Women's Volleyball Travels To Face Washington State, Washington
September 28, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 28, 1999
THE FACTS-- The No.19 USC women's volleyball team (6-3 overall) opened the Pac-10 schedule with a 1-1 conference record, and will now try to add two more to the win column on the road. The Women of Troy will face Washington State on Thursday, September 30 in Pullman, Wash. , in a match scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The team will then travel to Seattle, Wash. on Friday, October 1 for a 7 p.m. match against Washington.
USC NEWS & NOTES--USC has out-blocked its opponent in its last five contests... Against Arizona State, the Women of Troy accumulated nine service aces, its highest total this season... Last week, the Trojans earned their seventh-consecutive victory against the Sun Devils... The Trojans earned their first tournament championship of 1999 at the UNLV Invitational... USC has appeared in 15 of the last 17 NCAA tournaments.
RANKINGS--USC is ranked 19th in the latest USA Today/AVCA coaches poll. The Trojans dropped 1/2 spot after being tied for 18th with Ohio State last week. Neither Washington State nor Washington are ranked.
LAST WEEK--USC opened the Pac-10 schedule last week against Arizona State (Sept. 24) and Arizona (Sept. 25). The Trojans defeated the Sun Devils, 3-1 (12-15, 15-13, 15-9, 15-9) in a two-hour, 20-minute match in the North Gym. Both teams struggled at the net throughout the night, but it was a match-high .347 attack performance in the fourth game that sealed the win for the Trojans. USC hit .216 in the match, compared to ASU's .192. On Saturday, the Women of Troy earned its first conference loss to Arizona, 1-3 (10-15, 12-15, 15-3, 13-15). Battling from a two-game deficit, the Trojans' decisive win in game four was not enough to capture the match victory. With 19.0 total blocks, compared to the Wildcats' 10.0, USC out-blocked its opponent for the fifth consecutive time this season.
HONORS--MB Jennifer Pahl was named this week's USC Athlete of the Week. Against Arizona State and Arizona, Pahl averaged a .424 attack percentage, 4.25 kills and 1.25 blocks per game.
PAC-10 STATS--Two Trojans top the Pac-10 defensive stats charts. OH Antoinette Polk leads the conference with a 3.76 digs per game average, while OH Janae Henry follows closely with a 3.74 average. Other stat leaders include Amber Oliver who ranks No. 2 in block average (1.48 bpg) and No. 9 in hitting percentage (.283). MB Jennifer Pahl ranks No. 6 in service aces (0.40 sapg), while setters Heidi Munneke (9.33 apg) and Tracy Lindquist (5.67 apg) rank No. 8 and 10, respectively.
OPPONENT NOTES--Washington State enters Friday's match with a 7-4 overall record, and 2-2 mark in the Pac-10. Last week, the Cougars swept Oregon, 3-0, on Friday, but were defeated by Oregon State, 0-3, the following night. Washington State is led by OH Missy Blackshire who has accounted for 122 kills (3.59 kpg), and 17 aces (0.50 sapg) this season. With a team 2.86 blocks per game average, seven Cougars are sharing the responsibilities, each with an above 0.50 average... Washington is coming off two victories over Oregon (3-1) and Oregon State (3-1) last weekend. With a 6-6 overall record, and 2-2 mark against Pac-10 opponents, the Huskies are looking to break the .500 plateau. The team is led by OH Kristina Laffling (173 kills, 4.22 kpg) and setter Britni Churnside (463 assists, 12.51 apg).
SERIES RECORDS--USC is 17-10 (.629) versus Washington State. The Trojans earned a 3-0 victory in Pullman, Wash last season, but surrendered a 1-3 loss at home. The Trojans and Cougars have split matches in each of the last eight seasons. Against Washington, USC owns a 20-9 (.689) record. The Trojans earned two wins last season, including a 3-0 victory on the road.
ROAD WARRIORS--After a brief glimpse of home, USC returns to the road. The Trojans began the 1999 season with a seven-match road trip, and played their first two home matches last weekend. The team will play nine of the next 11 matches on the road, and then return to Troy in mid-November for its first four-match home stand.
RE-TOPPING THE CHARTS--Just one week after earning her first all-tournament selection, MB Jennifer Pahl displayed another outstanding performance on Friday night (Sept. 24). Against the Sun Devils, Pahl recorded a career-high 18 kills, surpassing her previous record of 10 kills she posted against UNLV the week prior (Sept. 18). She followed the performance with another 16 kills against Arizona the following night.
INJURY UPDATE--MB Amber Oliver suffered a sprained ankle (right) during a team practice late last week. She was sidelined for both matches last weekend and is listed as day-to-day.
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 5-2 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: 187 assists, 5.67 apg, 1.55 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.
#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.
#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: 3.94 kpg (.219), 0.18 sapg, 3.76 dpg, 0.62 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).
#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: 280 assists, 9.33 apg, 0.13 sapg, 1.80 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).
#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.
#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. 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).
#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: 2.68 kpg (.211), 0.15 sapg, 2.97 dpg, 0.59 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.
#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: 3.51 kpg (.218), 0.26 sapg, 3.74 dpg, 0.40 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). #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: 3.20 kpg (.264), 0.40 sapg, 2.31 dpg, 1.03 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).
