Sept. 1, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

LOOKING AHEAD — Oregon State (1-3) continues the season by hosting the Active Ankle Challenge on Friday and Saturday. The Beavers will face Florida Gulf Coast (2-2) first on Friday at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday, the team will take on UNLV (1-2) at 12:30 p.m. before No. 19 Michigan (2-1) at 7:30 p.m. in legendary Gill Coliseum.

TRACKING THE BEAVS — Full results from this weekend’s tournament can be found through the newly redesigned osubeavers.com. Gametracker will be available for all six matches and can be found by clicking on the ‘Gametracker’ link located on the Oregon State volleyball schedule page. All home matches will also be streamed live through osubeavers.com for free.

MATCH FIVE: florida gulf coast — Friday, Sept. 3 (7:00 p.m.): Friday’s meeting will mark the first time these two teams will meet.

Florida Gulf Coast began its 2010 campaign at home in the FGCU Homewood Suites Volleyball Invitational, finishing .500 with wins over Bethune-Cookman and Houston Baptist but falling to Central Florida and Florida Atlantic. Graduate student and outside hitter Adrianne McNally led the Eagles’ offense in the opening weekend with 39 kills (3.55 kps), adding 23 digs (2.09 dps). Directing the offense was freshman setter Camil Dominguez, who tallied 155 assists (11.07 aps), spreading it to six different hitters with 20-plus kills each, while scoring the most aces for the team with five. Junior libero Holly Youngquist held down the backcourt defense with 75 digs (5.36 dps), while graduate student middle blocker Chelsea Lyles earned the most blocks with 12. Dave Nichols is in his third season as head coach of the Eagles with a 40-23 record.

match SIX: UNLV — Saturday, Sept. 4 (12:30 p.m.): Oregon State is 1-2 all-time against the Rebels. The Beavers nabbed their first win last season in Las Vegas on September 12.

UNLV opened the 2010 season at the Long Beach State Baden Classic, finishing 1-2 with its lone win over Rutgers. The Rebels finished the weekend averaging 12.09 kills per set, 13.91 digs per set, 2.55 blocks per set and with 13 total aces. Senior outside hitter Sara Nehf paced the UNLV offense with 33 total kills (3.00 kps), adding an ace, four digs and six blocks. Sophomore Nile Te’o racked up a team-high six aces, while freshman Madeline Westman controlled the defense at the net with a team-high 19 blocks. Head coach Allison Keeley is in her seventh season with a 99-78 record at UNLV.

MATCH SEVEN: NO. 19 MICHIGAN — Saturday, Sept. 4 (7:30 p.m.): Oregon State is 1-1 all-time against the Wolverines. The Beavers swept Michigan last season on September 19 in Ann Arbor.

Michigan got off to a 2-1 start at the Rocket Classic, hosted by Toledo, sweeping Binghamton and Loyola before falling to the host team in five sets. The team had previously been ranked 12th in the preseason poll, but it dropped to 19th after the tournament finale loss. The Wolverines out hit their opponents 152-109 (13.82-9.91), racking up 17 aces with 16.36 digs per set and 2.55 blocks per set. Junior outside hitter Alex Hunt hit .248 with 46 kills (4.18 kps), adding four kills and 28 digs (2.55 dps). Senior setter Lexi Zimmerman started off her final campaign with 199 assists (10.82 aps) and 32 digs (2.91 dps). Mark Rosen is in his 12th season as the head coach of the Michigan volleyball program with a 218-143 record.

ODDS & ENDS — The Pac-10 Conference is celebrating its 25th year of volleyball. The conference expanded to include women’s competition in 1986-87 in 10 sports. The Pac-10 now sponsors both 11 men’s and women’s sports.

3-2-10? — Sophomore Megan McBride chalked up her first career triple-double at Portland State on Tuesday, Aug. 31, with 10 kills, 45 assists and 19 digs. All three categories also marked career bests for the left-handed setter.

JILL WITH THE KILL SAWATZKY — Senior outside hitter Jill Sawatzky returns as the only player who has started every year of her career. Sawatzky has amassed 1,019 kills prior to the start of the 2010 season, becoming the 12th player ever to reach 1,000. Honing her defensive skills, Sawatzky is primed to have a strong final season, emerging as the top all-around player on the squad.

SAMBRAILO STUFFS — Senior Kiersten Sambrailo was held off the court for part of last season due to injuries, but she still managed to rank seventh all-time for the most blocks per set by a junior (1.23), joining school record holding names like Tanya Lifa and Staci Hintze. Continuing to perfect her offensive game in front and behind the setter will make Kiersten the perfect all-around threat at the net.

