 Billiken Invitational presented by Front Door LLC Christens Chaifetz Arena
Sept. 3, 2008
This Week: Fresh off receiving votes in the CBS College Sports Network/AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Coaches Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history, Saint Louis will christen Chaifetz Arena with the Billiken Invitational presented by Front Door LLC Sept. 5-6. No. 3 Stanford, No. 19 Illinois and William & Mary will join the Billikens in St. Louis for the annual two-day event, which is the first SLU athletic event to be held in the arena. The tournament, which will consist of six matches, will also mark the first time that two ranked teams have competed in the Billiken Invitational. Last Time Out: The Billikens are off to a 3-0 start for the seventh time in program history after finishing first at the Best Western Miami Invitational last weekend. Saint Louis held off the host RedHawks 3-1 in the season opener before dispatching them 3-0 the following day. SLU, which is now 5-0 in season openers under head coach Anne Kordes, wrapped up the tournament with a 3-0 win over Stephen F. Austin. Scouting the Fighting Illini: No. 19 Illinois (3-0) jumped into the top 25 this week after knocking off North Carolina, No. 23 New Mexico State and No. 11 Oregon at the State Farm Illini Classic last weekend. Sophomore outside hitter Laura DeBruler was selected as the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week after posting a double-double in each match en route to tournament MVP accolades. The Illini return five starters and their libero from last year's 16-14 squad. DeBruler leads the offense with 5.42 kills per set, while sophomore Hillary Haen (5.83 aps) and senior Lizzie Bazzetta (4.75 aps) share the setting duties. Meanwhile, sophomore middle blocker Johannah Bangert and junior libero Ashley Edinger shore up the defense with team bests of 1.92 blocks and 4.92 digs per set, respectively. Head coach Don Hardin is in his 13th, and final, season at Illinois with a 211-155 mark. His 21-season career record is 403-232. Billiken head coach Anne Kordes was Illinois' top assistant coach for five years prior to accepting SLU's head coaching position. This is the first meeting between the Bills and the Fighting Illini.
Scouting the Tribe: William & Mary (3-0) captured first place in its own Tribe Invitational last weekend with wins against Maryland-Baltimore County, Eastern Michigan and Appalachian State. Sophomore outside hitter Erin Skipper earned tournament MVP honors and was later selected as the Colonial Athletic Association's Player of the Week. The Tribe returns six starters from last year's team, which posted a 14-15 overall record. Skipper leads the squad with 4.45 kills per set, while senior Kim Mount paves the way with 12.00 assists per set. Defensively, William & Mary is led by senior libero Jill Nowadly (4.00 dps) and senior middle blocker Molly Bohman (1.00 bps). Head coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton is in her first season with the Tribe; however, she already owns a 238-179 career mark in 13-plus seasons. SLU leads the series against William & Mary 2-0 with the last match being played on Aug. 30, 2003, in the Billiken Invitational. Scouting the Cardinal: No. 3 Stanford (2-1), which was ranked No. 2 in the AVCA preseason poll, has won its last two matches (against No. 3 Texas and Central Florida) after dropping its season opener to No. 7 Nebraska at the 2008 Runza/AVCA Showcase last weekend. The Cardinal return five starters, including three All-Americans, and the libero from last season's NCAA runner-up squad. Senior outside hitter Cynthia Barboza and sophomore outside hitter Alix Klineman pace the team with 3.09 and 2.82 kills per set, respectively. Sophomore Cassidy Lichtman (5.64 aps) and junior Joanna Evans (5.45 aps) have been splitting the setting duties, while sophomore libero Gabi Ailes and senior middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo, the 2007 AVCA National Player of the Year, lead the defense with 3.73 digs and 0.91 blocks per set, respectively. Head coach John Dunning is in his eighth season at Stanford with a 210-34 mark and a 24-year career record of 647-136. This is the first meeting between the Billikens and the Cardinal. On Cloud Nine: After posting team highs of 33 kills and 29 digs in the Best Western Miami Invitational, junior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud (Columbia, Ill. / Columbia) earned tournament MVP accolades. Junior outside hitter Bridget Fonke (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Joseph's) and junior setter Whitney Roth (Louisville, Ky. / Assumption) joined McCloud on the All-Tournament team. Incarnate Word Play: Stanford