Women's Volleyball Prepares For Three Pac-10 Opponents
October 11, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 11, 1999
THE FACTS -- In only their second home-stand of the season, No.17 USC women's volleyball (9-4 overall, 4-2 Pac-10) split a pair of matches against No. 7 Stanford and California. The Women of Troy must now prepare for the most important crosstown battle of the season, before resuming travel once again. On Wednesday, October 13, USC will face Pac-10 leader UCLA. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. The team will then head north for the weekend to challenge Oregon State on Friday, October 15, and Oregon on Saturday, October 16. Both matches are also scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
DID YOU KNOW? -- Aside from being in the midst of a coaching transition this season, the Trojans have had to deal with probably one of the thinnest rosters in program history. USC began the season with an 11-(wo)man roster, which soon became 10 when DS Emily Dalbeck left the team to concentrate on schoolwork. USC then lost starting middle blocker Amber Oliver at the start of conference play due to a sprained ankle... that makes nine. Even with the occasional sickness (for which there are no replacements), the Trojans lead the conference in digs (17.63 dpg), and rank among the top-3 in kills (16.65 kpg), assists (15.18) and blocks (3.00).
RANKINGS --- USC remained ranked 17th in this week's USA Today/AVCA coaches poll. The Trojans are still ranked ahead of conference-rival Arizona (No. 18). UCLA (no. 6) and Stanford (No. 7) are the only other Pac-10 teams currently ranked.
USC NEWS & NOTES -- The Women of Troy rank among the nation's top-20 in four categories: kills (No.17 - 16.88 kpg), assists (No. 19 - 15.33 apg), digs (No. 17 - 18.09 dpg) and blocks (No. 20 - 3.05)... The Oregon Ducks have lost 17-consecutive matches to the Trojans... Annual battles between the Bruins and Trojans still remain the most evenly matched competitions at USC, considering UCLA has claimed 36 victories and USC owns 35... Stanford broke a USC seven-match blocking streak in which the Trojans had out-blocked their opponent, all without starting MB Amber Oliver... USC played nine of its first 13 matches on the road, exemplifying the true meaning of the term "Road Warriors"... this week, the Trojans add three more sites to their travels... The Women of Troy earned their first tournament championship of 1999 at the UNLV Invitational... USC has appeared in 15 of the last 17 NCAA tournaments.
LAST WEEK -- The Trojans came away with a split in last week's matches against No. 7 Stanford and California. On Friday (Oct. 8), USC was swept, 0-3 (15-8, 15-6, 15-9) for the first time this season due to a high-powered Cardinal offensive attack. Stanford had seven players hit above .350 in the match, while holding USC to its lowest hitting percentage of the season (.173). The Trojans took their first lead of the match, 3-2, in game three, following a kill by MB Jennifer Pahl. The score was soon tied again, 7-7, as the Cardinal scored on an ace and found renewed momentum to secure the win. Aside from the Trojans' attack effort, the team also posted its lowest number of digs (33) and blocks (4.0) this season. The following night, the Women of Troy rebounded from the defeat to sweep California (15-8, 15-12, 15-10). Though USC's offensive performance was still not completely healed, the Trojans came away with a .218 attack percentage and held Cal to a .083 effort in the victory. After earning a win in game one with ease (15-8), the Golden Bears matched USC point-for-point in games two and three. But with a strengthening defense, the Women of Troy forced consecutive attack errors in each of the final two games for the match victory.
TOP PERFORMANCES -- It was a career best weekend for OH Kashi Cormier who has struggled the last four of five matches. Cormier averaged 3.17 kills per game in the two matches, and posted a .485 attack percentage. Against Stanford, Cormier hit for a career-best .625 with 10 kills and no errors. Other top performance included OH Janae Henry and OH Antoinette Polk who each added their ninth and eighth double-doubles of the season, respectively.