ASHLEY AVAILABLE AT ANY POSITION  — Sophomore Ashley Eneliko is open to any position at the net after spending her freshman season as a middle blocker. The only rookie to be named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team, earning honorable mention status, Eneliko filled in for the injured Kiersten Sambrailo to average 1.00 blocks per set, helping the Beavers to rank second in the Pac-10 in stops at the net. This season, Eneliko will be seen mainly at opposite, but she can transition to any of the three offensive spots.

BROWN CONTINUES BALLIN — Sophomore Tami Brown was a three-sport athlete in high school (volleyball, basketball and softball), but after excelling in basketball - a McDonalds All-America nominee - chose to focus on volleyball post-high school. Used mostly as a serving specialist while developing her game at middle blocker as a freshman, Brown is prepped to be one of the Beavers starting fixtures at the net this season.

O’NEIL ON TOP OF HER GAME — Sophomore Alyssa O’Neil immediately made an impact in her rookie season, averaging 2.59 digs per set in her role as defensive specialist in the always tough Pac-10 Conference. She appeared in a number of matches as libero, and frustrated the opponent’s serve-receive with her lofty jump float serve. She returns for the 2010 season as the top defensive player in the backcourt.

LISKEVYCH LIKES THE FIRST ONE — The Beavers are 5-1 in season openers under head coach Taras Liskevych. Oregon State swept Portland it its season opener in Liskevych’s first season, won in four over Oral Roberts in 2006, took a five-set thriller from Colorado State in year three, swept Wyoming at home in 2008 and defeated Cal Poly in four in last year’s inaugural match.

NINE NEWCOMERS — The Oregon State volleyball family welcomes nine newcomers to its 2010 squad, making it the largest recruiting class in the Liskevych Era. Among the nine are seven freshmen, a sophomore and a junior. Junior outside hitter Dre Shaw joins the Beavers after earning success at two different schools, including AVCA and NJCAA All-America status. Sophomore Martie Massey attended Oregon State for a year, competing on the school’s club team before joining the team last spring. Freshmen Becky Defoe and Kelsey Zimmerman both greenshirted last season with Zimmerman joining the team in the winter and Defoe in the spring. Zimmerman became the first Fab 50 recruit in school history. Freshman Mona Kressl competed in the competitive Bundesliga in Germany before joining the Beavers, while freshman Natalie Morgan comes from Santa Cruz, but is currently nursing an ankle injury back to 100 percent. Freshmen Allie Rogers and Laura Schaudt chose to focus primarily on volleyball late in their careers, while freshman Tayla Woods competed at nearby Santiam Christian in volleyball and basketball all four years. All three are scheduled to redshirt to give them more time at the Division I level. Schaudt is a legacy to Oregon State after mom, Carol Menken-Schaudt, was an All-American for the Beavers in basketball.

ATTENDANCE AVERAGE — Oregon State finished the 2009 season ranked 26th in the nation for attendance, averaging 1,436 in its 12 home matches. The Beavers were third in the conference behind No. 5 Washington and No. 11 Stanford.

GET YOUR TICKETS — Season tickets are on sale now for the 2010 Oregon State volleyball season. The adult price is $80 and the youth/senior price is $50 for all 15 home matches, including all of the tough Pac-10 schedule. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-GOBEAVS or by visiting osubeavers.com.

CAN’T MAKE IT TO A MATCH? — Oregon State will be televised once this season at home. The Civil War in legendary Gill Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 12 will be show by FSN via tape delay.

All home matches will be web cast for free through Beaver Nation Online (BNO), the audio/visual service of osubeavers.com.

OREGON STATE VS. THE RANKED — Oregon State will face eight preseason top 25 opponents with seven of those being in the always tough Pac-10 Conference. The eighth team is No 12 Michigan, who the Beavers swept last season in Ann Arbor to snap a 52-match non-conference winning streak. Three conference teams are ranked in the top 10 with Stanford leading the way sitting in fourth place.

PAC-10 PRESEASON POLL — The Beavers were voted to finish 10th in the Pac-10 Preseason Volleyball Poll with 11 total points. Stanford was voted to finish first receiving six first place votes and 77 total points.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BEAVERS — Oregon State hits the road for the Holiday Inn Classic, hosted by College of Charleston. The Beavers will face Auburn, Cincinnati and the home team, Cougars, in the two-day tournament.

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