VolleyMob

Travis Hudson Has Built A Program on Why Nots, Culture at WKU

Quick quiz. Name a Division I volleyball program that has put together 15-straight 25 wins, has clinched six-straight regular season conference titles and has earned mentioned in the AVCA Top 25 each of the last six seasons. Here’s a hint, you won’t find this team in a Power Five conference, but chances are you’ve heard of them.

That was all beyond Western Kentucky head coach Travis Hudson’s wildest dreams when he took over the program in Bowling Green, Kentucky, 23 years ago. Since then, his teams have accomplished all of that and more in a location where some said it couldn’t be done.

To find out what has made the Lady Topper program so successful, from building the school into a mid-major powerhouse to being a contender on the nation’s biggest stag, VolleyMob sat down with Coach Hudson. We covered everything from his start with the program to the legacy of success that is now the Western Kentucky program, including all of the above, a 586-201 record, 10 NCAA berths, and a 27-2 mark and regular season Sun Belt title in 2017.

You have been at Western Kentucky since 1995. You knew when you inherited the program that things weren’t all rosy. Talk about the early years and the ups and downs you experienced and how you have been able to build the program into what it is has become today.

This is my alma mater. I was a student here and I love this university and what it stands for. It was really by luck. I had been around the program. I had been a volunteer assistant and done some different things when the head coaching job came open. And, to be honest, I had absolutely no business being a head coach, whatsoever. I was 24 years old and I was the youngest head coach in Division I volleyball. I took over a program that was 298th in RPI and we went 7-26 my first year. Certainly, we had an uphill climb. I knew there was a long way to go, but I’ve always understood that if the program wasn’t in the shape that it was, that they would never have hired an inexperienced 23 or 24 year old head coach.

I feel very blessed that everything has happened in the manner that it has, but, from the time I took over, my thing was always ‘why not.’ Why not Western Kentucky, why couldn’t it happen here? This is a beautiful campus and we are situation in a tremendous amount of high school volleyball talent in the Midwest. So, we started from there and have slowly built this thing into something that we are very, very proud of.

Talk about that run of success: 17 straight 20 win seasons, 10 NCAA berths in the last 15 years (9 in the last 12), 13 conference titles, eight conference tournament titles… Looking back now, do you see the accomplishment in all that you have built?

Not until I do one of these interviews…. I think we just hit our 15th straight 25-win season, which is just beyond comprehension to me. Obviously, you don’t set out with dreams that big. Again, I thought this could be a place where we could have success. I think the whole key has been that I have tried to build a culture here and not a team. Our program stands for the right things and we recruit the right type of kids. In my 23 years, we have a 100 percent graduation rate and we have only had one kid transfer out of our program. I think those things speak to why the success happens on the court – because it is a really solid foundation. We have great kids that care a lot about wearing the jersey and care a lot about each other and I think that has parlayed itself into a consistent team, year in and year out.

What makes the Western Kentucky community and environment special?

This is a great school, full of caring people. We have turned our environment into a tough one to play in. One of the things I tell our recruits is that just because it is the biggest house in the neighborhood doesn’t make it the best home. There are things from a financial point we may not have that the Power Five schools have, but there are things inside this home that you are not going to find other places in the country that money can’t buy. We are very proud that we have that culture built in place and we are very proud of the team that we put out there to represent this community.

What are some of the things you have hung your hat on in terms of your program? What are the things that make Western Kentucky volleyball what it is?

I think the culture that we have in place is a massive part of it. The term family is thrown around very loosely by coaches all over the country, but this literally is a place where we are all very connected. My players – I care about them like daughters and my assistant coaches care about them like daughters. Our players spend time with our children and at our houses. It is just a very connected situation. We certainly don’t feel like we are their coaches for three hours out of the day and we will see you tomorrow at the same time. I think that culture has put in place a situation where we don’t ever want to let our kids down and they don’t ever want to let us down and that is pretty powerful.

And then on the court, it is ironic now that for the last decade we have consistently been one of the best offensive teams in the country, but  we were able to build this program on great defensive players. Before we could get the kids touching over 10 feet that could really finish plays at the net, we started by recruiting some of the best defensive players in the country and best ball handlers in the country. We have maintained that and little by little we have improved the level of athlete we have at the net. Even though we are one of the Top 10 offensive teams in the country, we walk into most matches with an advantage ball handling-wise. That is always going to keep us in matches.

When you look at the last 15 years, there were some conference championships you missed out on or NCAA Tournaments you didn’t make. Are those the things that keep you motivated and keep the program motivated, knowing that there is so much more to achieve?

That is one of the things I love about being here. Over the last five years, we have won more volleyball matches than anyone in the country. We are recruiting now against the SEC and Big Ten and trying to recruit those same caliber of athletes, but we understand that we are not in the Big Ten or in the SEC. We understand that there are some things we have to overcome like money that come along with being in a Power Five conference, but I like that. That puts me in my comfort zone. I like to have a little chip on my shoulder. I like people telling us what we can’t do.

Prior to 2002, we had never been to an NCAA Tournament and they said it couldn’t happen here and then it did. Then, they said at Western Kentucky you can’t be an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament, but we have done that on more than one occasion. Then, they said we would never be in the Top 25 and we have been in the Top 25 at some point in each of the last six seasons now. I believe those things can happen here and that is an edge we carry with us all of the time and I think it serves us well.

When you look at the conference championship picture – and you have won every year since 2011 – people might say, what more can you do? How do you motivate your players that there is still so much more to accomplish?

Because they put a year by all of those accomplishments…. We were the 2016 conference champion and we went to the NCAA Tournament in 2016. We won the 2015 conference championship and so on. But, this is the 2017 team. It is more of a burden than anything else, because we do have a target on our backs and we do hear about all of the successes they have had in the past. But, this is a different group. I just like locking arms with them and seeing how far we can go with this group on every individual year. We always try to start fresh and see what we can accomplish.

It is a puzzle every year that you are trying to put together and I enjoy taking that journey every year with a different group of kids. Every year is different for us. Every year is a different make up in terms of your roster and every year has different challenges. To me, it is like opening a new puzzle every year and starting over. A lot of the kids on our roster right now weren’t there in 2016 or 2015 or 2014 when those things happened. This is their year.

