PLAYER OF THE WEEK –  Nevada outside hitter Teal Ericson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 8-13. This is the third career WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior.

The Tahoe City, Calif. (North Tahoe) native, averaged 6.33 kills, 1.00 dig, .67 blocks, 6.67 points, and hit .433 as the Wolf Pack swept a pair of WAC home matches versus Fresno State and Utah State. In the match versus Fresno State on Oct. 11, she posted a match-high 24 kills and hit .500 as the Pack played without starting middle blocker Karly Sipherd who sat out the match with a concussion. In Saturday’s sweep of Utah State she tied for match-high honors with 14 kills and hit .345. She combined for 38 kills on the weekend which moved her into fourth on the Wolf Pack’s all-time kills list with 1,348.

The Wolf Pack moved into a tie for third place with the win against Utah State. Both the Aggies and the Wolf Pack both hold 6-3 conference records.

Other nominees included: Angela Wiggins of Fresno State led the Bulldogs with 27 kills as the Bulldogs went 1-1 ... Juliana Sanders of Hawai‘i had 20 kills in the Rainbow Wahine’s two sweeps last week ... Haley Larsen of Idaho had 31 kills in a five-game win over San Jose State ... Shannon Phillips had 22 kills and 16 digs in the Lady Techsters’ two matches last week ... Kristal Tsukano of San Jose State had 42 digs in a tough 3-2 loss to Idaho.

WEEK NINE IN THE WAC – Hawai‘i takes on the daunting task of facing No. 1 Nebraska in  the highlight match in the WAC this week. The Rainbow Wahine have already beaten Utah State this week. Fresno State will step out of conference play, facing CS Bakersfield. No. 18 New Mexico State will host Nevada and San Jose State this week. Louisiana Tech will also host the Wolf Pack and the Spartans. Boise will host Utah State and Utah Valley State this week.

IN THE POLLS – New Mexico State moved up two spots to No. 18 in the AVCA/CSTV and No. 16 in the RichKern.com poll, after a 2-0 performance last week. Hawai‘i is at No. 11 in both polls this week.
 
WAC IN THE TOP FIVE – No. 20 New Mexico State ranks seventh in the nation in both assists (15.83 apg) and kills (17.06 kpg). Nebraska leads the nation in both categories, with 17.02 apg and 18.37 kpg, respectively. Idaho’s Haley Larson is fourth in the nation in kills, averaging 5.46 per game. Hawai‘i’s Jamie Houston is sixth in kills per game (5.28 kpg)

HAWAI‘I TAKES ON NO. 1 NEBRASKA – On Oct. 21, the Rainbow Wahine have the hard task of taking on top-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are 16-0, 9-0 Big 12. Nebraska is one of two teams in the top 25 that remain undefeated along with No. 12 Dayton. The Rainbow Wahine are 5-6 all-time against the Cornhuskers. The last time the two powerhouses met was in August  of  2005 when Nebraska won, 3-0.

NEVADA’S ERICSON EARNS NATIONAL HONOR – Teal Ericson, a senior outside hitter for Nevada, has been named this week’s Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week. Ericson earned the award in helping her team to two wins over Western Athletic Conference opponents. In the Wolf Pack’s match against Fresno State, Ericson hit .500 on 24 kills, while also tallying three digs and one block assist in the 3-0 win. Against Utah State, she garnered 14 kills, three digs and three block assists to lead her team to its second sweep in a row. She combined for 38 kills on the weekend, moving her into fourth on the Wolf Pack’s all-time kills list with 1,348.  For the week, Ericson averaged a .433 hitting percentage, 6.33 kills and 6.67 points per game. Ericson is the second player from Nevada to earn the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week honors, and the first since Michele More on September 3, 2002. Nevada is coached by Devin Scruggs.

PACKING THE STANDS – Hawai‘i continues to lead the nation in attendance. This is the sixth-straight season that the Rainbow Wahine have led the nation in attendance. Hawai‘i has drawn 83,762 fans so far this season for an average of 6,440 fans. New Mexico State is 14th in the nation attendance with a total of 13,835 fans for an average of 1,976.

