Cal Poly to Host No. 8 Hawai'i and Cal State Northridge
10/3/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
This Week....: Cal Poly will host a pair of Big West Conference matches this week when Hawai'i comes to visit on Friday, Oct. 5 and Cal State Northridge on Oct. 6. Both matches are scheduled to start at 7 pm. All matches will have live stats and video available at GoPoly.com. The CSUN match will be broadcast on GoPoly.com with Dave Grant calling the play by play.
Hawai'i enters the week ranked No. 8 in the country with a 12-2 overall record and 5-0 mark in Big West play while CSUN enters the week 12-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play. CSUN will visit UCSB on Friday before making the trek to San Luis Obispo.
• For the seventh year, institutions will air all home and conference matches on BigWest.TV, and beginning with the 2012 season, all BigWest.TV events will air free of charge. Head to http://www.bigwest.org/ ...this week for weekly event schedules.
What's coming up: Following the match with CSUN, Cal Poly will continue conference play next weekend when the team hits the road for a pair of Big West matches at Pacific and UC Davis. The Tigers enter the week with a 14-2 overall record and a 2-1 conference mark and will host Cal Poly on Oct. 12. UC Davis will host the Mustangs on Oct. 13 and enters the week with an 8-8 overall record and 2-1 in BWC matches.
• In 2012, Big West volleyball expands to 10 teams with the addition of the University of Hawai'i. The Rainbow Wahine competed in the Big West from 1985-95 and posted a 165-31 Big West record and an overall mark of 302-68.
... The Mustangs have not advanced to the postseason since the 2007 season... Overall the team has made 14 appearances and post a 13-14 overall record.
A Quick Look at the Teams:
CP UH CSUN
Record: 1-14 12-2 12-5
BWC Record: 0-3 5-0 3-2
Kills per Set: 11.54 14.19 13.03
Hitting % : .152 .266 .214
Digs per Set: 14.29 14.48 16.35
Blocks per Set: 1.37 2.57 2.82
Service Aces Per Set: 0.67 1.12 1.14
Hawai'i: The Rainbow Wahine enter the week ranked 8th in the latest AVCA poll with a 12-2 overall record and 5-0 mark in conference matches. Junior Emily Hartong leads the team with 4.15 kills per set. Sophomore Jane Croson adds 3.84 kills with Mita Uiato dishing out the assists with 9.73 per set. Alyssa Longo leads the team with 3.42 digs per set. Dave Shoji is in his 38th season at the helm of the Wahine and posts a 1,088-183-1 career record. Hawai'i's two losses have come against No. 25 California in five sets and No. 3 UCLA in four. This will be the first trip for Hawai'i to San Luis Obispo since 1988. Hawai'i holds a 29-4 advantage over the Mustangs in the all-times series dating back to the 1980 season.
Cal State Northridge: The Matadors entered the week with a 12-5 overall record 3-2 mark in conference matches and played UC Santa Barbara on Friday. CSUN has picked up wins in conference over Cal State Fullerton (3-1), UC Riverside (3-2) and Long Beach State (3-1) with losses against Hawai'i (3-2) and UC Irvine (3-1). Five Matadors average better then two kills per set, led by Britney Graff with 2.77 and Mahina Haina with 2.72. Cindy Ortiz leads the team in digs with a 4.81 average with Sydney Gedryn leading the team in assists with 9.78.
This Past Weekend... : In the matches this past weekend, CSU Bakersfield and UC Santa Barbara, junior Chelsea Hardin stepped up her game when she averaged 3.12 kills per set over the two matches. She tallied 25 kills on 57 swings with 10 attack errors. Holly Franks kept up her pace with 2.50 kills per set with 20 kills on 59 swings. Junior Megan McConnell led the team with 3.62 digs per set over the two matches while adding 1.88 kills per set. Maddie Kuber continued her all-around game with 1.25 kills, 6.12 assists and 1.75 digs per set...
The Opening of BWC Play...: The Mustangs opened Big West Conference play with losses to Long Beach State in four sets and UC Irvine in three. Junior Holly Franks led the team in those matches averaging 2.86 kills per set. True freshman Hannah Schleis added 2.71 kills with senior Molly Pon chipping in with 2.43. Junior Marianne Gera hit .467 in the two matches... Freshman Nicole Kessler led the team with 3.29 digs per set.
Big West Play Numbers...: Since Big West play opened, junior Holly Franks leads the team with 2.90 kills per set while true freshman Hannah Schleis adds 2.71. Senior Molly Pon and junior Chelsea Hardin add 2.20 and 2.00 kills per set respectively. Freshman Maddie Kuber tallies 6.00 assists per set with Kate Walters adding 3.90. Freshman Nicole Kessler is the team leader in digs with 3.10 per set...
Overall: Overall this season Holly Franks continues to lead the team with 2.92 kills per set... Molly Pon is second with 2.15 kills... Hannah Schleis is third with 1.96 followed by Chelsea Hardin with 1.94... Maddie Kuber is the team leader in assists with 5.51 with Kate Walters adding 5.37... Nicole Kessler checks in with 3.31 digs with Steffi Sooter digging 2.33 and Kuber with 2.29...
Playing the Best.... : The Mustangs have faced the No. 2 team (Texas) and the No. 19 team (San Diego) in the first week of the season.... Two weeks later the Mustangs faced No. 5 USC and No. 17 San Diego (again)... During the BWC season Cal Poly will face No. 8 Hawai'i twice and Pacific twice, who is receiving votes....
