The University of
Toledo
Women’s Volleyball Release Contact: Steve Easton (419) 530-4921 For more information, please go to www.utrockets.com
September 24, 2008
Toledo Opens Mid-American Conference Play This Weekend; Rockets Host Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan at St. Ursula Academy TOLEDO, OH – Toledo (8-5) opens its 2008 home campaign and its 26th season of Mid-American Conference play this weekend with matches against Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. The Rockets host the Eagles on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. before entertaining the Chippewas on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7:00 p.m. Both contests will be held at St. Ursula Academy due to the renovation of Savage Arena. “We’re very excited to open our home season this weekend ” Head Coach Kent Miller said. “Even though all of our matches on the road so far, we’ve tried to make the best of it and enjoyed a lot of success.” UT is coming off a very successful non-conference campaign with one tournament championship and a pair of second-place showings. In last weekend’s action, the Midnight Blue and Gold posted a 3-1 mark at the USF Best Western Invitational with their lone setback coming to the host Bulls. Freshmen OH Amber DeWeerdt and S Kassie Kadera earned all-tournament team honors for the Rockets. DeWeerdt registered 4.62 kills and 3.62 digs per set and a .251 attack percentage in the tourney, while Kadera averaged 11.69 assists, 2.19 digs and a team-high 0.44 service aces per set. Senior RSH Shannon Strachan and junior MB Sarah Wilson also enjoyed strong tournaments for Toledo. Strachan tallied 3.56 kills per set and a .368 hitting mark, while Wilson posted 1.92 kills and 0.69 blocks per set and a team-high .444 ATK%. “Our offensive balance has played a key part in our success this season,” Miller said. “We’re getting contributions from our middle blockers and that allows to spread the ball to the left and right sides of the net. That really gives Kassie a lot of options to choose from and she’s getting better and better.” SCOUTING THE EAGLES Eastern Michigan (5-9) has been a streaky team this year and brings a four-match losing streak into Friday’s match. Earlier this season, the Eagles dropped five in a row before posting four straight victories. Sophomore MB Jennifer Swartz leads EMU with a .252 attack percentage, while junior OH Victoria Randolph and senior OH Hayvolla Leite are averaging 2.77 and 2.60 kills per set, respectively. SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS Central Michigan (6-5) opened its 2008 campaign with a 6-1 win-loss mark but has since dropped its last four contests, including a 3-1 home setback to Michigan State on Saturday. The Chippewas will host Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday evening and travel to Ball State on Friday before heading to the Glass City. Senior MB Whitney Evers leads CMU’s attack with 3.18 kills per set and a
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Toledo Volleyball
UP NEXT: vs. Eastern Michigan WHEN: Friday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: St. Ursula Academy, Toledo, OH
2008 Toledo Schedule (8-5 Overall, 0-0 MAC)
Date Opponent Time/Result Aug. 29 at Sports Imports Classic (Columbus, OH) vs. Ohio State L, 0-3 vs. Youngstown State L, 2-3 Aug. 30 at Sports Imports Classic (Columbus, OH) vs. Xavier L, 1-3 Sept. 5 at EIU Panther Challenge (Charleston, IL) vs. Chicago State W, 3-0 Sept. 6 at EIU Panther Challenge (Charleston, IL) vs. Western Illinois W, 3-2 vs. Eastern Illinois W, 3-0 Sept. 12 at Michigan/Pepsi Challenge (Ann Arbor, MI) vs. Auburn W, 3-0 Sept. 13 at Michigan/Pepsi Challenge (Ann Arbor, MI) vs. No. 25 Michigan L, 0-3 vs. Oakland W, 3-1 Sept. 19 at USF Best Western Invitational (Tampa, FL) vs. James Madison W, 3-1 vs. Harvard W, 3-1 Sept. 20 at USF Best Western Invitational (Tampa, FL) vs. Georgia Southern W, 3-1 vs. South Florida L, 1-3 Sept. 26 Eastern Michigan* 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 Central Michigan* 7:00 p.m. Oct. 2 Ball State* 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at Akron* 7:00 p.m. Oct. 10 at Western Michigan* 7:00 p.m. Oct. 11 at Northern Illinois* 8:00 p.m. Oct. 17 OHIO* 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 KENT STATE* 3:00 p.m. Oct. 24 at Miami* 7:00 p.m. Oct. 25 at Bowling Green* 3:00 p.m. Oct. 31 at Central Michigan* 7:00 p.m. Nov. 1 at Eastern Michigan* 3:00 p.m. Nov. 6 at Ball State* 7:00 p.m. Nov. 8 Buffalo* 3:00 p.m. Nov. 14 Northern Illinois* 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 Western Michigan* 3:00 p.m. Nov. 18 MAC First Round (at campus sites) Nov. 21 MAC Quarterfinals (at SeaGate Centre) Nov. 22 MAC Semifinals (at SeaGate Centre) Nov. 23 MAC Championship (at SeaGate Centre) Home matches in CAPS * Mid-American Conference match Schedule is subject to change
