No. 23 Billikens Take on Nonconference Foe SIUE
Oct. 28, 2008
This Week: Saint Louis takes its No. 23 ranking into battle against Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. at Chaifetz Pavilion. The Cougars (9-10) will give the Billikens (19-4) their final nonconference test before the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament Nov. 21-23. Polling Place: After handily defeating A-10 rivals Dayton and Xavier last weekend, Saint Louis volleyball was awarded its highest ranking in program history. With a program-best 157 votes, the Billikens were picked 23rd in the Oct. 27 CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. SLU's 157 votes exceeded the 134 it earned after knocking off then-No. 3 Stanford in the Billiken Invitational Sept. 6. On Oct. 20, the Bills earned the first ranking in program history, coming in at No. 25 with 91 votes. Last Time Out: The Billikens handed their biggest league rivals, Dayton and Xavier, their first A-10 losses of the season last weekend. SLU, which leads the league with a 9-0 record, dominated each team 3-0 and did not allow the Flyers or the Musketeers to reach 20 points in any set. About the Billikens: SLU has won 14 of its last 15 matches, including 11 straight. It is the second-longest winning streak in program history. Only the 1998 squad won more consecutive matches (15). 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 3.47 kills per set, and junior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud contributes 3.32 kills per set. Meanwhile, junior setter Whitney Roth, SLU's career assists leader, runs a balanced offense with 11.04 assists per set. Junior middle blocker Sally Warning (1.07 blocks per set) provides the Billikens with a strong presence at the net, while junior libero Whitney Behrens (3.26 digs per set) is Saint Louis' top back-row defender. Saint Louis is off to its best start since the 1998 campaign.
Bills Earn RPI Ranking: Saint Louis is ranked No. 10 in the latest NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI, which is through matches of Oct. 26. 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 next at No. 54. Scouting the Cougars: SIUE (9-10) enters Wednesday night's match seeking its third straight win. The Cougars, who are transitioning to Division I this season, return five starters from last year's team that finished 27-7 overall and won the Great Lakes Valley Conference with a 17-2 slate. Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Winslow leads the team with 2.97 kills per set, while senior setter Mallory Clements dishes out a team-high 8.90 assists per set. Senior outside hitter Emily Rahn is the Cougars' top back-row defender with 2.93 digs per set, while senior middle blocker Samantha Schulte leads the squad with 0.72 blocks per set. Head coach Todd Gober is 185-66 in his eighth season at the helm of the program. SIUE won the only meeting between the two teams 3-0 on Nov. 6, 1986. Reaping the Rewards: SLU has been awarded a league-high five A-10 Player of the Week plaudits this season. Sammi McCloud earned the honor twice (Sept. 8 and Oct. 13), while Whitney Roth (Sept. 22), Sally Warning (Sept. 29) and Bridget Fonke (Oct. 27) have each picked up one accolade. 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 (22-0) earned top billing, while Stanford (17-3) was picked fifth. Big Ten members Illinois (15-5) and Purdue (17-5) were ranked 17th and 20th, respectively. Meanwhile, SLU foes Utah (15-4), Middle Tennessee State (19-4) and Northern Iowa (19-4) 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 36-12 (.750) in Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season matches, including a 21-4 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 11.04 assists per set, while Fonke leads the league with 0.48 service aces per set. SLU leads the conference with a .249 hitting percentage, 12.77 assists, 13.89 kills and 1.48 service aces per set. In A-10 matches, Fonke posts a league-high 0.56 service aces per set, while Sally Warning leads the conference with 1.22 blocks per set. In conference matches, the Billikens lead the league with a .299 hitting percentage, 14.06 kills per set and 2.44 blocks per set, all while holding their opponents to a league-low .141 hitting percentage. Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her fifth season at Saint Louis with a 93-53 (.637) 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 into a tie for fourth place on Saint Louis' career digs chart (1,211). She has turned in double-digit digs in 14 matches this season. 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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