Women's Volleyball Opens Season at New Mexico Tournament
June 21, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Aug 24,1998
The USC women's volleyball team, which returns five starters off of last year's 23-6 team, will start off the season in Albuquerque, N.M., at the NACWAA (National Association of College Women's Athletic Administrators) Tournament on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 28-29). The Women of Troy will face Wisconsin in the first match on Aug. 28 at 5:30 p.m. The winner of the match will meet the winner of the Long Beach State-New Mexico match in the championship on Aug. 29. The championship match will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the consolation match, which starts at 5:30 p.m. The tournament will be televised on a tape-delay basis by ESPN2. Preliminary matches will be shown on Friday at 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. and on Sunday (Aug. 30) at 11 a.m. All times are MST.
SERIES NOTES - The Women of Troy have winning records against the other three teams in the tournament. USC has defeated Long Beach State in 27 of 35 meetings, not falling to the 49ers since 1992, winning the last three matches. USC leads Wisconsin, 2-1, last facing the Badgers when it opened against them in 1996. USC leads the overall series with New Mexico, 3-1. USC last faced the Lobos in 1994 in the second round of the NCAA tournament, defeating them in three games.
RANKINGS - USC is No. 3 in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll. The No. 3 ranking is the Women of Troy's highest since being ranked No. 2 in September of 1985. Long Beach State is No. 2 and Wisconsin is No. 7. The Women of Troy took the No. 4 position in the Volleyball Magazine preseason poll with Long Beach State at No. 2 and Wisconsin No. 12. New Mexico was not ranked in either poll.
PAC-10 PRESEASON POLL - USC is ranked No. 1 in the Pac-10 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Women of Troy earned nine of the 10 first-place votes with defending national champion Stanford picking up the remaining vote. USC becomes the first team other than Stanford or UCLA to hold the spot in the preseason poll. The coaches have chosen correctly in seven of nine previous polls. Following are the results: 1. USC, 2. Stanford, 3. UCLA, 4. Washington, 5. Washington State, 6. Arizona, 7. Oregon State 8. Arizona State, 9. Oregon, 10. California.
NOTES - USC loses only outside hitter Jeanne Vetter from the 1997 team that went 23-6 overall and 13-5 in the Pac-10, good enough for a second place tie behind eventual national champion Stanford. The Women of Troy, whose 23 wins were their most since 1991, finished ranked ninth nationally and defeated Morgan State and San Diego in the first and second rounds of the NCAAs before falling to Nebraska in the Pacific Region semifinals.
COACH LISA LOVE - Her players have known her as one of the nation's best volleyball coaches for more than 16 years. Colleagues know her as one of the top athletic administrators in the country. Equally determined and successful on both fronts, Lisa Love, the 1997 Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year, has perpetuated the tradition of USC women's volleyball while also handling the duties of her position as associate athletic director. She has been USC's women's volleyball head coach since 1989 and was named to her administrative post in June of 1991. She will also complete a two-year stint as the President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association when her term concludes in December.
Love has posted an outstanding 181-87 (.675) record with the Women of Troy and an impressive 380-165 (.697) mark in 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Love's teams have been nationally ranked in the final Top 20 in 10 of those years and have made nine NCAA regional appearances and 12 NCAA trips overall. Love came to USC in 1989 from Texas-Arlington, where she built the volleyball program into a national contender. She was awarded the highest collegiate volleyball coaching honor when she was named the 1988 AVCA National Coach of the Year for leading UTA to its fifth Southland Conference championship and a Top 10 national ranking.
JASMINA MARINKOVIC - One of the most exciting players in the country, senior All-American middle blocker Jasmina Marinkovic (pronounced Yaz-MEE-nah Ma-RINK-o-VITCH) will be a major player in the Women of Troy's 1998 campaign. Known to her friends as Jasna, Marinkovic is an excellent leaper and one of the most athletic middle blockers in the country. She is looking to become USC's first player to earn back-to-back All-American first team honors since Tracy Clark and Kim Ruddins did it in 1984-85.
