Kansas, Here we come
8/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
THE VARNEY’S KANSAS STATE INVITATIONAL:
The Montana State University volleyball team will open its 2006 road season when it travels to Manhattan, Kansas for the Varney’s Kansas State Invitational this weekend. Varney’s is a bookstore in Manhattan. MSU’s schedule for this weekend is...
Friday, Sept. 1
Montana State vs. Lipscomb 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 2
Montana State vs. #25 Kansas State 12 p.m.
Montana State vs. Wichita State 5 p.m.
(Times are listed as Mountain Standard)
The Bobcats are 3-1 all-time against Kansas State. The two squads last met when the Wildcats competed in the 2003 Holiday Inn Classic, where it upended MSU 3-1. It’s been almost 18 years to the date that Wichita State and Bobcats have faced each other on the volleyball court. The all-time series is even at 1-1, with the Shokers last winning on Sept. 6, 1988 by a 3-0 margin. MSU and David Lipscomb have never met.
TOURNEY TALK:
The Bobcats will be making their first appearance in Manhattan since dropping a 3-1 decision to KSU on Sept. 7, 1988...The Wildcats will be looking for their 14th consecutive win in home-openers...Current Bobcat assistant coach Lisa Mimick was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection while playing at Kansas State from 1998-2001...Wichita State defeated Big Sky Conference power Eastern Washington 30-25, 30-26, 30-22, last weekend...Davidi Lipscomb is off to its best start in program history, after defeating Birmingham-Southern, Samford and Austin Peay.
RECAPPING THE CLASSIC:
The Bobcats went 1-2 at its own 12th Annual Holiday Inn Classic, last weekend. MSU opened the tournament with a 30-27, 33-31, 30-20 win over Florida Atlantic. Senior Kim Stonehouse paced the Bobcats with 13 kills, a .33 attack mark and two blocks. Junior middle blocker Raelene Purnell chipped in 11 kills, while hitting .455, and Angela Wiebe recorded ten kills and four blocks. On Saturday, the Bobcats dropped a pair of matches, losing to Creighton 3-0 (30-25, 30-19, 30-28) and Nevada 3-1 (30-21, 26-30, 30-22, 30-28). Against the Bluejays, Stonehouse guided the ‘Cats with nine kills and a .280 hitting percentage, while Laura Viren added seven kills and ten digs. In their four-game loss to the Wolf Pack on Saturday evening, Montana State was once again led by Stonehouse with 15 kills, a .300 attack mark and 11 digs. Purnell recorded 13 kills and a .346 hitting percentage, while Kandice Kelly chipped in a team-high 18 digs and two service aces.
TOP ‘CAT:
Junior Raelene Purnell was named Montana State’s Player of the Week. The 6-1 middle blocker from Red Deer, Alberta, averaged 2.90 kills per game, while hitting .344 from the field. She also chipped in five service aces, five blocks and seven digs. She had her best outing against Fla. Atlantic with 11 kills and a .455 attack mark. Purnell was named to the Holiday Inn Classic All-Tourney team.
FROM THE PINE-- (53-36/4YRS, 24-18 BIG SKY):
Miya Malauulu became Montana State’s seventh head coach at the conclusion of the 2002 season. Since then, she has put her own fingerprint on a Bobcat program that has produced four 20-win seasons in the last eight years. Prior to being named head coach, the 1998 graduate of Oregon State University, served as an assistant under Dave Gantt for five seasons. Malauulu came to Bozeman after a successful stint playing for the Beavers. A native of Carson, Calif., she played at OSU from 1994-97. She still holds numerous records at Oregon State and currently ranks fourth all-time in PAC-10 history with 5,368 assists. A two-time OSU most valuable player and an unprecendented four-time Beaver captain, she prepped at Bishop Montgomery High School and played for national club power NIKE-Ichiban, where she garnered USVBA Player of the Year kudos. Malauulu is joined on the bench this season by assistant coaches Lisa Mimick and Erin Naipo. Mimick, a former All-Big XII first-team selection at Kansas State, begins her third season at MSU. She previously served as an assistant coach at SW Minnesota State in Marshall. Naipo, a 2002 graduate of Dartmouth College, was a four-year letterwinner and team captain for the Big Green. She is in her second year at MSU and previously served as assistant coach at Spokane Community College.
2005: A YEAR IN REVIEW:
The Bobcats finished 15-15 overall and 7-7 in Big Sky Conference action. MSU played its toughest schedule in school history, going up against eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including eventual national champion Washington. The Bobcats also hosted Missouri and Wisconsin- two squads that advanced to the Elite Eight. Seniors Megan Zanto and Meggie Malyurek concluded their careers, each going over the 1,000 kill plateau. Junior Kandice Kelly became MSU’s all-time digs leader.
