State Farm Illini Classic Notes
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ??? The University of Tennessee volleyball team will make its second road trip of the season this weekend, as it travels to Champaign, Ill., for the State Farm Illini Classic. The Lady Vols will open the competition against Creighton at 4:30 p.m. CT in Huff Hall before taking on either Marquette or Illinois the following day.
This past weekend, UT claimed its fourth consecutive Comcast Lady Vol Classic title after sweeping Appalachian State, Belmont and Indiana at Stokely Athletics Center. Sophom*ore Leah Hinkey was named the tournament MVP, while junior Milan Clarke and sophom*ore Chloe Goldman earned mention on the all-tournament team.??
Five matches into the 2007 season, Clarke has been the team???s most productive offensive player, while Hinkey has been the most efficient. A 6-1 outside hitter, Clarke leads the Lady Vols with 3.53 kills per game, 60 total kills and 139 attacks, while Hinkey has posted a team-best .405 hitting percentage to go along with 45 kills, 22 blocks and seven aces, all of which rank second on the squad.
Defensively, Goldman has anchored the team from the libero position with 4.24 digs per game and 72 total. The Monterey, Calif., native has also played a vital role in the passing game, with just five reception errors in 87 attempts (.943).?? Along with Hinkey, junior Mindy Flynn and freshman Nikki Fowler have provided the Big Orange with a strong presence at the net with block totals of 25 and 20, respectively.
The Big Orange is a combined 4-2 all-time versus the State Farm Illini Classic field, with a pair of wins over Illinois and a victory over both Creighton and Marquette. Tennessee has not made a trip to the Prairie State since it traveled to Chicago for the DePaul Blue Demon Invitational in 2003.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters the State Farm Illini Classic with a slightly deceiving 3-3 record, as all three of its losses have come to teams currently ranked in the top 25 in No. 1 Nebraska, No. 17 Cal Poly and No. 25 Middle Tennessee.
Pacing the Creighton offense is junior setter Korie Lebeda who is averaging 12.11 assists per game. Seven different Bluejays average a kill or more per game, with senior Kelly Goc leading the pack at 3.92 per frame despite suffering an injury in the opening weekend of play.
The Bluejays are led by the most successful head coach in school history Kirsten Bernthal Booth. With 70 career wins at Creighton, Booth has passed Howard Wallace who was 68-94 in six years from 1997-2002.
Tennessee claimed victory in the only previous meeting between the two schools, defeating Creighton, 15-7, 15-5, 15-7, at the Powerbar Invitational in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 6, 1996.
Scouting Illinois
Illinois has put together a 4-2 record prior to hosting its home tournament. The Fighting Illini opened the season with victories over Bowling Green and IPFW before dropping a pair of contests to Dayton and LSU. They rebounded nicely, however, with back-to-back sweeps over Rice and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last weekend,
Freshman Laura DeBruler and senior Vicki Brown have been impressive this season, averaging 4.13 and 3.04 kills per game while hitting at clips of .249 and .418, respectively. Sophom*ore Ashley Edinger has been the squad???s most consistent defensive player with 126 digs (5.48/game) already this year.
The all-time series between UT and Illinois is tied at two wins each. In the last meeting, the then-No. 8 Fighting Illini defeated the Lady Vols, 15-0, 15-7, 15-4, on Sept. 25, 1987, at the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb.
Scouting Marquette
Marquette holds a 2-3 record coming into this weekend???s action, with wins over Miami (Fla.) and Oakland.
The top player so far this season for the Golden Eagles has been senior Kimberly Todd who leads the team with 83 kills (4.61/game) and is second on the squad in both digs and blocks with 58 and 15, respectively.?? Fellow classmate Katie Weidner has guided the offense to a 13.94 kills per game average with 214 total assists.
Defensively, junior Terri Angst and senior Jenn Brown have led the MU effort with 79 digs and 23 blocks, respectively.
Tennessee was victorious in its only head-to-head match with Marquette, squeaking by in five sets, 34-36, 30-20, 24-30, 30-22, 15-10, on Nov. 23, 2001 in Knoxville.
Trio of Lady Vols Named to Comcast Lady Vol Classic All-Tournament Team
After the University of Tennessee volleyball team claimed its fourth consecutive title at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic, it had three players named to the all-tournament team, including the MVP for the weekend???s competition. Sophom*ore Leah Hinkey was tabbed the Most Valuable Player, while junior Milan Clarke and sophom*ore Chloe Goldman each garnered all-tournament laurels.
Over the course of the tournament, Hinkey was one of four UT players to eclipse the .300 hitting percentage mark, blasting out a .509 average (32-5-53). She also finished second on the team in both kills (32) and aces (7) and third in blocks (9) and total attacks (53). For her efforts, she was also named Lady Vol Athlete of the Week.
The only player to be named to the all-tournament team in both of UT???s competitions this season, Clarke also had a spectacular tournament on the offensive side of the net, as she tallied a team-best 36 kills and 70 attacks. The Santa Monica, Calif, product registered a stellar .371 hitting percentage (36-10-70) to go along with six digs and six blocks.
