (.460), Darla Myhre (.400), Sanja Tomasevic (.374) and Christal Morrison (.351).

#4 Stanford (21-4 overall, 10-3 Pac10, #4 Pablo)

Adversity has taken up residence in Palo Alto. The Cardinal have lost frosh-sensation Cynthia Barboza for the year with a knee injury and are now without setter Bryn Kehoe indefinitely due to a broken hand. These injuries were no doubt a major factor in their 3-0 loss to UW last week.

Foluke Akinradewo -- just a fabulous name -- is continuing a torrid frosh season, hitting .420. All eyes are now on Katie Goldhahn, replacing Kehoe at setter, and Kristin Richards at outside hitter, now playing an even larger role with the loss of Barboza. It’s very difficult to feel much sympathy for Stanford -- but we do wish Cynthia and Bryn speedy recoveries.

#5 Florida (23-2 overall, 13-1 SEC, #5 Pablo)

The Gators have actually lost another SEC match, to Tennessee again, in five games. But they remain a solid first in the conference. Maybe their most serious concern is a lack of depth, but Florida is still a contender for a berth in the NCAA finals.

Angie McGinnis is having a very good sophomore season, hitting .392 and running the offense to the tune of 13.38 assists per game. The primary beneficiaries of McGinnis’s play have been Kisya Killingsworth (.366) and this week’s SEC Player of the Week, Jane Collymore.

#6 Arizona (17-4 overall, 9-3 Pac10, #12 Pablo)

The Wildcats continue their somewhat baffling climb in the polls. Their next four matches may show whether they are truly deserving of their lofty ranking. They play California and Stanford, on the road, this week, and host USC and UCLA next week. Kehoe’s absence should improve their chances with the Cardinal.

Offensively, Kim Glass is already well over 300 kills for the year and Jennifer Abernathy needs only two more to join her.

#7 Louisville (23-1 overall, 11-1 Big East, #23 Pablo)

The Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season 10/29 playing in South Bend against Notre Dame. As the Big East still has a conference tournament, these two teams appear likely to face each other again next week. And, as luck would have it, the tournament is being held at Louisville this year.

Jennifer Hoffman (.438), Ana Yartseva (.334) and Lena Ustymenko (.331) are thriving in the Cardinals’ 6-2 offense.

#8 Notre Dame (22-2 overall, 11-1 Big East, #15 Pablo)

The Fighting Irish own the dubious distinction of being ranked behind two teams they have beaten -- Florida and Louisville. The reason? An early season loss to LSU and last Sunday’s shocking 5-game loss to Pittsburgh (after being up 2-0). So how good is Notre Dame? We probably won’t know for sure until the NCAAs, but they do appear to be on track for hosting first and second rounds.

No one is really standing out, statistically, for the Irish. Even blocking maniac Lauren Brewster’s numbers (1.52 blocks per game) are down this year. But they have beaten some very good teams. Notre Dame is a huge “X” factor. They were at #5 last week, the highest the program has ever been ranked.

#9 Hawai’i (18-6 overall, 12-0 WAC, #7 Pablo)

The Rainbow Wahine have now won 12 matches in a row and have swept their last 9. This is becoming redundant, but it must be pointed out again that five of Hawai’i’s six losses are to Top 4 teams. Still, this is the WAC they are dominating. This is another team which is hard to peg.

Victoria Prince leads Hawai’i with a .410 hitting percentage and her fellow All-American, Kanoe Kaman’o is averaging 13.89 assists per game.

#10 Santa Clara (22-1 overall, 11-0 WCC, #10 Pablo)

There are many people out there who believe the Broncos have been seriously under-rated this year. They move into the Top 10 for the first time this year, having just clinched the West Coast Conference title.

Cassie Perret is hitting .411 for Santa Clara, while setter Crystal Matich is at .430 and 14.32 assists per game. Here is a real sleeper for the NCAAs.

Others

BYU’s suffered their first loss of the season last week (3-0 to Utah) just as they had crept to within shouting distance of the Top 10 at #12. With the loss, they fell to #16, just ahead of the Gophers.

Texas and Missouri, from a very strong Big12, are now lurking just outside the Top 10, at #11 and #12 respectively. Unfortunately, Missouri is scheduled for a trip to Lincoln this week and Texas is playing a very hot Colorado team in Boulder.

USC and Cal remain the best Pac10 teams outside the Top10. Cal hosts Arizona this week, and USC travels to Tucson next week to see if they can sweep the season series.

Ohio, coached by former Gophers volunteer assistant Geoff Carlston, has just clinched their third straight MAC conference title and are ranked #20.

Big10 Update

First of all, the standings:

Team	Big10 record	Overall	Pablo rating
Penn State	14-0	23-2	2
Minnesota	10-4	20-5	14
Purdue	10-4	21-4	11
Wisconsin	10-4	18-5	13
Ohio State	9-5	16-7	17
Michigan	5-9	11-12	49
Northwestern	5-9	14-10	38
Iowa	4-10	14-13	87
Illinois	4-10	13-12	66
Michigan State	4-10	11-13	55
Indiana	2-12	9-17	113

Illinois

The Illini continue to struggle. They dropped the tough 5-game match to Wisconsin on Friday and then were taken down in 4 games by Northwestern on Saturday. With Penn State, Ohio State, Purdue and Minnesota still to come in their remaining 6 matches, it looks extremely unlikely they will be participating in the NCAAs this year.