You return three All-Americans and several other incredibly experienced players. Is that what makes this year’s team able to be 27-2 and undefeated at 13-0 atop Conference USA?

This is an experienced group. This group of seniors moved into Conference USA together. Their freshman year is when we joined the conference, and to this point we have won every trophy they have offered – every conference championship and every conference tournament. Three of these seniors have played every match in their career. Two weeks after they got to our campus as freshmen, they were in our lineup to start our season. They have been through a lot. They have grown as players. They have been through the ups and downs. So here in their senior year, having the kind of consistency that we have had can be attributed to the senior and juniors that have been in a lot of big matches. This is an experienced group, so we expect to be in matches night in and night out. But, the consistency with which they have done it is the remarkable part, because I don’t care how talented you are, there are a lot of ups and downs throughout a season. I am really proud of that.

Other than early in the season, when you played Louisville and Illinois in non-conference play, you haven’t been challenged too much except for a couple of five setters. They say that losses build character. Do you think the two you had early on plus a couple of scares are enough to get you where you want to go?

It has been an interesting year. We are 27-2 and we lost those two matches in a 16 hour period in the same tournament (Sept. 1-2). That was a rough couple of days. Had you told me coming out of there that we would be sitting here at the first of November with no more losses, I wouldn’t have believed that for sure. But, we always are in a situation where we know we are going to get the best people have to offer.

We are going to have a real challenge on Thursday. We are playing a North Texas team who is having the same kind of year we are and is built very much like we are in terms of experience. They are right around the 50 mark in the RPI and they are 25-2, so we are going to get all of the character challenge we need on Thursday down at North Texas. That is going to be a tremendous task to go in there.

Then, we will use the Conference USA Tournament to continue to prepare us. Our conference season is what is what it is. I know the scores look like we have dominated the league and we have won a lot of games, but I think there are some very good teams and very good coaches in our league. We understand that and one of the things we pride ourselves on is being prepared night in and night out and being the best version of ourselves. Certainly we will have to do that moving forward.

What challenges does North Texas bring to your team? Obviously, you have already won the regular season title and they can’t take that away from you, but it can definitely effect how you go into the tournament.

It is going to be a wild environment. If North Texas wins out, they can share this regular season championship with us. They certainly know that. It is also their senior night and they are a senior laden team like us. They play in a smaller facility that will be standing room only. They have already knocked off Oregon State at home this year. The challenge is going to be tremendous, but it is one of those matches where win or lose you can’t hurt yourself from an RPI standpoint. North Texas and ourselves can only help each other because we are both having tremendous years. That is a match where we know we are walking into a hornet’s nest down there. The challenge will be great, but it can only continue to help us.

You have been in a situation where you didn’t make the NCAAs based on RPI or whatnot despite having a great season because of your conference strength of schedule. Do you try to schedule around that, knowing it is in the picture from the start?

It is almost unfair to our kids, to be honest. Most people use the first month of the season to learn about their team. We are still learning each other’s names the first few weekends and we are already going out and playing some of the top competition in the country. It is pretty mentally draining throughout the season to have to do that.

Schools in the Power Five very often can use that to figure out their teams because they are going to get plenty of juice in terms of RPI from their conference schedules. We are in a very unique situation. There are just a handful of us in one-bid leagues that are trying to go out in that first month and build a resume that will hold up the rest of the year. We do that every year. We have gone out and scheduled very aggressively and did again this year. We played Miami (Ohio), who is leading the MAC, the first weekend. We played Louisville and Illinois the second weekend. We beat Pittsburgh in our home tournament the third weekend. We played Ohio State and Dayton. We have gone out and done what we can do. Our league schedule is what it is on a given year. We can’t do anything about that. But, when the selection committee is sitting in that room, they should be asking ‘what did Western Kentucky do when they had the chance?’ We certainly go out and schedule in a way that will give us a chance if we pull it off.

When you look at your roster, who are the players that are carrying your team to success this year?

We have three All Americans. Jessica Lucas and Alyssa Cavanaugh are in their senior year and are already three-time All-Americans. Rachel Anderson, who is a junior middle hitter for us, was an All American last year as well. We are very blessed in that regard and certainly those are the kids who carry a big share of the load for us.

Sydney Engle is a player who, and I have said this over and over, is probably the best volleyball player we have. She can do everything. She passes, plays defense, blocks, serves. She does everything at a high level. Jessica, Sydney and Alyssa are the three that have played in every match since they have been here and they have certainly led us in their senior year. And Rachel Anderson has done the same in her three years here. We are very blessed and very talented and those players certainly care the biggest share of the load.

Is there anyone that is doing things behind the scenes to lead the team?

We returned a ton from a year ago, but what we lost last year were two senior ball control players. Our ball control is being handled by two freshmen and a sophomore. Our sophomore libero Emma Kowalkowski and the two freshmen handling the ball control duties and defense for us back there have been the biggest key for us returning to a high level this year. They have handled the ball well enough for us to continue to do what we do and I think that was the biggest question coming in.

As you look ahead to the Conference USA Tournament, which can be vital in earning you an NCAA berth, do you allow yourself to look at that big picture or do you just focus on each match in the tournament? How do you approach something that can make or break your season?

We take it as three different seasons. We really work hard in the non-conference season to build a resume, then when we get to the conference season, it is all about trying to win a regular season conference championship. Then the third phase of it is conference tournament time. It is an exciting time and it will be a very competitive tournament.

We are very blessed that we have built the resume that we have. Our RPI was 32 this week. I think we are in a very good position to get an at-large, which is a really tremendously difficult task to do. Obviously we want to go into the tournament trying to win it, but it is nice to be able to relax and know that it might not make or break our season and our chances of making the NCAA Tournament.

When you look at your career resume, you have all of these amazing seasons and conference championships, but one might say what you are missing is a deep NCAA Tournament run, a Sweet 16 berth or more. Is that on your mind at all?