Goldman, meanwhile, was the anchor of the Tennessee defense, collecting 4.56 digs per game and finishing with 41 total. She also played a crucial role in the passing game, passing at a .971 clip with only one reception error in 35 attempts.
Clarke, Hinkey Earn Weekly Honors
Junior Milan Clarke and sophom*ore Leah Hinkey were honored for their play at the AVCA Showcase Aug. 24-25. Clarke was awarded Lady Vol Athlete of the Week laurels after being named to the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament Team, while Hinkey was tabbed Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week following a 13-block performance against No. 21 Utah.
Clarke Named to All-Tournament Team at AVCA Showcase
Following a pair of strong performances against No. 1 Nebraska and No. 21 Utah, junior Milan Clarke was named the Lady Vols??? lone representative on the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament Team. The Santa Monica, Calif., product registered team highs in both kills (24) and attacks (69) on the weekend, while adding nine digs and six blocks as well.
UT History in Home Openers
Throughout the years, the University of?? Tennessee volleyball team has amassed a stellar 25-5 (.833) record in home openers, including a 3-0 triumph over Appalachian State last weekend.?? During the Rob Patrick era, the Lady Vols have been even better with a 10-1 (.909) mark in his 10 years at the helm. The lone loss during that span was to LSU on Sept. 21, 2001.
Success in Home Tournaments
The UT volleyball team currently holds a 12-match non-conference home tournament winning streak after sweeping Appalachian State, Belmont and Indiana last weekend. The Lady Vols have not lost on their home court in non-conference tournament play since suffering a five-game defeat at the hands of Michigan on Sept. 13, 2003.
Rob Patrick on the Radio
For the remainder of the 2007 season, University of Tennessee head coach Rob Patrick will be the featured guest on WUTK 90.3 The Rock at 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday night. Patrick will talk about the current state of the UT volleyball program and provide a preview of upcoming matches.
Lady Vols on TV
The University of Tennessee volleyball team is scheduled to make no fewer than two more television appearances this season, after playing before a national audience against No. 1 Nebraska in the season opener. The contest against the Huskers on Aug. 24 was televised live on CSTV.
The Orange and White will next find itself on the tube on Sept. 14, when it hosts Alabama at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast on the SEC/FOX Regional Sports Networks. The final scheduled television appearance for the Lady Vols will come in Baton Rouge, La., when they take on LSU on the Pelican Sports Network.
New Attendance Records
At the AVCA Showcase in Omaha, Neb., Tennessee played in front of the two largest crowds to ever see a Lady Vol volleyball team in action. For their match against No. 1 Nebraska, 10,158 fans were in attendance, breaking the previous high mark of 7,931 set at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 15, 2005, when UT took on Washington in the NCAA National Semifinals.
That record did not last for long, however, as 11,076 fans packed into the Qwest Center to watch Tennessee play Utah the next day.??
Top of the Class
The 2007 Lady Vol senior class, consisting of Yuliya Stoyanova and Joselyn Johnson, currently ranks as the most successful in school history with an 80-25 (.762) overall record in the last three seasons.
The 2005 unit is second on the chart, as Kristen Andre, Julie Knytych, Amy Morris, Heather Harrington and Jasmine Fullove finished their careers with a 99-32 (.756) record.
Third on the list is the 2006 group of Sarah Blum, Kelsey Fautsch and Annie Sadowski, which amassed a .748 winning percentage, with a record of 98-33, during its time at Rocky Top.
200 Wins ... And Counting
Lady Vol Head Coach Rob Patrick became just the second coach in UT volleyball history to record 200 career wins with a 3-1 victory over Arkansas on Sept. 17, 2006. Patrick is the second-winningest coach in Tennessee history, with a 214-110 record (.660). Bob Bertucci recorded a 229-115 (.666) mark from 1979-86.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native has led a resurgence of volleyball on the UT campus since his arrival in 1997. Six of the eight years prior to that season, UT had recorded losing campaigns, while Patrick has earned a winning record in each of the last nine years, en route to setting the school mark for consecutive seasons above .500. He bested the previous mark of seven (1978-84) with his 17th win of the 2006 campaign.
Two-Time National Coach of the Year
Following a memorable 2005 season that saw him lead his team to the NCAA Final Four, Tennessee head coach Rob Patrick claimed his second consecutive National Coach of the Year Award, earning the distinction from VBall Magazine. The previous season, CVU.com presented him with the honor following a 32-3 campaign in which his squad claimed the SEC title.
Movin??? On Up
Since Patrick???s arrival at Rocky Top, the Big Orange has steadily moved up the SEC pecking order. Prior to his tenure, UT ranked in a tie for the eighth-best winning percentage among SEC teams from the first year of SEC volleyball in 1983 to 1996. The Lady Vols won just over 51 percent of their matches during that span and had over 20 wins only four times.
Once Patrick took the helm, however, that trend began to reverse course. From 1997 to date, Tennessee has recorded the third-highest winning percentage behind only Florida and Arkansas, claiming victories 66.2 percent of the time.?? UT has also recorded 20+ wins five times.
