from USA Today
10/12/97- Updated 08:53 PM ET
Florida's Wise picks up 300th career win
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Third-ranked Florida swept Mississippi State 15-9, 15-3, 15-4 Sunday to give coach Mary Wise her 300th career victory. The win also stretched the Gator's string of consecutive SEC victories to 42. Wise is 300-85 in 11-plus seasons of collegiate coaching, including a 219-22 mark in seven-plus seasons with the Gators. "We've never been about numbers, records, streaks -- anything like that, so the most important thing about this win is that it keeps us in first place in the SEC," Wise said. "The 300 wins is a reflection of the great talent and teams I've been fortunate enough to work with." Senior middle blocker Nina Foster had match-highs of 10 kills and eight blocks to lead Florida. Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Shupe and senior middle blocker Temeka Thomas led Mississippi State with seven kills each.
San Diego pulls off second upset
LOS ANGELES - The University of San Diego upset 16th-ranked Loyola Marymount 15-8, 15-2, 15-9 Saturday night, one night after winning at No. 11 Pepperdine in five games. The Toreros' extended their winning streak to 14 matches and stopped LMU's 34-match win streak in West Coast Conference play which began in 1994. San Diego (15-2) was led by senior outside hitter LaManda Mounts with 12 kills and sophomore outside hitter Deanna Bretz with 11. "Obviously we had a great weekend," USD coach Sue Snyder said. "Defensively, we were able to hold one of the best rightside hitters (LMU's Sarah Noriega) in the country tonight." Noriega had 13 kills to lead the Lions (13-4).
UC Santa Barbara rebounds to beat Pacific
SANTA BARBARA - The ninth-ranked Gauchos bounced back from Friday's five-game loss to Long Beach State to defeat No. 12 Pacific 15-4, 15-6, 15-10 Saturday night. Sophomore outside hitter Roberta Gehlke had 15 kills to lead UCSB (16-2), which hit .319 as a team, the highest percentage for an opponent vs. Pacific this season. Sophomore middle blocker Sara Bronson came off the bench to record 10 kills for the Tigers (11-4), who hit just .149. UCSB had a 50-33 advantage in kills and a 36-23 edge in digs. Pacific's 23 digs was its lowest total of the year. The Gauchos will end its five-day run of ranked opponents Tuesday when they play host to No. 21 UCLA.
Ohio State dumps No. 19 Michigan State
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Senior outside hitter Vanessa Wouters had 27 kills to lead unranked Ohio State to a 15-11, 15-13, 5-15, 16-14 win over No. 19 Michigan State Saturday. The Spartans had the statistical advantage in hitting percentage and digs, but the Buckeyes were able to win the key points in the second and fourth games. Michigan State had an 11-9 lead in game two, but watched as OSU outscored them 6-2 to take the game. MSU jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game four, but the Buckeyes scored eight of the next 10 points to take the lead for good. Junior outside hitter Jenna Wrobel had a match-high 28 kills to lead the Spartans, while senior outside hitter Veronica Morales added 25 kills.
The Beach rallies to beat UC Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA - No. 2 Long Beach State rallied for a 15-12, 12-15, 13-15, 15-11, 15-10 win over UC Santa Barbara Friday night behind the play of junior setter Misty May. One of the favorites for national player of the year, May had 70 assists, 16 digs and 14 kills to lead the 49ers (14-1). Sophomore outside hitter Roberta Gehlke had a career best 30 kills and 10 digs to lead the Gauchos (15-2). "Misty was just unbelievable," UCSB coach Kathy Gregory said. "If there was any doubt about her being the best player in the nation, she answered it tonight." It was the fifth consecutive five-game match the two teams had played at UCSB, with The Beach taking the last two.
Washington upsets No. 8 Washington State
PULLMAN, Wash. - No. 24 Washington put an end to Washington State's 22-match home-court winning streak and jumped into a tie for second place in the Pac-10 with a 10-15, 15-4, 16-14, 15-9 win over Cougars (17-2) Friday night. Senior quick hitter Makare Desilets had 22 kills to lead four Huskies in double figures, and junior quick hitter Leslie Tuiasosopo had a hand in nine blocks as Washington (10-6) outblocked WSU 19-10.5. With the match tied at one game apiece, the Huskies rallied from an 11-14 deficit to win game three 16-14. "At 14-11, we should be able to put the match away," WSU coach Cindy Fredrick said. "They outserved us and outblocked us pretty big time."
Oklahoma lowers the boom on No. 5 Nebraska
NORMAN, Okla. - Unranked Oklahoma beat Nebraska for the first time since 1993 with a 17-15, 15-11, 15-10 win over the Huskers Friday night. Senior outside hitters Melissa Peterson and Patrice Arrington led Oklahoma offense with 16 and 12 kills, respectively, while Arrington also posted a match-high 21 digs. Senior outside hitter Lisa Reitsma had 17 kills to lead Nebraska (13-4), which was held to a .148 hitting percentage. The Sooners (9-7) hit .181, but had a 70-59 advantage in digs and a 9-2 edge in service aces. The Huskers lost a second-consecutive match for the first time since 1993, when they lost to Oklahoma and Colorado.
Folkl, Walsh lead Stanford past Arizona
STANFORD, Calif. - Senior outside hitter Kristin Folkl had 23 kills and sophomore middle blocker Kerri Walsh added 22 as Stanford defeated Arizona 15-11, 15-12, 11-15, 15-8 Friday night. The Cardinal (15-2) extended its lead in the Pac-10 to two matches and its senior class improved to 30-0 in three-plus seasons of conference play at Maples Pavilion. Stanford hit .346 as a team and held an 83-66 advantage in kills and a 12-8 edge in total blocks. Senior outside hitters Michelle Fanger and Carolyn Penfield had 15 kills apiece to lead the Wildcats (11-3).