We always talk about that how you cannot skip steps. You cannot finish fifth in the league and make the NCAA Tournament. We can’t skip steps. The first thing we have to do is get back to the NCAA Tournament. We try to stay focused on that. Once we get there, it is the next step for us. We have been to the second round a couple of times, so that is the natural next step for us – to be in a position where we can try to break through to the second weekend.

Is that a possibility with this team?

I think yes. I think we are talented enough to do that. We have enough experience and we are physical enough to do that. We certainly feel like we have a chance to do it, but so much of it relies on where they stick you in the bracket. Last year we had an RPI of 16 going into the tournament with hopes of getting to host and we got sent all of the way out to Stanford for the first and second round and ended up in the same bracket with eventual champions. Sometimes it is hard to make heads or tails of that.

I don’t really let myself get to that point. We just worry about what is in front of us. We are trying to get back to the tournament and then we will look at that draw and hopefully be able to break through and get to that second weekend.

In closing, what does it feel like being to able to coach at your alma mater and what has kept you there at the mid-major level all of this time despite your success?

That is a question that I get a lot. Why have I not moved on? How long am I going to be here? Why have I not taken the next job? I always answer it this way. I coach for different reasons than a lot of people I guess, because having different letters across my chest and a little bigger paycheck is not what motivates me. What motivates me is helping young people grow and get degrees and really love the place that they are and really be proud of who they are playing for. Everything that I want out of coaching can happen right here.

I took over here when we were 298th in the country in RPI. What you usually see is people win a few matches and move on to the next job. To me, instead of going somewhere else and trying to get a better job, how about turning this one into a better job. That is what we have tried to do. And now, when you look at the history of what has gone on over the last 10 years in collegiate volleyball, we have competed with the very best of the best and I am really proud to do it here at my alma mater.

Defense by committee, the six rotation player and the continued importance of the libero have more players joining the elite 1,000- dig club. So much so that this year the number of current players in the group is pushing 200, with that plateau likely to be eclipsed this weekend.

Six players have even surpassed the unbelievable 2,000 dig milestone. In NCAA Division I history, only 25 players have reached 2,401 digs. Challen Geraghty of Kent State is poised to join that group this week, needing just six more digs.

Players with 2,000 Career Digs

Rank Player Div CL Pos Sets Digs*
1 Challen Geraghty , Kent St. D-I Sr. L/DS 446 2,394
2 Rylee Hunt , Niagara D-I Sr. DS 443 2,246
3 Kate Klepetka , Texas Tech D-I Sr. DS 436 2,116
4 Maeve McDonald , Miami (OH) D-I Sr. DS 444 2,092
5 Emma Aldaya , Rider D-I Sr. L/DS 471 2,058
6 Jessie Thornton , Wright St. D-I Sr. L/DS 409 2,052

The NCAA, which keeps all statistical data, even had to increase the number of listings for the category on its Division I active leaders page to accomodate all of those who have joined the group. Typically, the NCAA lists a maximum of 150 athletes per category, but has upped it to 200 for digs due to the growth in the group.

George Mason’s Catie Espinoza is one of the latest members of the group, surpassing the milestone against George Washington on Friday. Espinoza is just the sixth player in George Mason history to join the group, but in line with the growing trend, is the first to do so as a junior. She is the fastest player to do so in Patriot history, acheiving the feat in just 292 sets played.

Breakdown by Class

Seniors – 128

Juniors – 56

Sophomores – 6

Sophomores with 1000 Digs

144 Kaylie McHugh , Tulane D-I So. L 232 1,084
146 Haylie Keck , Idaho St. D-I So. OH 221 1,079
160 Alivia Fraase , North Dakota D-I So. L 236 1,053
167 Kate Avila , Ball St. D-I So. DS 230 1,039
169 Kathleen Reilly , Western Mich. D-I So. L/DS 214 1,035
180 Lee Ann Cunningham , Rice D-I So. DS 231 1,024

 

Breakdown by Position

Libero/DS –

Outside Hitters – 47

Setters – 18

 

The 190 student-athletes in the club represent 163 schools. Twenty-one schools boast multiple members with Houston Baptist and Sacramento State each registering three.

For the HBU Huskies: Jessica Wooten (1,312), Hailey Erickson (1,174), Bailey Banks (1,034)

For the Sac State Hornets: Kennedy Kurtz (1,161), Brigitte Murdock (1,062), Shannon Boyle (1,014)

Schools with Multiple 1,000-Dig Club Members

  • Houston Baptist (3)
  • Sacramento State (3)
  • Auburn (2)
  • Belmont (2)
  • Campbell (2)
  • Duquesne (2)
  • Eastern Kentucky (2)
  • Elon (2)
  • ETSU (2)
  • Fairfield (2)
  • Jacksonville State (2)
  • Kent State (2)
  • Louisiana-Lafayette (2)
  • Missouri State (2)
  • North Dakota State (2)
  • Notre Dame (2)
  • Radford (2)
  • Robert Morris (2)
  • Temple (2)
  • UCF (2)
  • Wright State (2)

There are 10 more players primed to join the elite group this weekend, with eight needing 10 or less saves to join the group.

Approaching 1,000 Digs

Rank Player CL Pos Sets Digs*
191 Lauren Blanco , Youngstown St. Sr. L/DS 344 999
192 Mackenzie Horkey , Omaha Jr. OH 340 998
193 Christen Augustine , Prairie View Jr. DS 297 996
193 Madison Haake , USC Upstate Jr. S 327 996
195 Laura Milos , Oral Roberts Sr. OH 429 994
196 Mary-Kate Marshall , Oregon St. Sr. OH 440 992
196 Taylor Nelson , Cal Poly Sr. S 379 992
198 Brooke Schumacher , Tennessee Jr. L/DS 300 990
199 Sydnee Martin , Little Rock Jr. DS 322 985
200 Cherlie Adorno-DeJesus , Tennessee St. Sr. L 225 984

 

 

The top seven teams remained the same in the USA Today Super 25 rankings, with San Antonio’s Reagan High holding down the top spot, followed by Kentucky state champ Assumption (Louisville) and Georgia champ Walton (Marietta).