Marinkovic enters the 1998 season as USC's all-time hitting percentage leader at .357 (1205-313-2502). She is third in solo blocks (110), blocks per game (1.39), fourth in block assists (320), total blocks (430) and kills per game (3.90), ninth in kills (1,205) and 10th in attacks (2,502). She has been named Pac-10 Player of the Week three times. Marinkovic also earned 1997 KAEPA/AVCA All-District 8 first team honors for the second consecutive year and All-Pac-10 first teams for the third consecutive year.
JENNIFER KESSY - An All-American candidate as a 1998 senior, Jennifer Kessy is one of the top outside hitters in the country and one of the most feared attackers in the Pac-10. Kessy enters the season as USC's all-time leader in kills per game (4.02). She is also fourth in dig average (3.14), sixth in digs (974), seventh in attacks (3,117) and eighth in kills (1,245). She has 37 double-doubles in her career. As a standout junior in 1997, Kessy was named to the KAEPA/AVCA All-District 8 and All-Pac-10 first teams.
JANICE MOUNTS - Janice Mounts, a 1998 senior All-American candidate, enters her third year as USC's starting setter. A savvy veteran with loads of >court experience, Mounts, a Women of Troy co-captain, is one of the top floor leaders in the nation. Mounts' 2,768 assists place her third on the USC career assist list, 923 short of Christine Brigman's record of 3,691. Her assist per game average (12.41) is second-best all-time, behind Brigman's career mark (12.60). As a 1997 junior, Mounts earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention for the second consecutive season.
ALAINA KIPPS - Alaina Kipps, who put together a fabulous junior season, looks to continue her impressive play at middle blocker as a 1998 senior and Women of Troy co-captain. She finished 1997 as USC's leading blocker, recording 151 block assists and 21 solos, the former a USC season record. Kipps earned 1997 GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America second team honors and District Vlll and Pac-10 All-Academic first team honors.
ANTOINETTE POLK - A 1998 sophomore, outside hitter Antoinette Polk is looking to build on a promising freshman season in which she established herself as one of the top up-and-comers in the Pac-10. She is possibly the most athletic player and best leaper on the team (at 5-10, she can dunk on a regulation basketball hoop). Starting as a redshirt freshman in 1997, Polk was named 1997 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (USC's second such honor. The first was Jasmina Marinkovic in 1995). Polk finished third on the team in kills (244) and digs (241).
SARA STEPHEN - One of the quickest members of the Women of Troy and perhaps its hardest hitter, 1998 senior Sara Stephen is a multi-dimensional player who will vie for time at outside hitter. A quick player with great leaping abilities, her versatility gives Coach Lisa Love many options. In 1997, Stephen finished tied for third on the team with 19 aces and fourth in digs with 163.
KASHI CORMIER - Sophomore outside hitter Kashi Cormier started much of the 1997 season and was named a 1997 Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention selection. She finished the 1997 season with 127 kills, 114 digs and 50 blocks.
JANAE HENRY - Sophomore outside hitter Janae Henry has a solid all-around game and will be looking to build on her role as a reserve and challenge for starting time. Henry was the 1996 Volleyball Magazine "Player of the Year." In 1997, she finished with 25 kills, 54 digs, four aces and seven blocks.
AMBER OLIVER - Sophomore middle blocker Amber Oliver is returning to play after redshirting last season while rehabilitating a shoulder injury. Oliver is a welcome returner at middle blocker and is looking to return to the form that made her a force at the net as a blocker and a quick attacker in 1996.
HEIDI MUNNEKE - An instinctive setter with an exceptional touch, sophomore setter Heidi Munneke will compete for time behind starter Janice Mounts. She played in 14 matches (22 games) in 1997, coming in as a reserve setter and to serve in key situations. Munneke recorded 83 assists on the year with three aces and seven digs.