Missing in Action.... : Jennifer Keddy, a two-time AVCA All-America selection, was named the 2011 Big West Conference Player of the Year when she led the conference with 4.06 kills per set is sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury. The 6-4 middle blocker was also third in hitting percentage with a .339 clip and blocks with a 1.22 average. Keddy's 4.85 points per set average ranks first in the Big West and 22nd in the nation. Her all-around skills include 1.76 digs per set with her career-high 19 coming against UC Irvine. She was also selected for the national A2 team.
Triple -Double.... : True freshman Maddie Kuber led the team to a five set win over Idaho when she tallied a triple-double with 15 kills, 30 assists and 10 digs.... Her kills came on 38 swings (.184) while adding one solo block and three assisted blocks...
Franks Earns All-Tournament in Utah Classic: Junior Holly Franks earned all-tournament honors when she averaged 3.45 kills per set... Franks had 17 kills against Utah Valley and 13 against Nevada... In the loss to Utah she tallied eight... For the tournament she hit .202 recording 38 kills on 84 swings....
Others–– at the Tournament: True Freshman Hannah Schleis tallied 27 kills in the three matches (2.45) on 69 swings... Junior middle blocker hit a remarkable .515 with 18 kills on 33 swings... Another true freshman stepped up at the tournament.... Maddie Kuber ... She averaged 2.27 kills, 2.00 digs, 7.36 assists and .64 blocks per set.... The setter/outside hitting recorded her 25 kills on 63 swings.... Junior transfer Steffi Sooter checked in with 4.00 digs per set while Nicole Kessler added 2.18 digs...
True Freshmen Stepping up...: Nicole Kessler, libero, tallied 35 digs in the match with Idaho and is averaging a team-high 3.31 digs per set...... Nicole's aunt, Lynn Kessler, was a standout player for the Mustangs in the 80's under head coach Mike Willton...
UC Santa Barbara. – The Cal Poly volleyball team lost to Central Coast rival, UC Santa Barbara, in three sets on Saturday to fall to 0-3 in Big West Conference matches and 1-14 overall. UCSB improved to1-3 in conference matches and 8-9 overall. Set scores in the UCSB win went 25-20, 25-17 and 25-20. Juniors Holly Franks and Chelsea Hardin each tallied nine kills to lead the team with senior Molly Pon and junior Megan McConnell adding five kills each. Freshman Maddie Kuber recorded 22 assists with 11 digs while McConnell led the team with 12. McConnell also was credited with two solo blocks in the three set match. UCSB was led by Katie Thompson with 15 kills with Leah Sully contributing eight kills. UCSB hit .202 for the match with the Mustangs hitting .123. Cal Poly held a 54-42 advantage in digs while UCSB held a 7-5 advantage in blocks. The Gauchos served up seven aces compared to Cal Poly's one. In the first set the teams traded points until the Mustangs edged out to a two point advantage (19-17) on a service ace by Steffi Sooter forcing a UCSB timeout. The Gauchos came back to tie the set at 19-19 and again at 20-20 and would then go on to score five straight points and closeout the set 25-20. In the second set the Mustangs held a 9-8 advantage when UCSB would go on an 8-0 run to hold a 16-9 lead and never looked back, winning the set 25-17. Cal Poly held a three point lead early in the third set, 7-4, but UCSB would battle back to tie the set a 9-9 and would hold a lead until the Mustangs tied it up at 15-15. UCSB would record two quick kills and an ace to hold a three point advantage and would pull away for a five point win, 25-20.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Cal Poly volleyball team dropped a heartbreaking five set loss on the road to CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday. The Mustangs had two match points in the fourth set, but could not close out the match and suffered their 13th loss in 14 matches. CSUB improved to 7-7. Set scores went 25-23, 16-25, 22-25, 26-24 and 15-10. Junior Chelsea Hardin led the team with 16 kills on 31 swings (.323) with fellow junior Holly Franks adding 11 kills and Megan McConnell 10. Senior Molly Pon added nine kills. McConnell led the team with 17 digs to tally a double-double with Maddie Kuber adding 11 and Nicole Kessler 10. Debora Araujo led all players with 27 kills while Shanyna Guitare and Molly O'Hagan added 14 and 11 kills respectively. The Mustangs outhit CSUB, .288 to .237, and outblocked the Roadrunners, 13-9, but CSUB served up 11 aces compared to the Mustangs two. In the first set the Mustangs edged out to a 7-3 lead on a kill by Kuber, but CSUB came back to tie the set at 9-9. The teams traded points until Cal Poly held a 20-18 lead only to have CSUB tie the set at 22-22 and go on to win the set 25-23. CSUB opened the second set grabbing a 6-2 lead, but the Mustangs came right back and took the lead, 7-6, on a kill by Franks. Cal Poly would go on a 7-0 to hold a 9-6 lead. Cal Poly kept the pressure on and took a four point advantage (16-12) on a kill by Pon. A kill by Franks gave the Mustangs a 21-14 lead and would go on to close the set and even the match, 25-16. The third set opened with the teams trading points with neither team gaining anything but a two point advantage. Cal Poly held a 13-11 advantage on a service ace by Kate Walters and held a 22-18 lead on a kill by Hardin. Cal Poly would go on and take the set 25-22. In the fourth set the Mustangs gained a two point advantage (6-4) on a kill by Marianne Gera, but CSUB would tie the set at 10-10. The Mustangs had a 16-13 lead on a kill by Hardin and continued to hold a lead (19-18) on a kill by Gera. Cal Poly held a 24-22 lead on a kill by Hardin, but CSUB would battle back to even the match at two sets apiece on four straight points, 26-24. In the fifth and deciding set, CSUB grabbed a controlling 8-4 lead with the teams flipping ends of the court. The Mustangs fought back and battle to tie the set at 10-10 on an attack error by CSUB, but the Roadrunners would score five straight point to take the set and the match, 15-10