Rachel VanMeter continues to rack up the kills for the Illini. She now has 539 on the season. Get that ice ready!

http://fightingillini.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/ill-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://fightingillini.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/ill-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://fightingillini.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/ill-w-volley-CumulativeStats.html (stats)

Indiana

The young Hoosiers were a little unfortunate to be the Big10’s “odd” team this year -- the team without a partner. Historically, these teams almost always experience a dropoff from their previous year’s record, perhaps because they always have two matches on the weekend while their opponents have just one. Regardless, Indiana appears headed for a last place conference finish.

http://iuhoosiers.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/ind-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://iuhoosiers.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/ind-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://iuhoosiers.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2005-2006/teamcume.html (stats)

Iowa

The Hawkeyes have dropped 6 of their last 7 matches, falling from 3-4 to 4-10. There is little doubt, however, that the team has improved from 2004 and is playing much more competitively. Perhaps 2006 will be the year Iowa takes a major step forward?

Stacy Vitali leads the team, offensively, posting a .299 season hitting percentage and 345 kills.

http://hawkeyesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/iowa-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://hawkeyesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/iowa-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://hawkeyesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2005-2006/teamcume.html (stats)

Michigan

The Wolverines are another team which will probably be staying home this December. They are going to have a tough time even meeting the minimum requirement for an NCAA bid -- a +.500 record. Michigan followed up their tough loss to the Gophers on Friday, with a 4-game win over Iowa on Saturday, but they need to go 4-2 in their remaining matches to finish +.500. Those matches include Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Northwestern.

Erin Cobler and Lindsay Miller hit .545 and .481, respectively, in the win over the Hawkeyes. Stesha Selsky followed up her 27-dig performance against the Gophers with another 29.

http://www.mgoblue.com/section_display.cfm?section_id=201&top=2&level=2 (website)

http://www.mgoblue.com/roster.cfm?section_id=340&top=2&level=3 (roster)

http://www.mgoblue.com/statistics.cfm?section_id=343&top=2&level=3 (statistics)

Michigan State

The Spartans are yet another Big10 team who will be on the outside looking in for the NCAAs. But there can be little argument that the team has improved from 2004, especially on the defensive end. The fact they out-dug the Gophers 77-60 in Saturday’s match is further proof.

Team kill-leader Katie Johnson had 24 kills against the Gophers and Ashley Schatzle added 23. Nicole Colaluca dug 27 attacks for the Spartans.

http://msuspartans.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/msu-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://msuspartans.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/msu-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://msuspartans.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/msu-w-volley-CumulativeStats.html (statistics)

Ohio State

The Buckeyes had an odd match against the Nittany Lions last Wednesday. They were in position to win both games 1 and 3, losing 31-29 and 30-26. But they also threw in a 30-9 (sound familiar?) implosion in game 2. Chalk another one up for the Lions. Ohio State rebounded on Saturday with a 4-game win over the hapless Hoosiers.

The 2005 Buckeyes are doing quite well given the loss of Stacey Gordon and a somewhat depleted roster. Marisa Main is hitting .373 from the setting position, while averaging 12.65 assists a game, a huge part of Ohio State’s .256 team hitting percentage.

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/osu-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/osu-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2005-2006/teamcume.html (stats)

Penn State

The Nittany Lions are beginning to make Big10 fans pine for the days of Bonnie Bremner and Lauren Cacciamani. They are plowing through their schedule like MNDOT clearing I-94 of three inches of snow. It’s really spoiling a lot of peoples’ fun and I wish they’d stop it. You really don’t need to go much further than these two statistics: they are hitting .300 as a team, while holding their opponents to .124.

Individually, frosh Nicole Fawcett just keeps getting better and better, now hitting .292 for the season, with a team-high 354 kills. Of course, Sam Tortorello is the one driving the plow, averaging 13.41 assists per game.

http://www.gopsusports.com/VolleyballW/home.cfm (website)

http://www.gopsusports.com/VolleyballW/People/players/rosterbody.cfm (roster)

http://www.gopsusports.com/docs/wvb05/stats/teamcume.htm (stats)

Purdue

The Boilermakers dropped their third 5-game match of the Big10 season at Northwestern on Friday, but came back the next night to take down the Badgers in Madison. Purdue remains very much in the hunt for a second-place Big10 finish and a top-16 seed in the NCAAs. Their match against the Gophers November 26th looms large on both teams’ schedules.

Renata Dargan is challenging OSU’s Main for the Offensive Setter of the Year Award, hitting .353 and dishing out 13.20 assists per game. (Too bad the award does not exist.) Purdue is also playing some fine defense, holding their opponents to a .168 hitting percentage in 2005, led by Anne Masandrea’s 5.16 digs per game.

http://purduesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/pur-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://purduesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/pur-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://purduesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/pur-w-volley-CumulativeStats.html (stats)

Miscellaneous

There is even more volleyball in the Twin Cities this week, with the Minnesota State High School Tournament taking place at the Xcel Center November 10-12. The complete brackets can be found at the link below, but here are the participants:

http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/index.asp (Tournaments drop-down menu at top of page, Fall--Volleyball)

Class 3A

Quarterfinals 11/10/05

Upper bracket, 9 am

Hopkins (Section 5) vs. Lakeville North (Section 1)

Moorhead (Section 8) vs. Marshall (Section 2)

Lower bracket, 11 am

Hibbing (Section 7) vs. Tartan (Section 3)

Chaska (Section 6) vs. Andover (Section 4)

Semifinals 11/11/05

Upper-bracket winners, 9 am

Lower-bracket winners, 11 am