Volleyball To Play In Hawaii Tournament
September 08, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 8, 1999
LOS ANGELES
THE FACTS--The No. 20 USC women's volleyball team (1-1) heads to Hawaii to compete in the University of Hawaii Tournament this weekend fresh off a strong showing at the Long Beach State Tournament last weekend. The Women of Troy will face Nevada (3-0) on Thursday (Sept. 9) at 5 p.m., then will meet No. 3 Hawaii (4-0) on Friday (Sept. 10) at 7 p.m. before closing out the tournament against Tennessee (3-1) on Saturday (Sept. 11) at 2 p.m.
RANKINGS--USC is ranked 20th in the latest USA Today/AVCA coaches poll. Hawaii is ranked third while Nevada and Tennessee are unranked.
LAST WEEK--The Trojans swept North Carolina in their opener (the first match of the Long Beach State Tournament), 15-9, 15-3, 15-3. Antoinette Polk and Amber Oliver had 12 kills each to lead the way. In the second match, USC just missed breaking defending national champion Long Beach State's 37 match winning streak, losing 15-12, 13-15, 15-13, 10-15, 7-15. Polk had a match-high 24 kills along with 17 digs.
OPPONENTS--The University of Hawaii returns four starters and seven letterwinners from a team that fell one match shy of last season's Final Four. The Rainbow Wahine swept their first three opponents this year (California, Pittsburgh and Minnesota) then beat No. 10 UCLA in four games. Hawaii is led by outside hitters Heather Bown and Lily Kahumoko and setter Jennifer Carey. Nevada, coming off their best season in school history, is undefeated in three matches so far this year. They are led by Navonna Chambers, Lauren Netherby and Shannon Stemler. Tennessee is 3-1 overall and is led by Stephanie Knight and Erika Brez.
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE COACHES--Jerritt Elliott takes over as interim head coach this season after serving as 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 (he led Texas to two national titles in the mid-1980s).
SERIES RECORDS--USC is 14-16 against Hawaii (the Trojans last beat Hawaii in 1996), 1-0 against Tennessee (the match was played in 1982) and is playing its first match ever against Nevada.
NOTES--USC has appeared in 15 of the last 17 NCAA tournaments...The Women of Troy face a tough challenge in No. 4 Hawaii ?they will have a much harder time than the Trojan football team had last week? as the Stan Sheriff Center provides perhaps the best home court advantage in volleyball...Hawaii has led the nation in attendance for each of the last five years... The Stan Sheriff Center is also the home of the 1999 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships.
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.
Antoinette Polk-- A 1999 junior, 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). So far this year Polk leads the Trojans with 36 kills (4.50 kpg) and is tied for second in digs with 21. Her hitting percentage of .289 is also second on the team. She tied her career-high with 24 kills last week against Long Beach State. As a sophomore outside hitter, Polk played in 28 matches (91 games) for the Women of Troy in 1998. She had a career-high 24 kills with 13 digs against Washington State (10/16). She collected 21 kills and 11digs against Pacific (11/28) and had 21 kills with nine digs against California (9/20). On the season, Polk had eight double-doubles. Her 253 kills (2.78 kills per game) was third on the team and her 272 digs (2.99 digs per game) was second best. Polk earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors for her performance in 1998. In 1997, Antoinette was named 1997 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
Janae Henry--Junior Janae Henry is tabbed for a starting outside hitter position in 1999. A talented player with a solid all-around game, she will be a major contributor to the USC offense. This year Janae has 25 kills (3.13 kpg) and leads the team with 22 digs. Last year, Henry competed in 25 matches (77 games) for USC as a 1998 sophomore. She finished the season with 197 kills, 211 digs and 31 blocks. She posted a career-high 17 kills with 12 digs against Stanford (11/22). In the match against UCLA (10/30), she recorded 12 kills and 20 digs and a career-high five blocks. She had 14 kills with a career-high 22 digs at the Banker's Classic against Pacific (11/28). In the second-round NCAA Tournament match against Texas A&M (12/5), Henry collected 12 kills and 11 digs.
Jennifer Pahl--An explosive and dynamic player, sophomore Jennifer Pahl will play a major role in the Women of Troy's success in 1999. After USC's first two matches she has 21 kills, 21 digs and six blocks. She also leads the team in service aces with two. As a 1998 freshman, Pahl made a name for herself as a middle blocker, earning Pac-10 All-Freshman honors. Pahl appeared in 29 matches (75 games) for the Women of Troy. On the season, Pahl posted 139 kills and 57 blocks. She had a career-high 10 kills against both UCLA (10/30) and Stanford (9/18). Pahl posted a career-high six blocks against UCLA (10/2). In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Pahl collected seven kills with four blocks against Texas A&M (12/5).
Kashi Cormier--A talented and versatile athlete,1999 junior Kashi Cormier will contend at the outside or opposite position, looking to increase her role for the Women of Troy. So far this year she has 15 kills and 20 digs. Serving as a key reserve last year, Cormier saw time in 19 matches (51 games) for the Women of Troy as a 1998 sophomore. Cormier finished the season with 82 kills, 150 digs and 31 blocks. She posted a career-high 16 digs along with 11 kills in the first match of the year against Wisconsin (8/28). Cormier had 11 kills with 12 digs against Long Beach State (8/29). In the match against Stanford (11/22), Cormier contributed a career-high five blocks with 10 kills and 13 digs.
Heidi Munneke--As a 1999 junior, Heidi Munneke has the opportunity to become USC's starting setter after serving two years as a reserve. As a 1998 sophomore setter, Munneke served as a back-up to Janice Mounts. Heidi saw time in 17 matches (28 games). She started against UCLA (10/2) and posted a career-high 61 assists, 10 kills and five digs. Munneke had 23 assists against Sam Houston State (9/5). At the Banker's Classic, she collected 13 as sists against Houston (11/27). In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Munneke posted 16 assists against Maryland-Baltimore County (12/4).
Amber Oliver--Senior Amber Oliver, a 6-5 middle blocker, will look to be a solid contributor for USC in 1999 after recovering from two shoulder surgeries. This year she has 17 kills and leads the team in blocks with nine. As a junior middle blocker in the 1998 season, Oliver began her comeback from shoulder surgery performed in 1997. Oliver competed in 18 matches for the Women of Troy and finished with 65 kills and 37 blocks. In the match against California 11/20), Oliver had seven kills and three blocks. She had seven kills and three blocks against Arizona State (11/8). She had six kills against Indiana (9/11) at the Wisconsin Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament match against Florida (12/10), Oliver posted five kills with five blocks.
Sara Peterson--As a 1999 walk-on junior, Sara Peterson will serve as a reserve middle blocker for the Women of Troy. In 1998 Peterson played in one game - against California (11/20).
NEWCOMERS--The Women of Troy bring in a stellar class of freshmen in 1999... Outside hitter Lauren Killian arrives from Marlborough High 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...Setter Tracy Lindquist of Ocean View High in Fountain Valley, Calif., also was a Fab 50 selectee and a two-time high school All-American. She and her partner Chrissie Zartman are the two youngest players ever to receive a AAA beach rating. So far she has received the most playing time among the freshmen and has responded with 10 kills and 11 digs...Julie Mariani, a defensive specialist from St. Francis High in Los Altos, Calif., earned all-league honors as she led her team to two CIF championships.