Dig It Up
If 2006 is any indication, Tennessee will need to continue to place emphasis on its defensive performance in order to be successful.?? Last year, when the Lady Vols out-dug their opponent, they were an outstanding 15-6. In those matches, they averaged 65.14 digs, while their opponent was only able to manage 57.33. When they were out dug, however, their record fell to 4-6 as they were only able to post an average of 63.3 digs to their opponent???s 69.8.
That trend has continued into 2007. In its loss to top-ranked Nebraska, the Lady Vols were out-dug 38-30. In its four victories, however, Tennessee has out-dug its opponent each time, averaging 51.25 digs to just 42 by its opposition.
Replacing a Legend
This season, Tennessee has faced the unenviable task of replacing the program???s all-time blocks leader Sarah Blum.
In order to match the enormous numbers put up by the two-time All-SEC performer, the Lady Vols have not asked one person to take up the challenge, but instead looked for increased contributions from a number of people.
At the top of that list have been junior Mindy Flynn and sophom*ore Leah Hinkey. One of just four upperclassmen on the team, Flynn currently leads the team with 25 blocks and is fifth on the squad with 23 kills.
Hinkey, meanwhile, has started to put together a stellar sophom*ore campaign, as she is second on the team with 45 kills,?? 84 attacks, 22 blocks and seven aces. She also leads UT with an amazing .405 hitting percentage thus far into the season.
Looking to Continue the Streak
With an appearance in the NCAA Tournament this season, the Big Orange would tie the school record with four straight berths, previously set from 1981-84 under Bob Bertucci???s watch as head coach.
Tennessee has reached the tournament nine times in its history, including a Final Four appearance in 2005. The Orange and White has also been selected to host the first and second rounds of play in each of the past three years after hosting just three times in the previous 21 seasons.
No Place Like Home
Over the past three seasons, Stokely Athletics Center has provided a strong home-court advantage for the Lady Vols. Since the beginning of 2004, the Big Orange is 41-6 (.872) at home, with a 15-1 mark in 2004, a perfect 13-0 slate in 2005 and a 10-5 record in 2006.
Since Stokely Athletics Center underwent a multi-million dollar renovation prior to the 1998 season, UT has amassed an 94-27 (.777) home record, including four wins in five NCAA Tournament matches that the Orange and White have contested on the court.
Fowler Making an Impact
Despite the fact that she is just five matches into her collegiate career, freshman Nikki Fowler has already made a significant impact in the Lady Vol lineup. After making her debut against No. 1 Nebraska, the Dallas, Texas, native used her all-around game to help propel UT to a 3-2 victory over No. 21 Utah. When all was said and done, Fowler was near an almost inconceivable quadruple-double with 10 kills, nine assists, seven digs and seven blocks. She also added a pair of service aces for good measure.
She continued her terrific play last weekend at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic, where she helped UT claim its fourth consecutive title in the tournament with 18 kills, 25 digs and 11 blocks in three matches.
For the season, Fowler is second on the squad in assists (19), third in digs (34), blocks (20) and aces (4) and fourth in kills (29), attacks (101), hitting percentage (.079) and points (44.0)
Super Sophom*ores
One of the main keys to success for Tennessee this season will be the continued improvement of its highly-heralded sophom*ore class. The group of seven elite athletes was ranked as high as the sixth-best recruiting class in the country prior to the 2006 campaign and it has lived up to its billing so far.
All seven players saw competitive action during their rookie campaigns and have pushed for even more playing time this year. Led by 2006 All-SEC Freshman Team member middle blocker Leah Hinkey, the unit also includes this season???s starting setter Jena Berg, libero Chloe Goldman and outside hitter Kylie Marshall, as well as Jaye Loyd, Carol Cheade and Farren Powe.
In 2007, the seven-member sophom*ore class has accounted for 83 percent of the team???s aces, 71 percent of its digs, 48 percent of its kills, 44 percent of the squad???s total attacks and 41 percent of UT???s blocks.
Earlier and Earlier Every Year
With a start date of Aug. 24, the Lady Vol volleyball program now holds the distinction of starting its season earlier than any other women???s athletics team in history at Tennessee. The previous record was tied last year when the Lady Vols opened on Aug. 25 at home versus Virginia in the Comcast Lady Vol Classic. The UT soccer team has also begun its season on Aug. 25 on two different occasions.
Two New Faces on Lady Vol Staff
In addition to the changes on the court, there have been two new additions to the Lady Vol bench for 2007, as Katie Noble is beginning?? her first year as an assistant coach and Annie Sadowski is making the transition from starting libero to graduate assistant.
Noble, a former standout player at Robert Morris from 2000-03, joins the Tennessee staff after spending two years as an assistant at Southern Illinois, following a one-year stint at Marist College in 2004. The Mentor, Ohio, native will work with all facets of the UT volleyball team, including training the team???s middle hitters, coordinating its travel and equipment needs and running the school???s summer volleyball camps.
A four-year Lady Vol letterwinner, Sadowski is embarking on her first season as a graduate assistant for the Lady Vols. The native of Wheaton, Ill., will assist with administrative office duties as well as the facilitation of practice and games. Sadowski graduated from Tennessee in the spring of 2007 with a degree in English and is currently pursuing a master???s degree in communications.
