Women's Volleyball Travels to Wisconsin
June 21, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 9, 1998
The No. 3 USC women's volleyball team (3-1) will travel to Wisconsin to face Indiana (2-1) on Friday (Sept. 11) at 5 p.m and Wisconsin (4-1) on Saturday (Sept. 12) at 7 p.m. in the Wisconsin Tournament in Madison, Wisc. All times are CDT.
SERIES NOTES -The Women of Troy faced Wisconsin in the first match of the 1998 season at the NACWAA Tournament in Albuquerque, N.M. The result was a USC victory, 15-1, 15-7, 15-8. The series record between the schools is 3-1. This will be the first match between USC and Indiana.
LAST WEEK - The Women of Troy returned from the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament in San Francisco, with two wins. USC defeated San Francisco in the first match, 15-6, 15-5, 15-2 on Friday (Sept. 4) . The Women of Troy defeated Saint Mary's College, 15-4, 15-3, 15-5 on Saturday (Sept. 5).
RANKINGS - USC is No. 3 in the latest USA Today/AVCA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The No. 3 ranking is the Women of Troyis highest since being ranked No. 2 in September of 1985. Indiana is not ranked. Wisconsin is No. 8 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 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. Senior outside hitter Jennifer Kessy needs 23 digs to move into the USC top five career dig leaders. Senior middle blocker Jasmina Marinkovic needs two blocks to take a top three spot in USC's career total blocks. Sophomore defensive specialist Cynthia Corpuz made her first career start against San Francisco.
COACH LISA LOVE - Her players have known her as one of the nationis 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 womenis 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 184-88 (.676) record with the Women of Troy and an impressive 383-166 (.698) mark in 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Loveis 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 Troyis 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 had 14 kills and three blocks in two matches (five games) at the San Francisco/Saint Mary's Tournament in San Francisco. She needs two blocks to move into the top three on USC's total block career chart. She earned All-Tournament honors at the NACWAA Tournament in Albuquerque, N.M., in USC's opening weekend. Marinkovic has been named Pac-10 Player of the Week three times.
She also earned 1997 KAEPA/AVCA All-District VIII 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. She had 21 kills, three aces and eight digs at the San Francisco/Saint Mary's Tournament. She has 38 double-doubles in her career. Kessy needs 23 digs to take a top five spot on the USC career dig chart. She was named to the All-Tournament team at the NACWAA Tournament after collecting 45 kills and 25 digs. As a standout junior in 1997, Kessy was named to the KAEPA/AVCA All-District VIII and All-Pac-10 first teams.
JANICE MOUNTS - Janice Mounts, a 1998 senior All-American candidate, is in 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' 2,921 assists place her third on the USC career assist list, 770 short of Christine Brigmanis record of 3,691. Her assist per game average (12.38) is second-best all-time, behind Brigmanis career mark (12.60). At the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament, Mounts collected 42 assists and two blocks. She earned All-Tournament honors at the NACWAA Tournament in Albuquerque, N.M. 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. Kipps played in both matches of the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament and collected 10 kills. 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). Polk started her 1998 season at the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament with nine kills, 14 digs, and two block assists in both matches. 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).
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. She played in three games at the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament, collecting four digs. 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. Cormier had a career-best 16 digs in her first match of the 1998 season against Wisconsin and had two double-doubles (11 kills and 16 digs vs. Wisconsin and 11 kills and 12 digs vs. Long Beach State) at the NACWAA Tournament.
JANAE HENRY - Sophomore outside hitter Janae Henry has earned a starting position on this years squad after playing in 19 matches last season. In the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament Henry collected seven kills and nine digs. She had her first career start against Wisconsin at the NACWAA Tournament to start off the 1998 season. Henry was the 1996 Volleyball Magazine "Player of the Year."
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. At the San Francisco/ Saint Mary's Tournament, Oliver played in three games, collecting 10 kills in two matches.
HEIDI MUNNEKE - An instinctive setter with an exceptional touch, sophomore setter Heidi Munneke will compete for time behind starter Janice Mounts. At the San Francisco/Saint Mary's Tournament, Munneke had 23 assists and four aces in three games.
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. Pahl collected her first three career kills in two games at the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament. 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 played in five games and had 10 digs at the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament.
Cynthia Corpuz, a sophomore defensive specialist, adds speed and quickness in the back row. Corpuz had her first career start at the San Francisco/ Saint Mary's Tournament playing in all six games and collecting five digs.
Christine Bohle, a sophomore outside hitter, serves the Women of Troy mainly as a back-row specialist and situational server as she did in the 1997 season. Bohle saw time in two games at the San Francisco/Saint Mary's College Tournament, collecting five kills.
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.
Sophomore middle blocker Sara Peterson is again a solid contributor, adding depth to the blocking ranks. Freshman
Emily Dalbeck is 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.
INDIANA - Experience looks to be the key for the Hoosiers in 1998 as 10 letterwinners and all but one starter return. And of the returnees, seven are upperclassmen. Leading the way for Indiana are outside hitters Ryann Connors and Jen Magelssen. Last season, Connors averaged 3.89 kills and 2.52 digs per game while Magelssen averaged 3.03 kills and 2.89 digs per game and led the team from the service line with 47 aces. Also returning for the Hoosiers is setter Kristina Sanderson and middle blockers Melissa Rooney and Cydryce Carter. The team is led by head coach Katie Weismiller, the Hoosiers are 2-1 in the 1998 season.
WISCONSIN - The Badgers host the Wisconsin Tournament and come in with a 4-1 record. Seventh-year head coach John Cook is 135-70 with Wisconsin and has led the Badgers to five consecutive postseason tournaments. The squad features middle blocker Kelly Kennedy, a 1997 All-American second teamer. Wisconsin's only loss this season was to USC at the NACWAA Tournament on August 28, 15-1, 15-7, 15-8.
VOLLEYBALL HALL OF FAME - Assistant volleyball coach and former USC All-American Paula Weishoff will be inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame on Oct. 19. Weishoff, a three-time Olympian ( won a silver medal in 1984 and a bronze in 1992 and also played on the 1996 team in Atlanta). In 1980, she played under Coach Chuck Erbe, leading the Women of Troy to a 46-4 record and the AIAW national championship.
