Second MWC Volleyball Tournament begins today in Ft. Collins,Colo.
Before the 2000 season began, the Mountain West Conference wasranked the third strongest in the nation. With three teams in thetop-25
nationally, the conference tournament, which begins today at 11a.m., will no doubt be a slugfest. Here is a team-by-team look at therest of the MWC, in order of their seedings.
No. 1 Colorado State
As if CSU (27-2, 13-1 MWC), the fifth-ranked team in the nation,needed any more of an advantage, the tournament is being played onits home court. The Rams went 14-0 at home, losing only three games.They have won 42 consecutive home matches.
Junior Angela Knopf leads the conference with a .447 hittingpercentage. Her teammate Soraya Santos is second in the MWC, hitting.373. As a team, the Rams have a .311 hitting percentage on the year,averaging 16.5 kills per game.
Junior Courtney Cox leads the MWC with a 4.17 kill per gameaverage, and setter Allison Peckham leads in assists with 12.93 pergame.
No. 2 Brigham Young
If any team has a chance of winning this tournament other than thehosts, it’s No. 14 BYU (20-6, 12-2). The Cougars were the only teamto defeat the Rams in conference play.
Junior Nina Puikkonen, a three-time conference player of the week,ranks third in the conference in hitting with a .354 percentage,second in kills with 4.14 per game and second in blocks with 1.76 pergame.
No. 3 Utah
The Utes (19-6, 10-4) come into the tournament ranked No. 19 inthe nation.
A big reason for the team’s success is its defense. On the year,the Utes held their opponents to a .144 hitting percentage.
They have done so by leading the conference in digs, averaging 16per game. Eight Utah players are averaging better than two digs pergame, led by junior Alisa Geddes with 2.72.
No. 5 New Mexico
The Lobos (9-15, 5-9) will arrive in Ft. Collins having lost eightof their last 10 matches.
New Mexico is a strong defensive team. They rank second in theconference with 14.7 digs per game. Micaela Conley and Jessie Goffardlead the MWC in digs, averaging 3.09 and 3.04 per game, respectively.
The offense leaves a lot to be desired as it posted an anemic .151hitting percentage on the year.
Goffard ranked fourth in the conference in kill average with 3.85per game. Conley is fifth with 3.47 per game.
No. 6 UNLV
After opening the season with 12 consecutive losses, UNLV (6-18,5-9) went .500 in its last 12 matches.
However, UNLV still ranks last or next to last in everystatistical category except hitting percentage where they rank fifthwith a mediocre .170.
Freshman Leiana Oswald leads the Rebels in kill average with 3.45per game, sixth best in the MWC. Junior Maria Julia Goes finishedfifth in the conference with 10.89 assists per game.
No. 7 Wyoming
About the only facet of their game they have some advantage in isblocking. The Cowgirls (10-21, 2-12) are fourth in the conferencewith 2.72 blocks per game. They are led by senior Melody Friehaufwith 1.40 per game, fifth-best in the MWC.
Friehauf is the top offensive threat, averaging 2.73 kills pergame with a .263 hitting percentage.
No. 8 Air Force
Not much can be said about a team that won only six games inconference play. The Falcons (6-20, 0-14) lost all 14 of theirconference matches and are on a 15-match losing streak.
One of the few bright spots on the team has been freshman DelavaneDiaz. She earned player-of-the-week honors for Sept. 18. Diaz leadsthe team in hitting with 4.03 kills per game, third best in theconference. She also is averaging 3.03 digs per game, again thirdbest in the MWC.best in the MWC.