Torrey Pines (San Diego, California) was the biggest mover, jumping five spots from 16 to 11. Wando (Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina) fell four spots from eight to 12.

Three new faces entered the rankings on Week 11: No. 16 St. Joseph’s (St. Louis, Missouri), No. 18 Redondo (Redondo Beach, California) and No. 25 Notre Dame-Pontiac (Pontiac, Michigan). St. Joseph’s earned its ninth state title with a win over Ozark on Oct. 28.

The trio replaced Mercy (Louisville, Kentucky), Marymount (Los Angeles, California), and Oconomowoc (Oconomowoc, Wisconsin), who dropped out after being No. 11, No. 18 and No. 21 respectively on Week 10.

USA Today Super 25 – Week 11

Rank School (Location) Record Last Week
1 Reagan (San Antonio, Texas) 42-1 1
2 Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky) 40-3 2
3 Walton (Marietta, Georgia) 40-1 3
4 Marist (Chicago, Illinois) 39-1 4
5 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) 32-5 5
6 Rouse (Leander, Texas) 45-3 6
7 Eagan (Eagan, Minnesota) 28-1 7
8 Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio) 24-1 9
9 PM Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) 40-4 10
10 Lewis-Palmer (Monument, Colorado) 23-0 12
11 Torrey Pines (San Diego, California) 29-3 16
12 Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) 47-3 8
13 Hebron (Carrollton, Texas) 34-7 13
14 Lakeville North (Lakeville, Minnesota) 27-2 14
15 Marian (Omaha, Nebraska) 33-2 15
16 St. Joseph’s Academy (St. Louis, Missouri) 30-3 NR
17 Lenexa-St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kansas) 39-6 17
18 Redondo (Redondo Beach, California) 35-4 NR
19 Mitty (San Jose, California) 30-5 19
20 Oviedo (Oviedo, Florida) 24-3 20
21 Olathe Northwest (Olathe, Kansas) 40-4 23
22 Minooka (Minooka, Illinois) 36-2 22
23 Woodlands (The Woodlands, Texas) 34-2 24
24 Avon (Avon, Indiana) 36-3 25
25 Notre Dame-Pontiac (Pontiac, Michigan) 59-2 NR

With the development of the six rotation player as well as the implementation of the 6-2 offense and defensive setters, more players are getting in on the defensive action.

One sign of this trend is the fact that nearly 200 current Division I student-athletes (190) have reached the 1,000 dig milestone, compared to just 124 with 1,000 kills.

Another new trend is the occurance of three or more players posting 20 digs in a match. With help from countless sports information professionals across the country, VolleyMob has put together a list of both current and historic occurances, which we will continue to update if new occurances either present or historic are found.

Based on the data compiled, in the rally scoring era (2002-present), there are 36 known occurances. That total includes a staggering 13 in 2017. Two matches have even seen both teams achieve the feat: Nov. 3 – Murray State vs. Southeast Missouri; and Oct. 13 – Missouri State at Drake.

The 2017 occurances are listed below.

Matchup 20+ Dig Efforts
Towson vs. James Madison Towson: Anna Holehouse (45), Carola Biver (22) Annie Ertz (20)
Louisville at Duke Louisville: Wilma Rivera (27), Molly Sauer (21), Amanda Green (20)
Murray State vs. Southeast Missouri Murray: Becca Fernandez (26), Rachel Holthaus (23), Rachel Giustino (20)
Murray State vs. Southeast Missouri SEMO: Ally Dion (30), Marie Less (29), Krissy Gearring (21)
Northern Arizona vs. Weber State NAU: Jordan Anderson (22), Sydney Lema (22), Kaylie Jorgensen (20)
Valparaiso at Missouri State MS: Emily Butters (24), Lily Johnson (22), Daniele Messa (20)
IUPUI at Northern Kentucky NKU: Shelby Olsen (25), Laura Crawford (24), McKenzie Eskridge (24)
Missouri State at Drake MS: Emily Butters (44), Lily Johnson (32), Daniele Messa (29)
Missouri State at Drake Drake: Kylee Macke (27), Courtney Morehead (24), Kyla Inderski (24)
Eastern Michigan vs. Ohio EMU: Mallory Rajewski (32), Alyssa LaFace (27), Jordan Smith (22)
Northern Kentucky at Florida A&M NKU: Ashton Terrill (26), Shelby Olsen (20), Haley Libs (20)
McNeese State at Valpairaso McNeese: Rylee Cookerly (26), Katherine Carlson (26), Allison Ketcham (20)
Central Connecticut State vs. Niagara CCSU: Samantha McCreath (28), Lindsey Massicotte (21), Kaitlyn Kushman (20)

Eastern Michigan has achieved the feat six times, while Valparaiso has done so five times and North Dakota State four.Five times in a season were the most occurances found in the previous 15 years, with that coming in 2007, including twice each by Eastern Michigan and North Dakota State.

North Dakota State has the lone occurance of four players with 20 or more kills, doing so in a Nov. 16, 2007, match against Fort Wayne.

The historic listing of occurances is below.

