Volleyball Hits the Road

Weekly Notes

Valparaiso/DePaul Live Webcast

CHICAGO –  The Blue Demons travel to Valparaiso before beginning BIG EAST Conference play this weekend at Villanova and Rutgers.  The Blue Demons tangle with the Crusaders on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. before taking on Villanova on Saturday and Rutgers on Sunday.  Both conference matches are set for 2:00 p.m. (EST)

The Blue Demons (4-9) enter the week after finishing third at the Memphis Tournament last weekend.  Senior Morgan Ingersoll was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll after leading the Blue Demons offensively during the tournament and tallying a career high 27 kills against Central Arkansas.  The senior averages 4.21 kills per game which is the fourth best in the BIG EAST.  Senior Ellen Hayes is also ranked as one of the top  defensive specialist in the league, averaging 4.47 digs per game which positions her sixth in the standings.  The Blue Demons average a league best 20.02 digs per game.  

Facts on File

Valparaiso (Tuesday,9/19 – 7:00 p.m.)

Record: 8-5, 0-0 Mid Continent

Head Coach: Carin Avery

Series: DePaul leads 18-10

Last Meeting: Valparaiso won 3-0 (8/26/06)

The Blue Demons and Crusaders face one another for the 29th time Tuesday, September 19.  The teams clashed earlier this season at the Chicagoland Classic with Valparaiso taking the match 3-0. Valparaiso's Angie Porche led all players with 12 kills and teammate Jessie Fox chipped in 11 kills.  Senior outside hitter Morgan Ingersoll led DePaul with 10 kills and junior Stacy Pando guided the defense with 11 digs.  Valparaiso averages 15.02 kills per game with Porche registering a team best 3.44 kills per game.    

Villanova (Saturday, 9/23 – 2:00 p.m.)

Record: 4-8, 0-0 BIG EAST

Head Coach: Gilad Doron

Series: Villanova leads 1-0

Last Meeting: Villanova won 3-0 (11/13/05)

The Wildcats are led by reigning BIG EAST player of the week Adrian Semrau, who led her team to three consecutive wins at the Villanova Tournament.  Semrau averaged 5.78 kills over the weekend to earn the tournament's most valuable player accolades. On the season Semrau leads the Wildcats with 3.76 kills per game and a 154 kills.  In the series only meeting between the two teams the Wildcats registered a .236 attack percentage while holding the Blue Demons to a .018 hitting percentage.    

Rutgers (Sunday, 9/24 – 2:00 p.m.)

Record: 3-7, 0-0 BIG EAST

Head Coach: Orlando Gonzalez

Series:  Tied 1-1

Last Meeting: Rutgers won, 3-0 (11/12/05)

After opening the season 3-2 the Scarlet Knights have dropped their last five matches. Rutgers ranks fourth in the conference averaging 17.64 digs per game. Lora Yankauskas, Kyra Thompson, and Brittani Rendia all average over 3.00 digs per game while, Yankauskas leads the team with 153 kills.  Rutgers evened the series between the two teams last season in Chicago under the hard hitting of Yankauskas, who led all players with 15 kills.  Aly Zavitz led the Blue Demons with 11 kills while Morgan Ingersoll and Cristina Correa chipped in 10 kills apiece.

BIG EAST Preseason Poll

Notre Dame was selected by the league’s head coaches to win the 2006 BIG EAST Conference volleyball regular season crown. The Irish return three starters from last year’s BIG EAST Championship squad that posted a record of 30-4 and enter the preseason ranked 21 in the College Sports Television/American Volleyball Coaches Association (CSTV/AVCA) preseason poll.

BIG EAST Championship

The University of Cincinnati will play host to the 2006 BIG EAST Championship at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. The top eight teams, according to league records, will participate in a single-elimination tournament to be held November 17-19.

DePaul University Athletics

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