CAT TRACKS:
The Bobcats return eight letterwinners from last season, including four starters: Kim Stonehouse, Angela Wiebe, Laura Viren and Kami Buettner...Stonehouse recorded 371 kills and was ranked among the top ten in the Big Sky Conference...Stonehouse was a second-team All-Big Sky pick last season...MSU finished 25th in the nation in attendance, averaging 1,260 fans per game...The Bobcats have been ranked among the nation’s top 40 squads in blocking for six consecutive seasons.
SHE’S A STONEHOUSE:
Senior Kim Stonehouse leads the Bobcats offensively, after the first week of play. The 6-foot outside hitter from Red Deer, Alberta, is averaging 3.70 kills per game, while hitting .307 from the field. Last season, Stonehouse was a second-team All-Big Sky Conference selection, after averaging 3.40 kills with a .190 attack mark. Her current kills per game average ranks her ninth in the league. Stonehouse was in double-figure kills in two of MSU’s three matches, including a weekend high 15 winners against Nevada.
DIG IT:
With each dig this fall, Kandice Kelly will put a lot of distance between herself and older sister Kamber. In the final match of the 2005 season, Kandice surpassed Kamber as MSU’s all-time career digs leader. Kandice Kelly currently sits atop the listings with 1,300 saves, while Kamber (2001-04) has a four-year total of 1,262. Last weekend, Montana State’s starting libero notched 36 digs (3.60), while adding two service aces. Kelly posted a weekend best 18 digs in MSU’s 3-1 loss to Nevada. Kandice Kelly has played in 310 games at Montana State and has a career dig average of 4.19 per game, which ranks her fifth all-time in Big Sky Conference history. The 5-foot-6 native of Roundup is MSU’s first and only libero in the history of the Bobcat program. She notched a career-high 31 digs against Charleston on Sept. 3, 2004. Kandice is the daughter of Laurie Kelly, who is currently the head women’s volleyball coach at Miles City (MT) Community College.
WHEN YOU THINK OF LAURA:
Sophomore Laura Viren got off to a good start last weekend, especially on the defensive side of the net. The 6-foot outside hitter from Prior Lake, Minn., recorded 38 digs to pace the Bobcats. Viren notched three consecutive double-digit dig matches, including a weekend high 15 saves against Nevada. Offensively, she pounded down 22 kills, including a weekend high eight kills against the Wolf Pack. Viren, who was named to the All-Big Sky Conference Tournament team last season as a freshman, is hitting .143 from the floor. She also posted six blocks and two aces during the Holiday Inn Classic.
WIEBE BE BLOCKIN’:
Senior middle blocker Angela Wiebe finished the 12th annual Holiday Inn Classic as Montana State’s top blocker. The 6-foot-1 native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, notched eight blocks on the three matches, including a season-high four blocks against Florida Atlantic. Wiebe’s current .80 blocks per game average is well below her career blocks average of 1.12 per game. Offensively, Wiebe posted 24 kills (2.40 kpg) and recorded a .276 hitting percentage. Her current attack mark ranks third on the Bobcat squad.
PATTI LOU:
Junior right-side hitter Patti Anderson received the starting nod from head coach Miya Malauulu for the Holiday Inn Classic. The 5-foot-11 native of Deer Lodge, struggled in the three matches, connecting for seven kills and a -.032 hitting percentage. She tallied a weekend-best four kills against Florida Atlantic. The silver-lining for Anderson over the weekend was her defensive play, as she recorded 29 digs, which ranks her third on the squad after the first weekend of action.
DISHIN’ THE ROCK:
Senior setter Kami Buettner averaged 8.80 assists per game at the Holiday Inn Classic. The 5-foot-9 native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan had her best outing of the weekend against Nevada connecting for 38 assists, while adding 11 digs. Buettner also posted a double-double against Florida Atlantic with 33 assists and ten digs. Buettner’s current 8.80 assists per game average ranks her fifth in the Big Sky Conference.
SERVING NOTICE:
True-freshman Allyce Bebensee came off the bench to spark the Bobcats in their 3-0 win over Florida Atlantic. The 5-foot-7 native of Thornton, Colo., had a match-high three aces against the Owls. The defensive specialist also recorded 12 digs (1.71 dpg) on the week.
BURGER-TIME:
Sophomore Kaytlin Van Burger recorded a career and season-high six kills in MSU’s loss to Nevada. The 5-foot-11 native of Bend, Ore., came off the bench to hit .188, as well.