TRIPLE-DOUBLES -- Lauren Killian vs. Washington State, 9/31/99 (10k, 10d, 10b)
DOUBLE-DOUBLES -- 25 to date
30+ KILL PERFORMANCES -- Antoinette Polk vs. Washington State, 9/31/99 (30k)
TUNE IN! -- On Saturday, October 16, XTRA 690 will feature an interview with Janae Henry during the regular USC Trojans football broadcast. Henry's interview will run during the "Women of Troy Report" with Julie Bowman.
PAC-10 STATS -- Janae Henry and Antoinette Polk have made the switch. Henry now leads the Pac-10 with a 3.57 digs per game average, while Polk follows with 3.54. Polk also ranks No. 5 in kills average (4.02 kpg). Other stat leaders include MB Jennifer Pahl who ranks No. 6 in blocks (1.22 bpg), and setter Heidi Munneke who (10.70 apg) remains ranked No. 8.
OPPONENT NOTES -- USC will attempt to dampen the Bruins perfect Pac-10 record on Wednesday night (Oct. 13) at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA enters the match with a 6-0 conference mark (14-1 overall) after upsetting No. 7 Stanford last week at home. The 3-1 victory, marked the first time the Bruins defeated the Cardinal since 1994. UCLA out-blocked Stanford by a 12-5 margin, led by MB Elisabeth Bachman (8 blocks). Against Cal, UCLA earned a 3-0 win, while holding the Golden Bears to a .067 team attack percentage. OH Kristee Porter currently leads the Bruins, averaging 5.16 kills per game. Bachman is averaging 1.36 blocks a game.
Oregon State earned a 3-0 win over in-state rival Oregon last week, after dropping the three prior matches to Washington, Stanford and Cal. The Beavers (8-7, 2-5 Pac-10) did struggle with the Ducks in a two-hour, 40-minute match, but statistically dominated Oregon with a .318 to .150 attack percentage, and 8.0 to 4.0 blocking effort. OH Sarah Bjeldanes currently leads the squad with 241 total kills and a 4.38 average. The team ranks second in the Pac-10 in block average (3.02), and third in hitting percentage (.251).
The Oregon Ducks (6-10, 0-7 Pac-10) will be looking for their first Pac-10 win of the years as they try to put an end to a 10-match loosing streak. The team's last win came against Alabama on September 10. Since then, the Ducks have only managed to win three total games, and have been swept seven times. As a team, they average a .187 attack percentage and 13.67 kills per game. Service aces have been their strongest area with a 1.53 team average. OH Monique Tobbagi leads the team with 164 kills and a 3.64 average.
SERIES RECORDS -- One of the Trojans' most evenly matched series', UCLA and USC will meet for the 72nd time in program history. UCLA owns the series advantage with a 36-35 record, but last season, it was the Trojans who twice defeated the Bruins. The state of Oregon has been kind to USC since the early 1980s when the match-ups began. Against Oregon State, USC owns a 19-7 series advantage (.731), and against Oregon, the Trojans have won 23 of 29 matches (.793). Last season, the Women of Troy swept these two teams in each of the four meetings.
INJURY UPDATE -- MB Amber Oliver suffered a sprained ankle (right) during a team practice on Wednesday, September 22. She has missed the last six matches and is expected to be out for two more weeks.
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE COACHES -- Jerritt Elliott is serving as interim head coach this season after being a Trojan assistant during the past four seasons under Lisa Love. Love, the Women of Troy's head coach the past 10 seasons, resigned in March of 1999 to concentrate on her associate athletic duties at USC. Following the 2000 Olympics, U.S. Women's National Team head coach Mick Haley will come aboard. Haley led Texas to two national titles during his tenure as head coach of the Longhorns in the mid-1980s.