AGGIE VISION– With great success, Aggie Vision has provided three matches on television for New Mexico State volleyball. The first match televised was on Sept.  4 against New Mexico, the second came on Sept. 11 versus UTEP, while the third was on Sept. 27 against Boise State. Future matches that will be televised include the following: Louisiana Tech at NMSU on Oct. 11 at 7:00 p.m.; Nevada at NMSU on Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m. All times are mountain times.

UTAH STATE LEADS THE WAC AND RANKS 17TH NATIONALLY IN BLOCKING – Utah State continues to lead the Western Athletic Conference in blocking this year and is now averaging 3.15 blocks per game.  In league only matches, USU is leading the WAC with 3.96 blocks per game.  As of Oct. 14, USU ranked 17th nationally with 3.15 blocks per game.  Last year, USU averaged 2.86 blocks per game which ranked third in the WAC and USU finished the 2005 season by averaging 2.81 blocks per game, which also ranked third in the WAC.

HALEY’S COMET  –  Haley Larsen eclipsed 30 kills for the second time this season with 31 kills vs. San Jose State (Oct. 11). She had a season-high 35 kills at UC Davis (Sept. 8), which currently ranks as the third-highest kills total in the NCAA this season.  Larsen is ranked No. 4 in the nation for kills per game (5.46) this week. She has been ranked in the top four for six consecutive weeks and was ranked as high as No. 2 earlier this season.

NEVADA’S SIPHERD NEARS RECORD – Nevada senior middle blocker Karly Sipherd finished with four block assists in the Pack’s 3-0 victory over Utah State on Saturday which brings her career total to 430 to give her the school record.  Sipherd moved past former teammate Salaia Salave`a(2002-05) into first on the schools all-time block assists list.  She also moved closer to 1,000 career kills as her nine versus USU to gives her 990 which ranks ninth in Nevada history.  She is looking to become just the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000 career plateau.  Currently she is also second in total blocks(472), fourth in points(1,272), sixth in attack percentage(.267), and 10th in solo blocks(42) on the Nevada’s career lists.  One solo block would move her into a tie with Carla Busalacchi(1990-93) for ninth.

UTAH STATE IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM –  Over the last eight years, Utah State is 62-28 (.689) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, which includes a 49-24 (.671) record against conference opponents. During the last three years, USU is 15-6 (.714) at home against WAC opponents, which includes a 3-2 record this year.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR WAC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT – Tickets for the 2007 Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament are now on sale to the public. The volleyball tournament is Nov. 15-17 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. It is the first time that the volleyball tournament has been held in Las Cruces after being in Reno for five-straight years.
 For all-session tickets, there will be an “Early Bird” promotion (20% off regular price) until Sept 30, 2007. Ticket prices during this promotion are $20 for adults and $16 for senior citizens (age 65 and over) and $8 for children (18 and under) for an all-session pass (eight matches; four sessions).

Beginning Oct 1, 2007 the regular price all-session tickets and single-session tickets will be available. All-session tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for children. All seats are general admission. Single session tickets are also available for $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens and $4 for children.

All-session tickets for the volleyball tournament may be purchased by calling 1-866-672-8524 or calling the Pan American Center Ticket Office at 505-646-1420. Single-session tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.com (there is an additional service charge for Ticketmaster online sales). Single-session tickets are also available by calling 915-544-8444 or 505-532-2060. Pan American Ticket Office hours are Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL FORMAT  – For the third-straight year the WAC will not compete in divisions. This season’s format will be a double-round robin. Each team will face the other eight at home and on the road. All nine teams will compete in the WAC Volleyball Tournament.

2007 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
November 15 (Quarterfinals) 
Match 1 - No. 8 vs. No. 9  
Match 2 - No. 4 vs. No. 5
Match 3 - No. 3 vs. No. 6
Match 4 - No. 2 vs. No. 7
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. No. 1

November 16 (Semifinals)
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4
Match 7 - Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 5

November 17 (Championship)
Match 8 - Winner Match 6 vs. Winner Match 7

LARSEN HAS BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE – Haley Larsen had 35 kills to help the University of Idaho volleyball team rally to a 3-2 victory over UC Davis at the 2007 Hallmark Inn Aggie Tournament. Larsen’s performance was the second best in school history as she garnered over half of Idaho’s 69 kills in the match. The 35 kills was the highest in the WAC this season and third-highest in the country. Her strong performance led to her being third in the nation in kills per game, averaging 5.52 kpg.