a Matchup 20+ Dig Efforts
 11/18/2016 Valparaiso vs. Northern Kentucky NKU: Lauren Hurley (37), McKenzie Eskridge (25), Haley Libs (24)
11/4/2016 North Dakota State at Fort Wayne NDSU: Mikaela Purnell (31), Brianna Rasmusson 925), Emily Milligan (20)
10/29/2016 Northern Arizona vs. Portland State NAU: Brooke Donnelly (26), Jensen Barton (20), Lauren Jacobsen (20)
11/19/2015 Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan EMU: Corynne Smith (25), Dori Harrison (22), Mallory Rajewski (21)
9/25/2015 Valparaiso at Northern Kentucky Valpo: Kelsey Berrington (25), Allison Ketcham (25), Morganne Longoria (21)
10/17/2015 Valparaiso at Youngtown State Valpo: Lexie Bouza (23), Allison Ketcham (23), Emily Campbell (22)
11/21/2014 Kent State at Eastern Michigan EMU: Corynne Smith (31), Jill Briner (24), Natalie Folk (22)
9/26/2014 Arkansas State at Troy ASU: Markie Schaedig (26), Hannah Robey (24), Mallory Warrington (21)
10/13/2012 Valparaiso at Milwaukee Valpo: Lindsey Hauch (26), Taylor Root (23), Sarah Dooms (21)
10/23/2012 IUPUI at Valparaiso Valpo: Taylor Root (29), Sarah Dooms (23), Lindsey Hauch (22)
11/4/2012 Tennessee at Florida Florida: Maddy Monserez (23), Ziva Recek (20), Taylor Unroe (20)
11/15/2012 Stanford at USC Stanford: Rachel Williams (32), Jordan Burgess (25), Brittany Howard (22)
10/8/2010 Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan EMU: Haley Stein (55), Ashley Mason (20), Cassie Sowers (20)
11/14/2009 Valparaiso at Green Bay Valpo: Taylor Root (28), Jenny Pokorny (21), Angie Porche (20)
10/28/2009 Baylor vs. Iowa State ISU: Ashley Mass (42), Kaylee Manns (25), Victoria Henson (22)
11/11/2006 Liberty at Radford Liberty: Lara Bartolomeo (28), Alysson Sanders (22), Kallie Corbin (20)
11/16/2007 North Dakota State at Fort Wayne NDSU: Kelly Lopez (30), Kari Faynan (23), Kristen Hille (21), Christy Stuewe (20)
11/2/2007 North Dakota State at Western Illinois NDSU: Kari Fagnan (32), Christy Stuewe (22), Kristen Hille (20)
10/4/2007 Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan EMU: Kim Jarzynka (27), Kate Sulewski (22), Abby Reenders (21)
9/29/2007 Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois EMU: Abby Reenders (23), Becky Reenders (22), Kim Jarzynka (21)
9/28/2007 Liberty at High Point Liberty: Lara Bartolomeo (22), Karyl Bacon (22), Kallie Corbin (20)
10/7/2006 North Dakota State at Fort Wayne NDSU: Kari Fagnan (28), Chloe Quirk (22), Sheila Parrish (21)
12/11/2004 UCLA at Washington UW: Candace Lee (40), Sanja Tomasevic (27), Courtney Thompson (21)

The American Volleyball Coaches Association continued its investment in the future of the game and the coaching profession with the announcement of 12 recipients of its annual Coaches 4 Coaches Scholarships to the AVCA Convention in December.

The scholarships provide money to pay for convention registration and hotel costs for the recipients, who are attending their first AVCA Convention. Selections are made based on academics, contributions to the sport, a letter of recommendation and a personal submission regarding their aspirations in coaching.

“On behalf of the committee I would like to congratulate the scholarship recipients,” said Coaches 4 Coaches Committee Chair and Morehead State University Head Coach Jaime Gordon. “This was an incredibly talented pool of applicants and a difficult process. We are confident that these 12 represent the passion and commitment of their peers, and will be outstanding ambassadors for the Coaches 4 Coaches program. I am grateful for the time and thorough commitment that the committee has dedicated to these applicants, as well as the many individuals that give so generously to make this program possible.”

Full biographies of the recipients are here.

  • Jasmine Brown, volunteer assistant, Louisville
  • Thomas Corbisiero, team manager and student, N.C. State
  • Carly Cramer, graduate assistant, Kentucky
  • Laurel Deacon, freshman coach, Duxbury High School
  • Bridget Justis, head volleyball coach, Sulpher High School
  • Ryan Leary, graduate assistant, VCU
  • Jacqueline Macy, graduate assistant, University of Redlands
  • Whitney Miller, graduate assistant, Springfield College
  • Stevi Robinson, assistant coach, Citadel
  • Chelsea Ross, student, Georgia State
  • Kayla Schanback, senior libero, Campbell University
  • Tanie Schatow, volunteer assistant, LSU

 

The AVCA also announced 10 recipients of its diversity awards, which offer complimentary registration to the convention and five nights of lodging. The awards are part of the organization’s diversity initiatives and minority coach development, and will gain the recipients access to an agenda of coaching education programming, mentoring and networking unctions targeted at them during the convention.

“2017 brought the deepest pool of talented aspiring coaches in the history of the award,” said AVCA Diversity Development Team Chair and Butler University Head Coach Sharon Clark. “The Diversity Team had a tough task during the selection process with so many worthy candidates. We are thrilled with this year’s awardees and look forward to them experiencing an informative and invigorating convention.”

Full biographies of the recipients are here.

  • Noel Carpio, manager, University of Arizona Beach and Indoor volleyball, coach at Southern Arizona Volleyball Academy
  • Frank Craig, graduate assistant, Oral Roberts
  • Sid Davidson, head coach, St. John’s Bosco High School
  • Alejandro Gonzalez, volunteer assistant, Minnesota State-Mankato
  • Carrie Gurnell, assistant coach, Gardner Webb
  • Thanh Harnish, head coach, Munciana Volleyball Club
  • Victoria Hurtt, assistant coach, Indiana Wesleyan
  • Ciara Jones, Director of Volleyball Operations, Clemson
  • Christian Staple, assistant men’s and women’s coach, McKendree University
  • Julian Welsh-White, volunteer assistant, South Carolina

The 1,000 kill club gained seven more members last week, enlarging the group to 124 players.

Five more players are within 10 putaways of joining the elite group.

  • Kylee Zumach, Kansas State (currently 995)
  • Symone Speech, Georgetown (currently 995)
  • Alyssa Sinnette, Georgetown (currently 994)
  • Carly Trueman, Utah (currently 992)
  • Cathrine Murray, Georgia Southern (currently 990)

With just three weeks left in the regular season and conference tournaments looming just a couple of weeks away, take a look inside the NCAA statistical rankings through Week 11.

Week 10 leaders for both team and individual categories are listed below. Check back each Tuesday throughout the season for a peek at the top of the leaderboards. We also will include an updated listing of triple doubles, which already stands at 28 players.

A look at the full statistical rankings is here.