COACH JERRITT ELLIOTT -- Interim head coach Jerritt Elliott, who has coaching experience at the high school, club, international and collegiate levels, is in his fifth year as a member of the USC staff. He joined the program in August of 1995 as a volunteer assistant and was promoted to assistant coach in 1996. Each season, the Women of Troy advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals and finished ranked in the national top 15. Elliott was an assistant coach on the 1998 U.S. Junior National team which won the NORCECA gold medal and qualified for the World Championships. He also served as director of the Westside Volleyball Club from 1992-95 (he led them to a fourth-place finish at the Nike Volleyball Festival in 1994) and as an assistant coach for the 1993 Cal State Northridge team that lost to UCLA in the NCAA championship match. His high school coaching stints included three years at Marymount High in Westwood, Calif. and one year at Palisades High in Pacific Palisades, Calif. As a player, he earned All-City second- team honors as an outside hitter at Palisades High where he played alongside former USC standout Kevin Shepard and Olympic gold-medalist Kent Steffes. In his first season as a collegiate head coach, Elliott currently owns a 9-4 career record.
#1 TRACY LINDQUIST (S, 5-7, Fr)
A graduate of Ocean View High in Fountain Valley, Calif., Tracy Lindquist was a Fab-50 selectee and a two-time high school All-American. She and partner Chrissie Zartman are the two youngest players ever to receive an AAA beach rating.
1999 Season Stats: 196 assists, 4.17 apg, 0.75 dpg
o Had her best match against Long Beach State (Sept. 15), during which she collected 58 assists.
o In the first three weeks of the season, she has started in six of seven matches.
o Saw playing time against Arizona State and Arizona in the backrow.
o Lindquist assumed the backup setter role at the start of the conference season.
#2 JULIE MARIANI (DS, 5-5, Fr)
Julie Mariani is a defensive specialist from St. Francis High in Los Altos, Calif. As a prep, she earned all-league honors and helped lead her team to two CIF championships.
1999 Season Stats: 2.24 dpg, 0.33 sapg
o Tied a career-high three service aces against California (Oct. 9).
#3 ANTOINETTE POLK (OH, 5-10, JR)
A 1999 junior, starting outside hitter Antoinette Polk is looking to build on two strong seasons with USC. She is the team's most athletic player and its best leaper (at 5-10, she can dunk on a regulation basketball hoop).
1999 Season Stats: 4.02 kpg (.216), 0.19 sapg, 3.54 dpg, 0.50 bpg
o Tied her career-high with 24 kills against Long Beach State (Sept. 4).
o Named USC Athlete of the Week twice this season (Sept. 7 and Sept. 13).
o Earned all-tournament honors at the Wahine Volleyball Challenge after notching 57 kills (4.75 kpg) and 3.9 digs per game in three matches.
o Led the team with 18 digs against Arizona (Sept. 25).
o Set a career record with 30 kills against Washington State (Sept. 31).
o Posted her eighth double-double of the season against Cal (Oct. 9) with 11 kills and 13 digs.
#7 HEIDI MUNNEKE (S, 5-10, Jr)
As a 1999 junior, Heidi Munneke has rotated as USC's starting setter after serving two years as a reserve with the Trojans.
1999 Season Stats: 471 assists, 10.70 apg, 0.16 sapg, 1.98 dpg
o In the first three tournaments of the season, she has appeared in six of seven matches, with one start versus Tennessee (Sept. 11).
o Had three top performances against Hawai'i (48 assists), Nevada (46 assists) and Oral Roberts (42 assists).
o Made her first consecutive start of the season against Arizona State (Sept. 24) and Arizona (Sept. 25).
o Posted a career-high 80 assists against Washington State (Sept. 31), a mark which ranks fifth among USC match records.
o Added five kills without an error against Washington (Oct. 1) for a perfect attack percentage.
#8 SARA PETERSON (MB, 6-1, Jr)
As a 1999 walk-on junior, Sara Peterson will is a reserve middle blocker for the Women of Troy.
1999 Season Stats: 1.50 kpg (.556), 0.75 dpg, 0.75 bpg
o Made her 1999 debut against Washington State (Oct. 1) and led the team with a .556 attack percentage and three blocks.
#15 LAUREN KILLIAN (OH, 6-1, Fr)
Lauren Killian prepped at Marlborough High School in Los Angeles, Calif., where she earned 1999 Volleyball Magazine Fab-50 honors. Her father, Don, was a member of the 1977 USC national championship volleyball team.