SAN JOSE STATE CAPTURES TOURNAMENT TITLE – With a 2-1 tournament record, the San Jose State volleyball team won the ASU/Bancorp South Classic despite a 26-30, 30-23, 26-30, 24-30 loss to host Arkansas State.

Junior middle blocker Colleen Burke was selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. She had 10 kills against Arkansas State and hit .457 for the weekend with only two hitting errors in 11 games played. Keri Anglin had two blocks against Arkansas State and led the team over the weekend with nine blocks. Jennifer Senftleben recorded 10 kills Saturday night and averaged 3.55 kills per game over the weekend.

NEW MEXICO STATE TO HOST WAC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT  -  The Western Athletic Conference announced, that pending board approval, New Mexico State University will host the 2007 WAC Volleyball Tournament, Nov. 15-17 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.

The 2007 Volleyball Tournament marks the third time New Mexico State has hosted a WAC Championship in the past nine months.  In March, the Aggies hosted the 2007 WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships and this April, the University Golf Course hosted the 2007 WAC Women’s Golf Championships. 

Throughout the week, WAC teams and fans were treated to a variety of cultural events that showcased what the state of New Mexico and the city of Las Cruces are all about, including Native American and Hispanic Culture Days. Fans also had the chance to experience the newly-renovated Pan American Center first hand, including new concourses, concession stands, restrooms and a brand new center-hung scoreboard, which hangs above Lou Henson Court.

SAN JOSE STATE NAMES CRESPO HEAD COACH  -  San Jose State University has named Oscar Crespo as its new women’s volleyball head coach. Crespo, a 1990 graduate of San Jose State, becomes the sixth head coach in the program’s history.
 Crespo spent the past seven years as a member of the University of Nevada volleyball coaching staff. From 2000-01, he was the Wolf Pack’s assistant head coach before being promoted to associate head coach prior to the start of the 2002 season.

His primary areas of focus at Nevada were athlete training and development; opponent scouting and evaluation; recruiting; setter development; drill development and individual and team skill evaluation; development of defensive and offensive systems, and statistical analysis of individual and team play.

His recruiting expertise helped the Wolf Pack sign the 23rd-ranked volleyball recruiting class for 2006 according to PrepVolleyball.com. Crespo was instrumental in Nevada’s recent success of participating in four of the last six NCAA Tournaments.

REGIONAL SITES SELECTED  -  The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee has announced the following sites for regional competition of the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships.

Regionals (4) December 7-8, 2007
Host: University of Florida
Stephen C. O’Connell Center
Gainesville, Florida

Host: Pennsylvania State University
Rec Hall
University Park, Pennsylvania

Host: Stanford University
Maples Pavilion
Stanford, California

Host: University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Field House
Madison, Wisconsin

Boise State Broncos (4-14, 1-9 WAC)
Despite battling back against Idaho State to push it into a fifth game, the Boise State volleyball team fell to the Bengals, 2-3, with scores of 27-30, 23-30, 30-24, 30-28, 16-18, Monday ... offensively, the Broncos were led by Jeanette Jenkins, who tallied 19 kills and hit .224 (19-6-58) on the night ... adding to the offensive attack was Alisha King, with 17 kills and Elise Ardron, who hit .258 (12-4-31) ... setter Mandy Klein lifted 62 assists while notching a career-high 20 digs against the Bengals. 

Fresno State Bulldogs (5-15, 3-7 WAC)
Bulldogs step away from  conference play this week ... The Bulldogs and Roadrunners will meet for the first time since 1991, when Fresno State won 3-1 ... Fresno State leads the overall series 9-0 ... Cal State Bakersfield is new to Division I and compete as an Independent ... Fresno State and Fresno Pacific will meet for their annual exhibition match at the Special Events Center on Wednesday ... the Sunbirds were the 2006 NAIA runner-up with a 36-2 overall record and a 19-1 Golden Valley Conference record.

Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine (16-3, 10-0 WAC)
Hawai‘i swept Utah State to start the week ... this week, the Rainbow Wahine have the hard task of taking on top-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln ... the Cornhuskers are 16-0, 9-0 Big 12 ... Nebraska is one of two teams in the top 25 that remain undefeated along with No. 12 Dayton ... the Rainbow Wahine are 5-6 all-time against the Cornhuskers ...  the last time the two powerhouses met was in 2005 when Nebraska won, 3-0 ... Jamie Houston is sixth in the nation in kills per game, averaging 5.28 kpg ... the Rainbow Wahine are 17th in the nation in match win-loss percentage (.842) ... sophomore  Stephanie Brandt is first in the WAC in assists per game, averaging 12.99 apg.

Idaho Vandals  (9-10, 5-3 WAC)
The Vandals hold a 49-32 overall record at Memorial Gym under current head coach Debbie Buchanan, including a 33-15 mark at home since 2003 ...  Haley Larsen has 10+ kills in 18 of her 19 matches this season ... her season high is 35 kills at UC Davis (Sept. 8) ... her game at Hawai‘i (Sept. 14) was her only contest with less than 10 kills (eight) ... Haley Larsen has nine consecutive double-double matches ... she leads the team with 15 double-doubles ... Larsen had 31 kills against San Jose State last week  ... she was the first player in conference play to register over 30 kills in a match ... she has two matches with over 30 kills this season.

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (6-17, 1-9 WAC)
Louisiana Tech will try for its second conference win on Thursday at home against San Jose State ... on Saturday the Lady Techsters will host Nevada ... the Lady Techsters look to  break a four-match losing streak ...  Jillann Walker is sixth in the WAC in assists per game, averaging 10.58 apg ... Shannon Phillips is fifth in the WAC in kills per game, averaging 4.48 kpg ... last week, the Lady Techsters were swept by both New Mexico State and Fresno State.

Nevada Wolf Pack (9-7, 6-3 WAC)
After opening the home schedule by winning just one of four matches the Pack have turned it around at home winning three of their last four to post a 4-4 home mark ...  Nevada has posted a better road record this season then when playing at the Virginia Street Gym ... the Wolf Pack are 5-2 away from Reno, 4-2 in road matches and 1-1 in neutral contests ...  in WAC road matches the squad is 3-2 and at home 3-1 in conference play ... Nevada is now third in the WAC with a 6-3 ... the Wolf Pack are two games over .500 (9-7)  and are one of three WAC teams over .500 along with New Mexico State and Hawai‘i.

New Mexico State Aggies (17-3, 8-1 WAC)
New Mexico State is ranked No. 18 in this week’s AVCA/CSTV Coaches’ poll ... this is the second consecutive year NMSU has reached the top-25, getting as high as No. 21 in 2006 ... they finished the 2006 year at No. 23, while entering the 2007 season receiving votes, as they have done all season ... the Aggies’ only losses came at the hands of No. 1 Nebraska and No. 7 Texas, who was No. 6 at the time of the match ...  NMSU is one of only two WAC teams to currently be ranked along with No. 11Hawai‘i ... New Mexico State is sixth in the nation in assists per game (15.83) and seventh in kills per game (17.06).

San Jose State Spartans  (8-11, 2-6 WAC)
San Jose State finishes a four-match
road-swing with matches at Louisiana Tech and at #18 New Mexico State ... the Spartans then return home for its final four home matches of the season beginning with Fresno State next Monday, October 22 ... five Spartans rank among Western Athletic Conference leaders this week ... Colleen Burke leads the WAC in hitting percentage at .374 ... Keri Anglin is second in blocking at 1.35 pg, and sixth in hitting at .279 ... Emily Burke is fifth in assists at 10.91 pg. Jennifer Senftleben is seventh in kills at 3.72 pg, and ninth in points at 4.27 pg ... Kristal Tsukano is sixth in digs at 4.26 pg.

Utah State Aggies (9-10, 6-4 WAC)
Utah State fell to Hawai‘i in three games in Logan on Oct. 15 ... Utah State is 7-34 all-time against Hawai’i, which includes a 4-11 home record ... overall, Utah State has lost 19-straight matches against Hawai’i ... the last time the Aggies defeated the Rainbow Wahine was on Nov. 12, 1981 in Logan in five games ... Following its match against Hawai’i, Utah State will host Idaho (9-10, 5-3) on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum ... sophomore Melissa Larson is first in the WAC in blocks, averaging 1.53 bpg ... Larson has a total of 34 blocks ... freshman Chelsea Fowles is fourth in the WAC in  assists, averaging 11.12 apg.