 No. 25 Billikens Host Fellow A-10 Unbeatens Dayton, Xavier
Oct. 21, 2008
This Week: Saint Louis' first national ranking in school history will immediately be challenged as the Billikens host fellow Atlantic 10 Conference unbeatens Dayton and Xavier during "Think Pink" weekend at Chaifetz Pavilion. No. 25 SLU (17-4, 7-0 A-10), which is riding a nine-match winning streak, will take on the Flyers on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., and the Musketeers at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Think Pink: The Billikens' "Think Pink" weekend is being held in conjunction with "Dig for the Cure" events throughout the A-10. The conference-wide initiative to help raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation helps promote Breast Cancer Awareness month throughout October. Polling Place: After earning votes for seven straight weeks, Saint Louis broke into the CBS College Sports Network/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history on Oct. 20. The Billikens came in at No. 25 with 91 votes. SLU picked up a program-best 134 votes following its win over No. 3 Stanford earlier in the season, though it did not crack the top 25. Last Time Out: The Billikens easily defeated nonconference foe Southeast Missouri State 3-0 in Cape Girardeau last Wednesday. SLU dominated league member Duquesne 3-0 the following day at Chaifetz Pavilion to remain unbeaten in A-10 action. About the Billikens: SLU has won 12 of its last 13 matches, including nine straight. It is the third-longest winning streak in program history. The Bills' only loss during that stretch was at top-ranked Penn State on Sept. 20. Junior outside hitter Bridget Fonke powers the squad with 3.39 kills per set, and junior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud contributes 3.29 kills per set. Meanwhile, junior setter Whitney Roth, SLU's career assists leader, runs a balanced offense with 10.97 assists per set. Junior middle blocker Sally Warning (1.01 blocks per set) provides the Billikens with a strong presence at the net, while junior libero Whitney Behrens (3.30 digs per set) is Saint Louis' top back-row defender. Saint Louis is off to its best start since the 1999 campaign.
Bills Earn RPI Ranking: Saint Louis is ranked No. 12 in the latest NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI, which is through matches of Oct. 12. The RPI is based on the win percentage of SLU, its opponents and the teams SLU's opponents have played. The Billikens are the only A-10 school in the top 50, with Dayton coming in at No. 57. The next update to the RPI is scheduled for Oct. 28. Scouting the Flyers: Dayton (15-7, 6-0 A-10), the reigning A-10 regular-season and tournament champion, comes to St. Louis riding a four-match winning streak. The Flyers, who are perched atop the league standings along with SLU and Xavier, return five starters from last year's 33-2 NCAA Tournament team that went 12-1 in A-10 play. UD will be without the services of 2007 AVCA honorable mention All-American and former A-10 Setter of the Year Erin Schroeder. The senior setter is out for the remainder of the season due to injury. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier, the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Year, leads Dayton with 3.23 kills per set, while sophomore Kacie Hausfeld averages 7.19 assists per set after taking over for Schroeder at the setter position. Senior outside hitter/libero Nicole Bateman paces the Flyers with 3.51 digs per set, while 6-foot-6 Fletemier is their top defender at the net with 1.10 blocks per set. Kelly Sheffield, who in his first season as the UD head coach, owns a 143-86 career mark over eight seasons. The Dayton Series: Saint Louis leads the series 12-11. However, since joining the A-10 prior to the 2005 campaign, the Billikens are 2-5 against the Flyers. Last season and in 2005, the Bills dropped both matches to UD. Yet, the 2006 matches proved to be the most pivotal for SLU as it split a pair of five-set contests with Dayton to tie for the West Division regular-season title. The two teams squared off in the A-10 Championship final on the Flyers' home court eight days later. SLU won 3-1 to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth. Since joining the A-10, the Bills have never defeated Dayton in St. Louis. Scouting the Musketeers: After suffering through a five-match losing streak, Xavier (13-8, 6-0 A-10), which visits Duquesne Friday before traveling to St. Louis, has won eight of its last nine matches. The Musketeers, like Dayton and Saint Louis, are unbeaten in conference action. They return four starters from last year's at-large NCAA Tournament squad that finished 24-11 overall, 11-2 in the A-10 West for second place. Sophomore outside hitter Kelly Ruth leads the offense with 3.45 kills per set, while sophomore right-side hitter Hillary Otte adds 3.15 kills per set. Junior Jenn Welsh, XU's primary setter, dishes out 7.09 assists per set. The Musketeers' top defenders in the back row are Ruth (2.81 digs per set) and Claire Paszkiewicz (2.67 digs per set), while Otte and Ruth lead the front line with 57 and 48 total blocks, respectively. Floyd Deaton is 388-227 in more than 18 seasons as Xavier's head coach. The Xavier Series: Last season, the Musketeers ended SLU's bid