Aug. 22, 2007
Date(s): August 24-25
Tournament: MSU Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational
Site: Wetherby Gym (5,000) - Morehead, Ky.
The Series: SIU leads West Virginia, 4-0
SIU leads Morehead State, 3-1
SIU leads Eastern Kentucky, 5-1
Head Coaches: Brenda Winkeler (103-107 overall, 21-35 at SIU)
Veronica Hammersmith (540-526 overall and at WVU)
Jaime Gordon (137-97 overall, 57-70 at MSU)
Lori Duncan (164-237 overall, 135-137 at EKU)
Radio: n/a
Live Stats: http://www.msueagles.com/livestats/womensvolleyball/xlive.htm
Match Notes
Salukis Return to Action
The Southern Illinois volleyball team opens the 2007 season at the MSU Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational hosted by Morehead State. They will face West Virginia in the season opener Friday at 1 p.m.
2006 Squad Saw Best Start Since 2002
The Salukis beat IUPUI 3-1 in its first match of the 2006 season and hope to build in 2007. It was the first time since 2002 that SIU won its first match of the season.
Tournament Field
The Salukis open the 2007 MSU Comfort Inn and Suites Tournament against West Virginia, but will face host Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky throughout the weekend. A year ago, SIU beat the Mountaineers in three games at the Saluki Invitational. The Salukis last faced Morehead State in 2001, losing in five games. In 1997, Eastern Kentucky fell to SIU in three games at the Evansville Invitational.
The Mountaineers
The West Virginia volleyball team returns four starters from a team that posted a 3-28 record a year ago under 32-year head coach Veronica Hammersmith. They return their setter Kailee Goold along with their top two hitters Lisa Hough (1.74 kpg) and Tammy Wolf (2.09 kpg)
The Eagles
The Morehead State volleyball team returns three starters and the libero from a team that went 21-13 overall last season, finishing fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Head coach Jaime Gordon is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Eagles.
Colonels
Eastern Kentucky, led by 10th-year head coach Lori Duncan returns three starters and the libero from the 2006 squad. Last season the Colonels went 17-14 overall and 10-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Bridget Mustard and Brittany Nobilio return to lead the team, Mustard averaging 2.65 kills per game and Nobilio second in the league with 692 digs in 2006.
Picked Sixth in Preseason Valley Coaches Poll
The Southern Illinois volleyball team was picked sixth in the 2007 MVC preseason coaches poll for the second-straight season. The Salukis finished with 39 points. Southern finished tied for sixth a year ago, even with Evansville, who nipped the Salukis and took the sixth spot in the tournament. Defending regular season and tournament champion Northern Iowa was picked to win with 97 points and seven first-place votes.
Four New Faces in 2007 Class
The Southern Illinois volleyball team adds four new faces to the team in 2007, including three freshmen. Brooklyn Robbins is the lone junior college transfer, a setter from Parkland Community College where she was a two-time All-American. Sydney Clark is a freshman outside hitter from Evanston, Ill. She is the only freshman sketched into the lineup following the first two weeks of practice. Jasmine Conner, a middle blocker from Flossmoor, Ill., and Paris Leonce, a right side hitter from Powder Springs, Ga., are also new additions to the 2007 squad.
2006 team posts most wins since 2002
The Southern Illinois volleyball team look to surpass their 11-win season a year ago, the best mark since 2002. Since Brenda Winkeler took over the program in 2005, the team has steadily improved each year.
Elswick Ranked Nationally - shatters record
Nov. 10, 2006 against Evansville, Kristy Elswick's 17 digs propelled her to the top of the Saluki record books again, this time, she stole the record for digs in a season. She finished the season with 569. The sophomore is fourth on the all-time list for digs in a career with 1,050, 305 digs away from the all-time record. Her 5.75 dig per game average ranked 19th in the nation in 2006, leading the Missouri Valley Conference.
Digs in a Season
1. Kristy Elswick (2006) 569
2. Kristie Kemner (2002) 503
3. Kristy Elswick (2005) 481
Digs in a Career
1. Kristie Kemner (1999-02) 1355
2. Debbie Barr (1996-99) 1113
3. Mary Maxwell (1980-83) 1077
4. Kristy Elswick (2005-present) 1050
Roberson Blocks with Best
Saluki middle blocker Chandra Roberson averaged 1.32 blocks per game overall in 2006. Her 105 block assists last season helped the freshman climb to fifth all-time for blocks in a season. Roberson is the first Saluki since 1997 to have a block per game average above 1.3. The team's blocking average of 2.60 is the highest in school history, since the stat has been kept.
Block assists in a season
1. Sonya Locke (1981) 191
2. Sonya Locke (1982) 140
3. Dana Olden (1991) 112
4. Pat Nicholson (1985) 111
5. Chandra Roberson (2006) 105
Salukis Seeing Double
Right side hitter Kristie Berwanger currently leads the team with eight career double-doubles all at outside hitter in 2006. Setter Erika Bartruff along with outside hitter Kelsie Laughlin each tally three, while Chandra Roberson has one.
Former Saluki setter Holly Marita recorded the last triple-double in program history in 2003 against Iowa (10 kills, 51 assists, 12 digs)
Last 10 Saluki Double-Doubles
Player (number) Last Double-Double
Erika Bartruff (3) at Missouri State • 11-04-06 (19 assists, 10 digs)
Holly Marita (30) vs. Bradley • 10-28-06 (44 assists, 20 digs)
Chandra Roberson (1) vs. Bradley • 10-28-06 (11 kills, 11 blocks)
Kristie Berwanger (8) at Indiana State • 10-21-06 (14 kills, 12 digs)
Holly Marita (29) at Indiana State • 10-21-06 (53 assists, 26 digs)
Kristie Berwanger (7) at Evansville • 10-12-06 (14 kills, 14 digs)
Holly Marita (28) at Evansville • 10-12-06 (33 assists, 12 digs)
Kristie Berwanger (6) at Bradley • 09-29-06 (12 kills, 11 digs)
Kristie Berwanger (5) vs. Illinois State • 09-23-06 (15 kills, 12 digs)
Kristie Berwanger (4) vs. Indiana State • 09-22-06 (14 kills, 16 digs)
Salukis Strive in the Classroom
For the second-straight season, the Saluki volleyball team was award the GamePlan/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2006-2007 season. Three Southern Illinois volleyball players (Kristie Berwanger, Kristy Elswick and Johannah Yutzy) were recognized as Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes for 2006 by a vote of the league's sports information directors. All were named honorable mention all-academic. Berwanger and Yutzy also went on to be named to CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Five third team.
On the World Wide Web
Media, student-athletes and fans can access the most up-to-date information pertaining to Saluki Volleyball by visiting www.siusalukis.com. Features of the site include player and coach profiles, statistics, schedules, rosters and press releases.