No. 22 Colorado ends Nebraska streaks
LINCOLN, Neb. - Colorado became the first conference opponent to beat Nebraska on its home floor since 1977 Wednesday night with an 11-15, 15-9, 15-7, 6-15, 15-8 victory. The Huskers, who had won 117 consecutive conference matches, also saw its 41-match home-court winning streak come to an end. Junior outside hitter Sarah Lodge led four Buffaloes in double-figures with a match-high 27 kills. Junior outside hitter Tegan Lynch added a match-high 20 digs and 13 kills for Colorado. Nebraska was led by senior outside hitter Lisa Reitsma's 20 kills. The Buffs had not beaten the Huskers since the 1993 Big Eight Tournament and were 0-10 at Nebraska.
Pepperdine is riding a wave of wins
MALIBU, Calif. - Pepperdine set three goals before the season began. One is to finish the season ranked in the top 25. The second is to advance the NCAA tournament. The third is to win the West Coast Conference title, which will assure the first two goals are reached. At 13-0, the Waves is off to the best start in their program's history. Following wins over Hawaii, Pacific, and UC Santa Barbara, the Waves have risen to No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY/AVCA top 25 after starting the season unranked. With a successful pre-conference schedule in the books, Pepperdine can now focus on the most important part of its season, which starts Friday when it begins conference play with San Diego.
Penn State knocks off Team USA
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State left no doubt who the best volleyball team in the country is after the Nittany Lions defeated the U.S. Women's National Team 15-8, 15-13, 13-15, 15-12 Monday night. It was the first time Team USA had lost a game on its college tour, much less a match. Sophomore middle hitter Lauren Cacciamani posted match-highs of 18 kills and 11 blocks to lead the Nittany Lions, while outside hitter Carrie Schonveld added a team-high 16 digs and 14 kills. Team USA was paced by outside hitter Karrie Downey (Colorado) and right side Allison Weston (Nebraska) with 16 kills and 20 digs apiece. Former Penn State All-American Salima Davidson, now the United States' starting setter and team captain, had 63 assists, 10 digs and five kills. "I think they played a great match, they played like Penn State and that's the bottom line," Davidson said.
LMU's Noriega named player of the week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Sarah Noriega, a senior outside hitter from Loyola Marymount, was named the AVCA Division I player of the week after she hit .361 with 63 kills, and added 23 digs, 10 blocks and 10 aces in three wins last week. She averaged 5.72 kills, 2.10 digs, .91 blocks and .91 aces per over 11 games. In the Lions' win over San Diego, Noriega had 31 kills, six digs, five blocks and four aces while hitting and .393. She leads the country with a 6.14 kills-per-game average, and has posted double-figure kills in all 12 matches she has played. Noriega ranks fourth all-time at Loyola Marymount with 1,096 career kills.
Penn State's Rose takes it one match at a time
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State's Russ Rose didn't spend much time celebrating his 600th career win over Illinois Friday night, he was too busy preparing for Saturday's match vs. No. 10 Wisconsin. "I've spent 25 years thinking the next match was the most important match," said Rose, who is second with an .837 (601-117) career winning percentage, trailing only Stanford's Don Shaw .852 (363-63). "I understand my importance in the equation, but I don't take it too seriously." The Nittany lions made the Badgers victim No. 601 in three games, just as they have done to 11 of 15 opponents this season. Only No. 4 Stanford, No. 8 BYU, No. 13 Texas (on neutral courts) and Purdue (in West Lafayette) have taken a game from Penn State this season. On its home court, the Nittany Lions have won all six matches by 3-0 counts and only Wisconsin has scored 11 points in a game.
Texas A&M's Smedsrud is a natural born killer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Senior outside hitter Kristie Smedsrud out down a match-high 24 kills in Texas A&M's win over Texas Tech Saturday night to break the Aggies' career record of 1,477 set by Cheri Steensma (1985-88). Smedsrud broke the record in the 377th game of her career, 78 games less than it took Steensma. Last season, Smedsrud set school records for season kill average (4.94) and kills in a match (35 vs. Wisconsin). "It doesn't surprise me that she broke the record," coach Laurie Corbelli said. "Her instinct on how to beat the defense is tremendous. We have watched her develop into one of the best hitters and passers in the nation, and she proved that at the national team trials. She is a huge reason why we have climbed to the top 15 and made the tournament every year."
Bauer setting the pace at Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota senior setter Beck Bauer had 38 assists in Friday's 3-0 win over Ohio State to become the eighth player in Big Ten history to eclipse the 5,000 career assist plateau. Former Gopher Sue Jackson is seventh on the list at 5,120, but the career record of 6,024, set by Minnesota's Sharon Osterling, will require another 1,500-plus assist effort this season. "I have had the privilege of coaching a long line of quality setters in my career," coach Mike Hebert said. "None have been any better than Becky Bauer. Becky is not only a gifted setter, she is also a mature and steady competitor. The latter quality is an essential part of her overall package as she leads a relatively young team to battle." The Gopher s travel to Indiana and No. 1 Penn State this weekend.
Big West volleyball broadcasts available online
IRVINE, Calif. - The Big West Conference and The Cable Radio Network are teaming up to make Big West volleyball broadcasts available on the internet. 10 regular-season matches, the Big West tournament championship, the NCAA West Regional and the 1997 NCAA Division I final four will be available free of charge. "We are very excited about the exposure this will give to women's volleyball," said Donna Noonan, NCAA Director of Championships. "(It) will certainly enhance our efforts to promote the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball." Olympic sportscaster Jeff Ruffolo will handle the play-by-play, with Mitch Lehman providing the color commentary.
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