 

Kills Per Set
Team – Cal Poly (15.37)
Individual – Lindsey Ruddins, UC Santa Barbara (5.68)

 

Hitting Percentage
Team – Penn State (.354)
Individual – Haleigh Washington, Penn State (.520)

 

Points Per Set
Individual – Pilar Victoria, Arkansas (6.30)

 

Assists Per Set
Team – Florida Atlantic (14.43)
Individual – Ivone Martinez, Florida Atlantic (12.85)

 

Aces Per Set
Team – UMES (2.01)
Individual – Sien Gallop, Saint Louis (0.69)

 

Digs Per Set
Team – Valparaiso (20.26)
Individual – Kallie Seimet, Bowling Green (6.81)

 

Blocks Per Set
Team – Texas (3.32)
Individual – Chiaka Ogbogu, Texas (1.81)

 

Opponent Hitting Percentage
Team – New Mexico State (.126)

 

Triple Doubles
Taylor Smith, Eastern Illinois (7)
– 25 assists, 16 digs, 13 kills vs. Bradley, 8/26/17
– 19 assists, 10 digs, 10 kills vs. Niagara, 9/1/17
– 26 assists, 16 digs, 12 kills vs. Chicago State, 9/9/17
– 22 assists, 20 digs, 13 kills vs. UT Martin, 10/7/17
– 31 assists, 16 digs, 10 kills at Eastern Kentucky, 10/14/17
– 33 assists, 14 digs, 10 kills vs. Jacksonville State, 10/21/17
– 11 assists, 11 digs, 10 kills at SIUE, 11/1/17

Julymar Otero, Towson (6)
– 24 assists, 13 kills, 11 digs vs. Northeastern, 10/1/17
– 22 assists, 12 digs, 12 kills at UNC Wilmington, 10/8/17
– 28 assists, 14 digs, 12 kills at James Madison, 10/15/17
– 15 assists, 13 digs, 10 kills vs. Elon, 10/20/17
– 28 assists, 18 digs, 12 kills vs. UNC Wilmington, 11/4/17
– 27 assists, 14 digs, 15 kills vs. James Madison, 11/6/17

Mason Rooney, Davidson (5)
– 23 assists, 14 digs, 20 kills vs. UNC Wilmington, 8/27/17
– 22 assists, 12 digs, 10 kills vs. Georgia, 9/8/17
– 26 assists, 13 digs, 10 kills vs. LaSalle, 10/6/17
– 18 assists, 11 digs, 10 kills at George Mason, 10/13/17
– 34 assists, 11 digs, 14 kills at LaSalle, 11/5/17

Madison Haake, USC Upstate (5)
– 21 assists, 17 kills, 15 digs at Wake Forest, 9/9/17
– 20 assists, 13 kills, 13 digs vs. William & Mary, 9/9/17
– 31 assists, 20 digs, 11 kills vs. Jacksonville, 9/29/17
– 35 assists, 14 digs, 14 kills at Presbyterian, 10/18/17
– 31 assists, 17 digs, 11 kills vs. FGCU, 11/5/17

Cassie Knutson, Eastern Kentucky (4)
– 23 assists, 11 digs, 11 kills vs. Tennessee Tech, 9/29/17
– 25 assists, 10 digs, 16 kills at UT Martin, 10/20/17
– 19 assists, 10 digs, 10 kills vs. Belmont, 10/27/17
– 22 assists, 10 digs, 11 kills vs. Tennessee State, 10/28/17

Andie Shelton, Pacific (3)
– 23 assists, 20 digs, 11 kills at Portland, 9/21/17
– 33 assists, 14 digs, 11 kills at Gonzaga, 9/23/17
– 15 kills, 12 digs, 13 kills at Santa Clara, 10/19/17

Jenna Kuehn, Gonzaga (3)
– 23 assists, 10 digs, 15 kills at Saint Mary’s (CA), 9/21/17
– 20 assists, 14 digs, 11 kills vs. Pepperdine, 10/5/17
– 16 assists, 15 digs, 10 kills vs. Santa Clara, 10/28/17

Jordan Jones, Morehead State (2)
– 21 assists, 13 digs, 11 kills vs. Middle Tennessee, 9/9/17
– 25 assists, 16 kills, 12 digs at Saint Francis (PA), 9/16/17

Holly Carlton, North Carolina (2)
– 25 assists, 10 digs, 10 kills vs. Coastal Carolina, 9/16/17
– 18 assists, 11 digs, 13 kills vs. Duke, 10/6/17

Brianne Burkert, Florida State (2)
– 32 assists, 20 digs, 12 kills at Notre Dame, 10/1/17
– 46 assists, 10 digs, 10 kills vs. N.C. State, 10/29/17

Makayla Ferguson, Butler  – 46 assists, 14 digs, 10 kills vs. Oakland, 8/25/17

Kylie Pickrell, NC State – 47 assists, 19 digs, 13 kills vs. Missouri State, 8/26/17

Morgan Miller, Oklahoma – 17 assists, 15 digs, 12 kills vs. Seton Hall, 8/25/17

Molly Feldmeth, Florida International – 46 assists, 15 digs, 10 kills vs. IUPUI, 8/26/17

Jordan Lentz, Oakland – 31 assists, 16 digs, 10 kills at Ohio State, 9/2/17

Kylee McLaughlin, Oregon State – 49 assists, 10 blocks, 11 digs at Portland, 9/2/17

Abby Detering, Penn State – 23 assists, 11 kills, 10 digs vs. Stanford, 9/1/17

Camille Conner, Texas A&M – 43 assists, 12 digs, 12 kills vs. Penn State, 9/2/17

Carinne Turner,  North Florida – 35 assists, 11 kills, 10 digs vs. Northwestern State, 9/16/17

Rachel Woody, Eastern Kentucky – 21 assists, 11 digs, 10 kills at Belmont, 9/23/17

Gina Kilner, Cleveland State – 46 assists, 14 digs, 10 kills vs. IUPUI, 9/29/17

Sydney Griffin, North Dakota – 42 assists, 19 digs, 10 blocks at Sacramento State, 10/5/17

Edie Brewer, North Carolina A&T – 25 assists, 11 digs, 13 kills vs. Gardner-Webb, 10/3/17

Heidi Dyer, Pepperdine – 21 assists, 20 digs, 12 kills vs. Santa Clara, 10/14/17

Madison O’Brien, Houston Baptist – 46 assists, 13 digs, 11 kills vs. Abilene Christian, 10/14/17

Kristyn Nicholson, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 60 assists, 13 digs, 10 kills at Sam Houston State, 10/21/17

Kate Gibson, Ole Miss – 18 kills, 14 digs, 11 blocks vs. Arkansas, 10/29/17

Justin Bowers, Tulane  – 49 assists, 12 digs, 12 kills vs. Tulsa, 11/3/17

 

Week 11 brought out the best in players across the country making this week’s Player of the Week decision very difficult, but sometimes the statistics tell the tale. That was the case with this week’s VolleyMob Player of the Week, Carlyle Nusbaum from Lipscomb.