for a second straight NCAA Tournament berth by defeating the Bills 3-2 in the A-10 Championship semifinals in Charlotte, N.C. During the regular season, the teams split their matches with each squad winning 3-0 on its own court. Since joining the league more than three years ago, Saint Louis is 3-4 against XU. The Billikens won both regular-season matches in 2006 after dropping both matches in 2005. Reaping the Rewards: SLU has been awarded a league-high-tying four A-10 Player of the Week plaudits this season. Sammi McCloud earned the honor twice (Sept. 8 and Oct. 13), while Whitney Roth was selected on Sept. 22 and Sally Warning was recognized on Sept. 29. Xavier (four times) is the only other league team with more than one honoree this season. Columbia Connection: SLU junior Sammi McCloud and Dayton freshman Anna Eytchison were volleyball teammates at Columbia High School in Columbia, Ill. The duo guided the Eagles to the title match of the 2005 Illinois Class A state tournament. Schedule Strength: Seven of Saint Louis' 2008 opponents received votes in this week's CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll. Reigning national champion Penn State (20-0) earned top billing, while Stanford (15-3) was picked fifth. Big Ten members Purdue (16-4) and Illinois (14-5) were ranked 18th and 19th, respectively. Meanwhile, SLU foes Utah (14-4), Middle Tennessee State (17-3) and Northern Iowa (17-4) were among the other teams receiving votes and appearing on more than two ballots. The Bills have faced four ranked teams thus far in 2008, the most they have ever played in a season. Saint Louis is 1-3 against those teams. Following the Action: All Billiken home matches 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: Tickets for all volleyball home matches at Chaifetz Pavilion may be purchased at the gate, by phone at (314) 977-4SLU or online at www.slubillikens.com. Prices for single-match tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth. Groups of 20 or more receive discounted tickets for $3 apiece. Students with a valid SLU ID card receive free admission. Conference Call: The Billikens are 34-12 (.739) in Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season matches, including a 19-4 mark at home. Dayton (three times) and Xavier are the only league members to claim wins on the Bills' home court since Saint Louis joined the league prior to the 2005 campaign. SLU has finished third or better each season it has been in the league. Leaders of the Pack: Like last season, juniors Whitney Roth and Bridget Fonke lead the league in assists and service aces per set, respectively. Roth ranks first in the A-10 with 10.97 assists per set, while Fonke leads the league with 0.48 service aces per set. SLU leads the conference with 12.79 assists, 13.89 kills and 1.47 service aces per set. In conference matches, the Billikens lead the league with a .289 hitting percentage. Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her fifth season at Saint Louis with a 91-53 (.632) career ledger. 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, the 2006 A-10 Coach of the Year, is joined on the sideline by assistant coach Kyle Walton, volunteer assistant Corey Arbini and graduate assistant Lisa Orlet. Behr-ing Down: Junior libero Whitney Behrens has moved up to fifth on Saint Louis' career digs chart (1,194). She has turned in double-digit digs in 13 of 20 matches played this season and needs 18 to move into fourth place. More McLovin' for McCloud: After helping Saint Louis upset No. 3 Stanford in the final match of the Billiken Invitational, junior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud was recognized as the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week. She averaged a team-best 4.08 kills per set en route to her second straight All-Tournament accolade. It is the second time in her career that McCloud has been named A-10 Player of the Week, and she is the third Billiken to be named AVCA National Player of the Week. Colleen Hunter earned the accolade on Oct. 16, 2000, and Stephanie Feulner was named National Player of the Week on Oct. 9, 1995. Come One, Come All: An on-campus record 2,152 fans witnessed Saint Louis' 3-1 win over No. 3 Stanford on Sept. 6 at Chaifetz Arena. One night earlier, the third-largest crowd in program history (1,016) attended the Billikens' match against No. 19 Illinois. One for the Ages: When Saint Louis defeated No. 3 Stanford 3-1 in the final match of the Billiken Invitational on Sept. 6, it marked just the second time in program history that the Bills had defeated a ranked opponent. Saint Louis is 2-19 all-time against ranked teams. SLU's victory also marked the first time since Sept. 2, 2006, that the Cardinal lost to an opponent outside the top 10. The Billikens' win over No. 3 Stanford is the biggest victory by an A-10 team since former league member Penn State defeated top-ranked Pacific 3-2 on Sept. 22, 1984, in Kingston, R.I. Whitney Squared: Juniors Whitney Behrens and Whitney Roth are keeping a blog this season, a feature available only on www.slubillikens.com. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Billiken volleyball team and is updated periodically. 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. |
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