For this week's complete Montana State volleyball release, click on the 'PDF Version Available' link at the top of this page.
The Montana State University volleyball team will open its 2006 road season when it travels to Manhattan, Kansas for the Varney’s Kansas State Invitational this weekend. Varney’s is a bookstore in Manhattan. MSU’s schedule for this weekend is...
Friday, Sept. 1
Montana State vs. Lipscomb 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 2
Montana State vs. #25 Kansas State 12 p.m.
Montana State vs. Wichita State 5 p.m.
(Times are listed as Mountain Standard)
The Bobcats are 3-1 all-time against Kansas State. The two squads last met when the Wildcats competed in the 2003 Holiday Inn Classic, where it upended MSU 3-1. It’s been almost 18 years to the date that Wichita State and Bobcats have faced each other on the volleyball court. The all-time series is even at 1-1, with the Shokers last winning on Sept. 6, 1988 by a 3-0 margin. MSU and David Lipscomb have never met.
TOURNEY TALK:
The Bobcats will be making their first appearance in Manhattan since dropping a 3-1 decision to KSU on Sept. 7, 1988...The Wildcats will be looking for their 14th consecutive win in home-openers...Current Bobcat assistant coach Lisa Mimick was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection while playing at Kansas State from 1998-2001...Wichita State defeated Big Sky Conference power Eastern Washington 30-25, 30-26, 30-22, last weekend...Davidi Lipscomb is off to its best start in program history, after defeating Birmingham-Southern, Samford and Austin Peay.
RECAPPING THE CLASSIC:
The Bobcats went 1-2 at its own 12th Annual Holiday Inn Classic, last weekend. MSU opened the tournament with a 30-27, 33-31, 30-20 win over Florida Atlantic. Senior Kim Stonehouse paced the Bobcats with 13 kills, a .33 attack mark and two blocks. Junior middle blocker Raelene Purnell chipped in 11 kills, while hitting .455, and Angela Wiebe recorded ten kills and four blocks. On Saturday, the Bobcats dropped a pair of matches, losing to Creighton 3-0 (30-25, 30-19, 30-28) and Nevada 3-1 (30-21, 26-30, 30-22, 30-28). Against the Bluejays, Stonehouse guided the ‘Cats with nine kills and a .280 hitting percentage, while Laura Viren added seven kills and ten digs. In their four-game loss to the Wolf Pack on Saturday evening, Montana State was once again led by Stonehouse with 15 kills, a .300 attack mark and 11 digs. Purnell recorded 13 kills and a .346 hitting percentage, while Kandice Kelly chipped in a team-high 18 digs and two service aces.
TOP ‘CAT:
Junior Raelene Purnell was named Montana State’s Player of the Week. The 6-1 middle blocker from Red Deer, Alberta, averaged 2.90 kills per game, while hitting .344 from the field. She also chipped in five service aces, five blocks and seven digs. She had her best outing against Fla. Atlantic with 11 kills and a .455 attack mark. Purnell was named to the Holiday Inn Classic All-Tourney team.
FROM THE PINE-- (53-36/4YRS, 24-18 BIG SKY):
Miya Malauulu became Montana State’s seventh head coach at the conclusion of the 2002 season. Since then, she has put her own fingerprint on a Bobcat program that has produced four 20-win seasons in the last eight years. Prior to being named head coach, the 1998 graduate of Oregon State University, served as an assistant under Dave Gantt for five seasons. Malauulu came to Bozeman after a successful stint playing for the Beavers. A native of Carson, Calif., she played at OSU from 1994-97. She still holds numerous records at Oregon State and currently ranks fourth all-time in PAC-10 history with 5,368 assists. A two-time OSU most valuable player and an unprecendented four-time Beaver captain, she prepped at Bishop Montgomery High School and played for national club power NIKE-Ichiban, where she garnered USVBA Player of the Year kudos. Malauulu is joined on the bench this season by assistant coaches Lisa Mimick and Erin Naipo. Mimick, a former All-Big XII first-team selection at Kansas State, begins her third season at MSU. She previously served as an assistant coach at SW Minnesota State in Marshall. Naipo, a 2002 graduate of Dartmouth College, was a four-year letterwinner and team captain for the Big Green. She is in her second year at MSU and previously served as assistant coach at Spokane Community College.
2005: A YEAR IN REVIEW:
The Bobcats finished 15-15 overall and 7-7 in Big Sky Conference action. MSU played its toughest schedule in school history, going up against eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including eventual national champion Washington. The Bobcats also hosted Missouri and Wisconsin- two squads that advanced to the Elite Eight. Seniors Megan Zanto and Meggie Malyurek concluded their careers, each going over the 1,000 kill plateau. Junior Kandice Kelly became MSU’s all-time digs leader.
