Nov. 13, 2007

CHARLOTTE concluded its 2007 season with a 15-13 overall mark, 5-8 in league play after dropping a 3-1 match to George Washington on Nov. 9. The 49ers were riding a three-matching winning streak, which included a 3-2 victory against GW on Nov. 1. Seniors Alma Arroyo (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and Cori Dayton (Mission Viejo) led the 49ers' offensive attack this year, combining for 812 kills.

DAYTON, (28-1/12-1) ranked 16th nationally, brings the nation's best record to the A-10 Championship as the top seed after capturing the A-10 West Division title with a 12-1 league mark. The Flyers are looking for their fourth Conference title in five years after they clinched the top spot following the Nov. 9 regular season finale win over the Rhode Island, 3-0. Freshman Lindsay Fletemier (Garden City, Mich.), junior Bethany Akerheilm (Carmel, Ind.) and senior Robynne Green (Palatine, Ill.) each enter the Conference tournament ranked in the top 10 in the A-10 in hitting percentage. Dayton is the top seed for the fourth year in a row.

DUQUESNE closed out its season with a 3-1 loss to Saint Louis on Nov. 10 and a 3-2 loss to West Virginia on Nov. 11. With the losses, the team's overall record dipped to 10-19 and 2-11 in the league. Freshman outside hitter Nicole Wright (St. Mary's Ohio) was named A-10 Rookie of the Week after she posted 33 kills and a career and team season-high 26 digs at West Virginia in the season finale. Wright was two digs shy of a school record that stood since 1992.

FORDHAM will be participating in the 2007 Atlantic 10 Championship as the fifth-seed after concluding its regular season winning two of its final three matches. The Championship appearance will be the second straight for the Rams, who finished in a tie with George Washington and Charlotte for second place, each with a 5-8 Conference mark, but the Rams won the tiebreaker as they went 3-1 on the season against the Colonials and 49ers. With a 15-19 overall record, the Rams enter postseason play following a standout week from junior setter Katherine Burrell (Phoenix, Ariz.), who averaged 12.56 assists and 2.76 digs in the final three matches of the season. Burrell also reached a career milestone with her 1,477th assist, setting the single season school record.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, with their collective backs against the wall and playing for their postseason life, won the regular-season finale Oct. 10 with a 3-1 victory over Charlotte. The victory earned GW the sixth-seed and the Colonials are back in the tournament after a three-year hiatus. Highlighting the final regular season win was senior outside hitter Janine Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.), who scored a season-high 29 points on 25 kills. Brown, who garnered A-10 Player of the Week honors, notched 12 digs and an ace en route to her 24th double-double in 27 matches this season.

LA SALLE, coming off of an eleven-day break, couldn't shake off the rust in a 3-0 loss to Temple on Nov 8. The Explorers then wrapped up their season with a 3-0 loss to Fordham on Nov. 9. In their final match, seniors Stephanie Owen (Burlington, Wis.), Erin Sullivan (Center Valley, Pa.) and Brittany Hanley (Saylorsburg, Pa.) were all honored prior to the start of the match. Owen ended her career on a personal high note, leading La Salle with 11 kills. Sullivan had a team-high 19 assists and eight digs, while Hanley chipped in three kills and two digs. The Explorers wrap the 2007 with a 10-29 overall mark and 1-12 in the Atlantic 10.

RHODE ISLAND lost the last two games of its season, falling 3-0 to Xavier on Nov. 9 and Dayton on Nov. 10. In the loss, the Rams (13-15, 5-8 Atlantic 10) lost the three-way tiebreaker for the final two spots in the tournament. Sophomore Caitlyn Welsh (Narragansett, R.I.) led the Rams with six kills while junior Peggy Doino (Deer Park, N.Y.) had a team-best 12 digs. Senior Kaira Kachadurian (Fresno, Calif.) capped her career with 17 assists.

SAINT LOUIS improved to 22-6 overall and 8-5 on the road with two road victories over the weekend, clinching the third-seed of the A-10 Championship. Saint Louis' 20.89 points per game is the best average in program history, while the Billikens' 16.29 kills per game this season ranks third on SLU's single-season list. Sophomore outside hitter Sammi McCloud (Columbia, Ill.) led the team with her top performances of the year against Pittsburgh on Nov. 9 and Duquesne on Nov. 10. McCloud tallied 44 kills for an average of 5.50 per game with a .354 hitting percentage.

TEMPLE'S 3-0 win over Fordham on Nov. 10 captured the Atlantic 10 East Divisional Title, advancing the Owls to their 12th straight A-10 Championship. Temple, 14-17 overall, posted a division-best 9-4 Conference record and is looking to take home the crown for the first time since 2002. The win follows a sweep against La Salle on Nov. 9, a game in which sophomore Yun Yi Zhang (Shanghai, China) posted a 57% hitting percentage, 23 kills and just three errors. Zhang leads the Owls in kills with 469, while Temple's all-time career dig leader senior Sun Ying Ling (Shanghai, China) has 390 digs.

XAVIER (22-8/11-2) earned the second seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship after posting the second best record in the league with an 11-2 ledger on the season. Xavier defeated two ranked programs this season, including 16th-ranked Dayton, for the first time in program history. The Flyers retaliated with a 3-0 win on Nov. 8, but the Musketeers rebounded with a 3-0 victory over Rhode Island on Nov. 9. Seniors Jenni Horvath (Oxford, Ohio) and Jill Quayle (North Royalton, Ohio) led Xavier as Horvath posted a team-high 11 digs and Quayle tallied a match-high 13 kills and had seven total blocks in the win.

Weekly Awards

Players of the Week
Aug. 27 Cori Dayton (CHA) / Bridget Fonke (SLU)
Sept. 4 Bridget Fonke (SLU) / Jill Quayle (XU)
Sept. 10 Alma Arroyo (CHA) / Jenni Gross (DUQ)
Sept. 17 Jamie-Lee Richards (UD)
Sept. 24 Kelly Ruth (XU)
Oct. 1 Bethany Akerhielm (UD) / Sutton Lasater (SLU)
Oct. 8 Jill Quayle (XU)
Oct. 15 Jenni Gross (DUQ)
Oct. 22 Yue Liu (TU) / Kelly Ruth (XU)
Oct. 29 Sammi McCloud (SLU) / Erin Schroeder (UD)
Nov. 5 Sutton Lasater (SLU) / Carly Romberg (CHA)
Nov. 12 Janine Brown (GW)

Rookies of the Week
Aug. 27 Lindsay Fletemier (UD) / Nicole Wright (DUQ)
Sept. 4 Christi Griffiths (FOR)
Sept. 10 Lindsay Fletemier (UD) / Kayla Newberg (URI)
Sept. 17 Lindsay Fletemier (UD)
Sept. 24 Christi Griffiths (FOR)
Oct. 1 Ariel Pierre (TU)
Oct. 8 Yun Yi Zhang (TU)
Oct. 15 Lindsay Fletemier (UD)
Oct. 22 Christi Griffiths (FOR)
Oct. 29 Yun Yi Zhang (TU)
Nov. 5 Lindsay Fletemier (UD)
Nov. 12 Nicole Wright (DUQ)

2007 ATLANTIC 10 VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
November 16-18, Halton Arena, Charlotte, N.C.