Toledo Volleyball Release - page 2 .357 attack percentage. Five Chippewas are averaging over 2.00 kps with senior OH Kate Fissel ranking second with 3.11 kps. TOLEDO VS. THE COMPETITION Toledo trails its all-time series vs. Eastern Michigan by a 37-10 margin... The Rockets have lost nine of their last 10 meetings with the Eagles with their win coming in 2006...UT possesses a 1732 all-time mark vs. Central Michigan but has won eight of the last 13 matchups in the series. BALANCED OFFENSE KEYING TOLEDO’S ATTACK Five Rockets are hitting at a .200 attack percentage or higher. Senior RSH Shannon Strachan is leading the way with a .335 mark and junior MB Sarah Wilson is right behind her with a .314 ATK%. Also topping .200 are junior MB Liz Sundburg (.282), freshman OH Amber DeWeerdt (.213) and freshman RSH Cassie Kleespies (.211). SERVING IT UP The Rockets have made vast improvement with their serving this season. UT ranks first in the MAC with 1.78
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service aces per set after finishing third last year. The freshmen trio of Kassie Kadera, Amber DeWeerdt and Cassie Kleespies have played a big part in UT’s jump and are leading the team with 0.47, 0.37 and 0.36 service aces per set, respectively. Kadera ranks second in the MAC in aces, while Kleespies and DeWeerdt are in third and fifth place, respectively. 2008 ROCKET HONOR ROLL Amber DeWeerdt Ohio State Sports Imports All-Tourn. EIU Panther Challenge MVP USF Best Western Invitational Kassie Kadera Michigan Pepsi Challenge All-Tourn. USF Best Western Invitational Stephanie Kersting EIU Panther Challenge All-Tourn. Shannon Strachan Michigan Pepsi Challenge All-Tourn. A LOOK AHEAD Toledo hosts Ball State on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. before heading to Akron, OH to battle the Zips on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:00 p.m.
2008 University of Toledo Volleyball Roster Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown - High School Kassie Kadera S 5-8 Fr. Aurora, IL - Waubonsie Valley Stephanie Kersting** (C) OH 6-0 Jr. St. Louis, MO - Lindbergh Shannon Strachan*** RS/OH 6-0 Sr. Roscoe, IL - Hononegah Elisha Milks DS 5-5 Jr. Erie, MI - Emanuel Baptist Sarah Wilson** MB 6-3 Jr. Findlay, OH - Findlay Mallory Strall OH 5-8 Jr. Toledo, OH - Central Catholic Cassie Kleespies RS/OH 6-0 Fr. Lincoln University, PA - Avon Grove Amber DeWeerdt OH 5-11 Fr. Plainfield, IL - Plainfield North Katie Westerfeld* OH 5-11 So. Cincinnati, OH - Roger Bacon Margot Joniec* OH 6-0 So. Toledo, OH - Central Catholic Melissa Lovell DS 5-6 Fr. Monroe, MI - St. Mary’s Catholic Central Lyndsey Holt** MB 6-1 Jr. South Bend, IN - Clay Mallory Ladd** S 5-8 Jr. Crystal Lake, IL - Prairie Ridge Lindsey Witmer MB 6-3 Fr. West Lawn, PA - Wilson Lori Ruth*** (C) DS/L 5-6 Sr. Galion, OH - Galion Liz Sundburg** MB 6-2 Jr. West Olive, MI - West Ottawa * = Letters earned C = Co-Captain Head Coach: Kent Miller (12th year, Oregon State ‘84) ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH: Greg Reitz (5th year, Long Beach State ‘97) Assistant Coach: Jenni Horvath (1st year, Xavier ‘08)
2008 MAC Standings West Division MAC Overall Team W L Pct. W L Pct. Western Michigan 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 Toledo 0 0 .000 8 5 .615 Northern Illinois 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 Central Michigan 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 Eastern Michigan 0 0 .000 5 9 .357 Ball State 0 0 .000 4 10 .286 East Division MAC Overall Team W L Pct. W L Pct. Kent State 0 0 .000 10 3 .769 Bowling Green 0 0 .000 10 4 .714 Ohio 0 0 .000 7 4 .636 Akron 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 Miami 0 0 .000 6 6 .500 Buffalo 0 0 .000 5 9 .357 This Week’s Schedule Tuesday, September 23 UIC at Central Michigan, 7:00 p.m. Northern Illinois at DePaul, 8:00 p.m. Thursday, September 25 Northern Illinois at Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m. Bowling Green at Miami, 7:00 p.m. Friday, September 26 Eastern Michigan at Toledo, 7:30 p.m. Central Michigan at Ball State, 7:00 p.m. Akron at Ohio, 7:00 p.m. Buffalo at Kent State, 7:00 p.m. Saturday, September 27 Central Michigan at Toledo, 7:00 p.m. Akron at Kent State, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Ball State, 7:00 p.m. Miami at Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m. Buffalo at Ohio, 7:00 p.m. Bowling Green at Northern Illinois, 8:00 p.m. Next Week’s Schedule Thursday, October 2 Ball State at Toledo, 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 3 Northern Illinois at Central Michigan, 7:00 p.m. Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan, 7:00 p.m. Akron at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m. Kent State at Miami, 7:00 p.m. Ohio at Bowling Green, 7:00 p.m. Saturday, October 4 Toledo at Akron, 7:00 p.m. Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan, 3:00 p.m. Ball State at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m. Western Michigan at Central Michigan, 7:00 p.m. Kent State at Bowling Green, 7:00 p.m. Sunday, October 5 Ohio at Miami, 3:00 p.m.