CAT TRACKS:
The Bobcats return eight letterwinners from last season, including four starters: Kim Stonehouse, Angela Wiebe, Laura Viren and Kami Buettner...Stonehouse recorded 371 kills and was ranked among the top ten in the Big Sky Conference...Stonehouse was a second-team All-Big Sky pick last season...MSU finished 25th in the nation in attendance, averaging 1,260 fans per game...The Bobcats have been ranked among the nation’s top 40 squads in blocking for six consecutive seasons.
SHE’S A STONEHOUSE:
Senior Kim Stonehouse leads the Bobcats offensively, after the first week of play. The 6-foot outside hitter from Red Deer, Alberta, is averaging 3.70 kills per game, while hitting .307 from the field. Last season, Stonehouse was a second-team All-Big Sky Conference selection, after averaging 3.40 kills with a .190 attack mark. Her current kills per game average ranks her ninth in the league. Stonehouse was in double-figure kills in two of MSU’s three matches, including a weekend high 15 winners against Nevada.
DIG IT:
With each dig this fall, Kandice Kelly will put a lot of distance between herself and older sister Kamber. In the final match of the 2005 season, Kandice surpassed Kamber as MSU’s all-time career digs leader. Kandice Kelly currently sits atop the listings with 1,300 saves, while Kamber (2001-04) has a four-year total of 1,262. Last weekend, Montana State’s starting libero notched 36 digs (3.60), while adding two service aces. Kelly posted a weekend best 18 digs in MSU’s 3-1 loss to Nevada. Kandice Kelly has played in 310 games at Montana State and has a career dig average of 4.19 per game, which ranks her fifth all-time in Big Sky Conference history. The 5-foot-6 native of Roundup is MSU’s first and only libero in the history of the Bobcat program. She notched a career-high 31 digs against Charleston on Sept. 3, 2004. Kandice is the daughter of Laurie Kelly, who is currently the head women’s volleyball coach at Miles City (MT) Community College.
WHEN YOU THINK OF LAURA:
Sophomore Laura Viren got off to a good start last weekend, especially on the defensive side of the net. The 6-foot outside hitter from Prior Lake, Minn., recorded 38 digs to pace the Bobcats. Viren notched three consecutive double-digit dig matches, including a weekend high 15 saves against Nevada. Offensively, she pounded down 22 kills, including a weekend high eight kills against the Wolf Pack. Viren, who was named to the All-Big Sky Conference Tournament team last season as a freshman, is hitting .143 from the floor. She also posted six blocks and two aces during the Holiday Inn Classic.
WIEBE BE BLOCKIN’:
Senior middle blocker Angela Wiebe finished the 12th annual Holiday Inn Classic as Montana State’s top blocker. The 6-foot-1 native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, notched eight blocks on the three matches, including a season-high four blocks against Florida Atlantic. Wiebe’s current .80 blocks per game average is well below her career blocks average of 1.12 per game. Offensively, Wiebe posted 24 kills (2.40 kpg) and recorded a .276 hitting percentage. Her current attack mark ranks third on the Bobcat squad.
PATTI LOU:
Junior right-side hitter Patti Anderson received the starting nod from head coach Miya Malauulu for the Holiday Inn Classic. The 5-foot-11 native of Deer Lodge, struggled in the three matches, connecting for seven kills and a -.032 hitting percentage. She tallied a weekend-best four kills against Florida Atlantic. The silver-lining for Anderson over the weekend was her defensive play, as she recorded 29 digs, which ranks her third on the squad after the first weekend of action.
DISHIN’ THE ROCK:
Senior setter Kami Buettner averaged 8.80 assists per game at the Holiday Inn Classic. The 5-foot-9 native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan had her best outing of the weekend against Nevada connecting for 38 assists, while adding 11 digs. Buettner also posted a double-double against Florida Atlantic with 33 assists and ten digs. Buettner’s current 8.80 assists per game average ranks her fifth in the Big Sky Conference.
SERVING NOTICE:
True-freshman Allyce Bebensee came off the bench to spark the Bobcats in their 3-0 win over Florida Atlantic. The 5-foot-7 native of Thornton, Colo., had a match-high three aces against the Owls. The defensive specialist also recorded 12 digs (1.71 dpg) on the week.
BURGER-TIME:
Sophomore Kaytlin Van Burger recorded a career and season-high six kills in MSU’s loss to Nevada. The 5-foot-11 native of Bend, Ore., came off the bench to hit .188, as well.
For this week's complete Montana State volleyball release, click on the 'PDF Version Available' link at the top of this page.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