Season Stats: 1.62 kpg (.295), 0.71 dpg, 1.08 bpg)
o Made her first start with the Trojans against Arizona State (Sept. 24) and led the team with a .500 attack percentage.
o Posted a team-high nine blocks against Arizona (Sept. 25).
o Recorded an unprecedented triple-double against Washington State (Sept. 31) with 10 kills, 10 blocks and 10 digs.
o Led the team with 7.0 total blocks against Cal (Oct. 8).
#16 AMBER OLIVER (MB, 6-5, Jr)
Senior Amber Oliver, a starting 6-5 middle blocker, continues to provide solid performances for USC after recovering from two shoulder surgeries.
1999 Season Stats: 2.22 kpg (.283), 0.22 dpg, 1.48 bpg
o Helped the team to the UNLV Invitational Championship with top performances against both Oral Roberts and UNLV. Led the team in total blocks (12) and attack percentage (.524) throughout the tournament.
o Collected a career-high 13 kills (.458) and six blocks assists against the Rebels. Tied a career mark with six total blocks in each tournament match.
o Suffered a sprained ankle on Sept. 22 during practice and is listed as day-to-day.
#21 KASHI CORMIER (OH, 6-0, JR)
A talented and versatile athlete, 1999 junior Kashi Cormier starts at the outside or opposite hitters position.
1999 Season Stats: 2.73 kpg (.232), 0.18 sapg, 2.80 dpg, 0.69 bpg
o Collected a career-high 20 kills against Hawai'i (Sept. 10), while adding 14 digs.
o Honored as an all-tournament selection at the Wahine Volleyball Challenge.
o After struggling in the first three conference matches, had an excellent showing against Washington (Oct. 1) with 10 kills, six digs and a .444 attack percentage.
o Had her best performance of the season against Stanford with a career-high .625 attack percentage and no errors off of 10 kills.
#22 JANAE HENRY (OH, 6-0, JR)
Junior Janae Henry is a starting outside hitter for the 1999 Trojans. A talented player with a solid all-around game, she continues to be a major contributor to the USC offense.
1999 Season Stats: 3.61 kpg (.217), 0.27 sapg, 3.57 dpg, 0.41 bpg
o Recorded a career-high 24 digs against Nevada (Sept. 9).
o Played one of her best matches against Tennessee (Sept. 11), collecting 14 kills and 15 digs, while hitting .433.
o Topped her previous performance with a 21-kill effort (.436) against Oral Roberts (Sept. 17). She also added 15 digs and two aces in the match.
o Named UNLV Invitational MVP after averaging 4.3 kills and 4.0 digs per game.
o Posted a career-best three aces against Arizona State (Sept. 24), and a team-leading 18 kills against Arizona (Sept. 25).
o Added 20 kills and 16 digs against Washington State (Sept. 31).
o Led the team with 13 kills and 10 digs against Washington (Oct. 1).
o Posted her ninth double-double of the season against Cal (Oct. 9) with 12 kills and 12 digs.
#26 JENNIFER PAHL (MB, 6-1, SO)
An explosive and dynamic player, sophomore Jennifer Pahl is a starting middle blocker for the Women of Troy.
1999 Season Stats: 3.22 kpg (.266), 0.33 sapg, 1.86dpg, 1.22 bpg
o Honored as a UNLV Invitational all-tournament selection after leading the team in blocks (12 TB/1.7 bpg) and service aces (4).
o Set four personal career records in the tournament including, a personal best three blocks solos versus Oral Roberts (Sept. 17), and six block assists, seven total blocks and three aces against UNLV (Sept. 18).
o Tied two career records with 10 kills and seven digs against UNLV.
o Named USC Athlete of the Week after accounting for a career-high 18 kills and six blocks against Arizona State (Sept. 24), and leading the team with a .469 attack percentage against Arizona (Sept. 25).
o Had a personal record-breaking performance against Washington State (Sept. 31) 19 kills and 15 total blocks. The block record ranks sixth among USC all-time records.
o Led the team with 10 kills against Stanford (Oct. 8), and a .353 attack percentage against Cal (Oct. 9).