The junior outside hitter averaged 7.43 kills and 4.14 digs per set as the team split matches against Jacksonville and North Florida. The Overland Park, Kansas, native torched Jacksonville and North Florida with double-doubles, tallying 52 kills and 29 digs while hitting .361 over the seven sets. In the 3-1 loss against the ASUN co-leader Jacksonville on Friday, Nusbaum put down 28 kills, while hitting .333 and adding 13 digs and three blocks. She followed it up with 24 kills and 16 digs, while hitting .400 in a sweep of UNF. With the two 20-kill efforts, the reigning A-Sun Player of the Year eclipsed 1,200 career kills en route to Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honors.

 

Honorable Mention

Wilma Rivera, Louisville – Jr., S

Averaged 10.62 assists, 5.00 digs and 1.00 kills per set; helped Louisville to .320 hitting against Wake Forest and .259 vs. Duke; notched 33 assists, 13 digs, 2 kills, 1 block vs. Wake Forest; posted season-high 52 assists vs. Duke to go with 27 digs, 6 kills, 3 blocks. ACC Player of the Week

Cassie Knutson, Eastern Kentucky – Jr., S/RS

Averaged 6.86 assists, 4.00 digs, 3.29 kills and 0.71 blocks per set; contributed 14 kills, 29 assists, eight digs and a career-high five blocks vs. Jacksonville State on Friday; notched another double-double on Saturday with 19 assists and 13 digs against Tennessee Tech.

Lily Johnson, Missouri State – Sr., OH
Averaged 5.29 kills and 5.57 digs per set in two MSU wins; tallied 21 kills and 22 digs Monday against Valparaiso for her fourth 20/20 match of the year; also added two aces and two blocks against the Crusaders; piled up 16 kills and 17 digs in three sets, hitting .271 as the Bears swept Southern Illinois at home on Saturday.  Missouri Valley  Offensive Player of the Week

Carli Snyder, Florida – Sr., OH

Averaged 4.50 kills, 3.50 digs and 1.00 blocks per set vs. No. 6 Kentucky & Tennessee; Tallied 15 kills in 29 errorless swings for a .517 hitting percentage, while also registering eight digs in the road sweep of No. 6 Kentucky;  recorded a double-double in a road sweep of Tennessee, finishing with a match-high 12 kills in the sweep of Tennessee, along with 13 digs; tied her career high for blocks (four) in the sweep of Tennessee; did not commit a receiving error in 36 receptions. SEC Player of the Week

Danielle Cuttino, Purdue – Sr., MB/OH

Averaged 5.2 kills per set, while hitting .494 and adding 1.1 blocks per set; paced Purdue with 20 kills on a .450 hitting effort and added three blocks as the Boilermakers’ outhit No. 7 Nebraska .328-to-.281 and outblocked the Huskers 11-6; torched Iowa for 27 kills on a .535 hitting effort and accounted for seven of the team’s 13 blocks.​

 

Other Notables

Sien Gallop, SLU – So., OH

Averaged 5.75 kills, 2.50 digs, 0.88 service aces and 0.50 blocks per set and registered a .319 hitting percentage; turned in her seventh and eighth kill-dig double-doubles of the season to help lead the Billikens to A-10 victories over Fordham and Rhode Island; began the weekend with match highs of 21 kills and four service aces to go with 10 digs and two blocks over Fordham; followed with a career- and match-high 25 kills, 10 digs, three service aces and two blocks as the Billikens defeated Rhode Island; Atlantic 10 Player of the Week

Krissy Mummey, College of Charleston – Sr., MB

Averaged 4.00 kills per set, hit .478 and added 2.14 blocks per set as the Cougars extended their win streak to 12 matches; totaled 15 kills and seven blocks while hitting .407 at Towson; posted 13 kills, eight blocks and hit .579 at Delaware; Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week

Stephanie Samedy, Minnesota –Fr., Opp.

Averaged 5.2 kills per set, while hitting .418 hitting and adding 3.3 digs per set in sweeps of Maryland and Ohio State; posted 18 kills on a .471 hitting effort with nine digs and two blocks vs. Maryland; tallied 13 kills, hit .364, and notched 11 digs, an ace and a block vs. OSU; Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week

Jaali Winters, Creighton – Jr., OH

Averaged 4.17 kills and 3.33 digs per set, while hitting .375 as Creighton earned consecutive 3-0 wins over Marquette and DePaul; registered 13 kills and 11 digs on .367 hitting in a sweep of second-place Marquette on Saturday; added 12 kills,, while hitting .385, with nine digs, an ace and a block in a 3-0 blanking of DePaul.

Courtney Pence, Illinois State  – Jr., L
Averaged 7.50 digs per set, while adding seven assists and five aces, including four in a win at Loyola Chicago Saturday night, which matched her career high; Record-breaking 10th all-time Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Rhamat Alhassan, Florida – Sr., MB

Averaged 2.33 kills and 2.17 blocks per set; broke Florida’s 14-year- old school record for career total blocks (602) with her eighth block of the weekend; tallied a match-high seven blocks and hit .500 with nine kills in a road sweep of Kentucky, while helping Florida limit Kentucky to its lowest hitting percentage of the season (.170); Hit .400 with six blocks in a road sweep of Tennessee. SEC Defensive Player of the Week

The VolleyMob Top 25 teams and vote getters will play 56 matches on Week 12. Seven of the contests are head-to-head meetings between ranked foes. Three more involve a ranked team against a vote-getter.