senior outside hitter Erin Waller and SLU junior libero Whitney Behrens (St. Louis, Mo. / Incarnate Word) were teammates on the Incarnate Word Academy volleyball team for three seasons. The duo helped the Red Knights to Missouri state championships in 2003 and 2004. Behrens and Waller were coached by Lisa Orlet, who is in her first season as a member of the Billiken volleyball coaching staff. The Numbers Game: With a No. 3 national ranking, Stanford will be the highest-ranked team to play the Billikens on the Saint Louis University campus. The highest-ranked team SLU has ever faced was No. 3 Wisconsin. The Bills fell to the Badgers 3-1 in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 8, 2001, in the Wisconsin Invitational. Saint Louis is 1-16 all-time against ranked foes. Its only win (3-1) came against No. 20 Notre Dame on Oct. 24, 2001, in the Bauman-Eberhardt Center, the former home of Billiken volleyball. Following the Action: All Billiken home matches this season will be video streamed live on the Internet via Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. In addition to the matches, fans can view player interviews, highlights and the Anne Kordes Show at no charge. GameTracker will again be available for all matches free of charge. Ticket Information: Session tickets may be purchased at the gate, by phone at (314) 977-4SLU or online at www.slubillikens.com. The main box office at Chaifetz Arena will be the only place tickets will be available during the tournament. Prices for single-session tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth. All session passes are available for $15 for adults and $9 for youth. Groups of 20 or more receive discounted tickets for $3 apiece. Students with a valid SLU ID card receive free admission. Parking will be available one hour before the start of each session for $6 in the Fred Weber Lot, adjacent to Chaifetz Arena, and for $5 in the parking garage at the intersection of Olive Street and Compton Avenue. SLU To Host 2008 A-10 Championship: Chaifetz Pavilion will be the site of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Championship. The top six teams in the final A-10 regular-season standings will gather in St. Louis to compete for the league's tournament championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. First-round action is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21, followed by the semifinals Nov. 22 and the title match Nov. 23. Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her fifth season at Saint Louis with a 77-49 career ledger at her only head coaching stop. The 1998 Louisville graduate enjoyed her winningest campaign as a head coach in 2007 when the Bills racked up 23 victories. In 2006, Kordes guided SLU to its first NCAA Volleyball Tournament appearance after her squad captured its first A-10 Championship crown and tied for the A-10 regular-season title for the first time since joining the league. Kordes is be joined on the sideline by assistant coach Kyle Walton, volunteer assistant Corey Arbini and graduate assistant Lisa Orlet. Schedule Strength: Seven of Saint Louis' opponents in 2008 received votes in this week's CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Reigning national champion Penn State earned top billing, 2007 national runner-up Stanford earned the No. 3 ranking, and Middle Tennessee State, Purdue and Illinois followed in 15th, 18th and 19th, respectively. Billiken foes Utah and Dayton received votes in the poll. Now Serving: In three matches this season, SLU has outscored its opponents a combined 22-2 on service aces. Sophomore Megan Boken (Wheaton, Ill. / St. Francis) and junior Bridget Fonke each have seven (0.70 per set, which ranks first among A-10 players), while Sammi McCloud has six. Roth Rolls On: When Whitney Roth was named the 2007 A-10 Setter of the Year, it marked the first time that a SLU player had earned that distinction since Lelia Roberts was named Conference USA Setter of the Year in 1998. With 3,085 assists in her career, Roth needs just 200 to eclipse the program standard. She already ranks first among A-10 players with 11.30 assists per set. Behr-ing Down: Libero Whitney Behrens is on pace to become the fastest player in program history to join the 1,000-dig club. With 26 digs in the first tournament of the season, Behrens needs just 14 more to reach 1,000 digs for her career. She is 11th on SLU's career digs chart with 986. Billiken Blocker: Senior middle blocker Lauren Christman (Oak Brook, Ill. / Hinsdale Central) has made a name for herself in the Billiken record book. On the career charts, she ranks fifth in block assists (341) and sixth in total blocks (369). |
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