JENNIFER PAHL - One of two freshmen on the roster, middle blocker Jennifer Pahl will contribute depth and speed to the middle and challenge for playing time at the net. As a prep senior in 1997, Pahl was named to Volleyball Magazine's "Fab 50" and was the CIF Division V-AA Co-Player of the year.
WALK-ONS - The Women of Troy feature a talented cast of six walk-ons that provide Coach Love with key depth. Among the group are five sophomores and one freshman. Sophomore outside hitter Shannon Redfern was one of USC's top reserves last season, seeing time in 22 matches (62 games). She finished with 78 digs and 13 kills and her 19 aces tied her for third best on the team. Against Arizona, Redfern had a USC season-high seven aces, one short of tying USC's three-game match record.
Christine Bohle, a sophomore outside hitter, will serve the Women of Troy mainly as a back-row specialist and situational server as she did in the 1997 season. Bohle saw time in seven matches (12 games), finishing the season with 12 digs, two aces and one attack. A competitive player who can provide a spark off the bench will be sophomore defensive specialist and a reserve setter Ashlyn Dyer, a first-year player.
Cynthia Corpuz, sophomore defensive specialist, will add speed and quickness in the back row. Corpuz saw action in five matches (six games) in 1997, finishing the season with four digs. Sophomore middle blocker Sara Peterson is again expected to be a solid contributor, adding depth to the blocking ranks. Freshman Emily Dalbeck will be a valuable back-up at outside hitter and as a defensive specialist. Dalbeck earned CIF Division 3-A first team honors in her senior year at La Canada (Calif.) High.
TOUGH SCHEDULE - As usual, USC faces one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Including possible tournament match-ups, the Women of Troy could face up to 10 schools ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Preseason Top 25: Stanford, Long Beach State, Washington State, Washington, UCLA, Pepperdine, Wisconsin, Pacific, Arkansas and Notre Dame. USC will also face three teams that received votes in the preseason poll: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State and could possibly see Houston in the Banker's Classic.
WISCONSIN - Wisconsin is coming off its most successful season in program history. The Badgers shared the 1997 Big Ten title and advanced to the elite eight of the NCAA tournament, finishing the season ranked fifth in the nation, the highest season-ending ranking in program history. Wisconsin, which was 30-3 in 1997, was voted No. 2 in the 1998 Big Ten Preseason Poll. Seventh-year Head Coach John Cook is 131-69 with the Badgers and has led Wisconsin to five consecutive postseason tournaments. The squad features middle blocker Kelly Kennedy, a 1997 second team All-American.
LONG BEACH STATE - Senior setter Misty May leads the 49ers into the 1998 season after being selected as the AVCA National Player of the Year in 1997. Joining May as leaders are fellow seniors Benshie Dillard and Jessica Alvarado. Dillard was named an AVCA All-American second team selection, while Alvarado is expected to make a comeback after missing much of last season due to a broken bone in her left hand. Last year, Long Beach State made its fifth Final Four appearance under Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro, falling in the semifinals to eventual champion Stanford.
NEW MEXICO - New Mexico returns eight players including senior outside hitter Paula Feathers, senior middle blocker Zhao Lu and senior outside hitter Shannon Offutt. Feathers has started for the squad the last two seasons and is expected to be the "go-to" hitter. The team will be looking to Lu for blocks and hitting this year, as she led the team last year in both areas. Offutt has not started for New Mexico but is expected to make an impact this year as an outside hitter. The Lobos are coached by Laurel Brassey Iversen, who has amassed a 235-148 record in her 13 years at New Mexico.
LOVE NOTES - We are looking forward to opening the season in a great tournament and getting in the early match. This will give us an opportunity to work out the first-match butterflies and nervousness. With a veteran team like this, there is a high degree of excitement to get out of the gym and really play. Playing through the first-match jitters should be a benefit down the road.