A marquee matchup in the Pac-12 gets things started on Wednesday as No. 9 Washington welcomes league leader No. 2 Stanford to Seattle.

Two more Top 25 matchup in the Pac-12 are set for Thursday as No. 16 Utah visits No. 12 USC and No. 17 Colorado heads to No. 22 UCLA.

No. 16 Utah continues its road trip in California against the No. 22 Bruins on Friday. In the Big Ten, No. 3 Minnesota hits the road to face vote getter Purdue.

Satruday’s slate brings three Top 25 head-to-head matchups and two contests between ranked teams and vote getters. In the Big 12, No. 18 Baylor takes on No. 10 Kansas, while No. 5 Texas plays at No. 20 Iowa State. In Pac-12 action, No. 17 Colorado faces off with No. 12 USC.

In Big Ten play, No. 14 Wisconsin takes on vote-getter Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana. The top two teams in Missouri Valley – No. 25 Northern Iowa (13-2) and vote-getter Missouri State (14-0) – also are set for a Saturday meeting.

 

Date Time Visitor Home
Nov. 8 6 p.m. #20 Iowa State West Virginia
7 p.m. Maryland #6 Nebraska
7:30 p.m. Kansas State #10 Kansas
8 p.m. TCU #5 Texas
8 p.m. #7 Kentucky Alabama
9 p.m. #1 Penn State Iowa
10 p.m. #2 Stanford #9 Washington
Nov. 9 7 p.m. Western Kentucky (RV) North Texas
7 p.m. Clemson N.C. State (RV)
8 p.m. #15 Oregon Arizona State
9 p.m. #8 BYU Gonzaga
9 p.m. #16 Utah #12 USC
9:30 p.m. #23 Colorado State Nevada
10 p.m. Cal #9 Washington
10 p.m. #19 San Diego Portland
10 p.m. Oregon State (RV) Arizona
11 p.m. #17 Colorado #22 UCLA
Nov. 10 4:30 p.m. #24 Wichita State East Carolina
5:30 p.m. #3 Minnesota Purdue (RV)
6 p.m. Georgetown Marquette (RV)
6:30 p.m. Illinois #11 Michigan State
7 p.m. #14 Wisconsin Indiana
7 p.m. Arkansas #4 Florida
7 p.m. Virginia Louisville (RV)
7 p.m. Wake Forest Pittsburgh (RV)
10 p.m. UC Davis #21 Cal Poly
11 p.m. #16 Utah #22 UCLA
Nov. 11 12:30 p.m. #13 Creighton Xavier
1 p.m. #25 Northern Iowa Missouri State (RV)
2 p.m. #18 Baylor #10 Kansas
3 p.m. #19 San Diego Gonzaga
4 p.m. #8 BYU Portland
4 p.m. #17 Colorado #12 USC
5 p.m. UC Irvine #21 Cal Poly
5 p.m. #23 Colorado State San Jose State
5 p.m. Georgia Tech N.C. State (RV)
5 p.m. Davidson VCU (RV)
6 p.m. #5 Texas #20 Iowa State
6:30 p.m. Northwestern #11 Michigan State
7 p.m. Maryland #1 Penn State
7 p.m. #3 Minnesota Indiana
7 p.m. #14 Wisconsin Purdue (RV)
7 p.m. Illinois (RV) Michigan
7 p.m. Villanova Marquette (RV)
9 p.m. Oregon State (RV) Arizona State
10 p.m. #2 Stanford Washington State
Nov. 12 Noon #24 Wichita State Cincinnati
1 p.m. Missouri #4 Florida
1 p.m. #13 Creighton Butler
1 p.m. Duke Pittsburgh (RV)
2 p.m. Virginia Tech Louisville (RV)
2 p.m. Rutgers #6 Nebraska
2 p.m. #15 Oregon Arizona
2:30 p.m. #7 Kentucky Auburn
3 p.m. #25 Northern Iowa Southern Illinois
3 p.m. Drake Missouri State (RV)

The AVCA Top 5 remained in tact for the fourth straight week with No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Stanford splitting the first place votes.

There were some slight shifts in the remainder of the Top 10, but Nebraska, Kentucky, Michigan State, BYU and Wisconsin round out the group.

Only one team shifted more than two spots in the poll, as Iowa State dropped from 19 to 24 after losing to Baylor.

Western Kentucky dropped out of the poll despite going 2-0 on the week with wins over Rice and Middle Tennessee.

Taking the Lady Toppers’ spot in the No. 25 position was Colorado, which knocked off Washington.

Rank School (First-Place Votes) Total Points Adjusted 2017 Record Previous Week
1 Penn State (56) 1592 23-1 1
2 Stanford (8) 1539 21-2 2
3 Texas 1424 19-2 3
4 Florida 1417 20-1 4
5 Minnesota 1349 23-2 5
6 Nebraska 1289 20-4 7
7 Kentucky 1223 20-3 6
8 Michigan State 1085 17-6 9
9 BYU 1061 23-2 10
10 Wisconsin 971 16-7 8
11 Kansas 901 20-4 12
12 San Diego 883 19-4 13
13 Washington 828 19-6 11
14 Creighton 758 20-5 14
15 Utah 624 18-7 15
16 Oregon 609 15-7 16
17 Southern California 573 18-7 17
18 UCLA 511 15-8 18
19 Colorado State 444 24-2 20
20 Wichita State 338 22-3 21
21 Purdue 265 18-7 22
22 Cal Poly 247 22-2 23
23 Baylor 240 20-5 24
24 Iowa State 232 17-5 19
25 Colorado 191 19-6 NR

Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Western Kentucky 111; Missouri State 36; Illinois 16; Oregon State 16; VCU 12; Northern Iowa 5

Two teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of two combined points.

Dropped Out: Western Kentucky 25

Don't want to miss anything?

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our latest updates!