11/03/05–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAGUAR VOLLEYBALL TO TAKE ON TOP TWO TEAMS
IN SBC WEST THIS WEEKEND
CONTACT: Kevin Beasley
Match
Notes (.pdf)
DENVER, Colo. - The
South Alabama women's volleyball team will take on the top two teams
in the Sun Belt Conference West Division this weekend, beginning
with division leader Denver Friday night at 7 p.m. (MT) at Hamilton
Gym. USA will face second place North Texas on Sunday at 1 p.m.
in Denton, Texas.
"I'm excited
for our team this weekend," said South Alabama head coach Nicole
Keshock. "We will have a full healthy squad for the first time
in a couple of weeks. It will nice to have everybody back at full
capacity and I anticipate that our team will come ready to play
this weekend."
The South Alabama
Jaguars are 7-15 overall and 1-8 in conference play this season.
Leading USA's offensive attack is Via Filipe, who has 263 kills
on the season (3.65/game). Filipe missed last weekend due to injury.
Defensively, Shannon VanAntwerp paces the Jaguars with 257 digs,
while also being a threat at the service line, recording a team-high
36 services aces. Summer Pilgrim has a team-high 76 blocks and is
fourth in kills with 143. Pilgrim's ranks seventh in the conference
in that category with 1.01 per contest.
Denver enters
Friday’s conference play with a 12-9 overall record on the
season and is 5-4 in the Sun Belt play. DU currently leads North
Texas by one game in the West Division. The Lady Pioneers have dropped
four of their last five SBC matches, including two last weekend
versus Arkansas-Little Rock and North Texas. The Pioneers are led
offensively by Lisa Hunter’s 3.89 kills per game. The junior
ranks second in the conference in that category. Denver also ranks
first in the conference in team blocks led by Kim Muller (1.18)
and Kerry Porter (1.00), third and eighth in the league, respectively.
South Alabama
Denver will meet for the 14th time on Friday. DU holds a dominant
12-1 lead in the all-time series. South Alabama’s lone victory
against Denver came back during the 2000 season when the Jags defeated
the Pioneers 3-0 in Mobile. Earlier this season, DU defeated USA
3-0 (30-19, 32-30, 30-28) in Mobile.
North Texas
enters this weekend’s conference play with a 10-17 overall
record on the season and is 4-5 in the Sun Belt play. UNT currently
trails Denver by one game in the West Division. The Lady Eagles
have won two of their last three BC matches, including a 3-0 decision
over Denver. UNT defeated USA 3-2 in Mobile earlier this season.
The Eagles are offensively by Katy Prokof’s 3.52 kills per
game. Catherine Coffey leads the club and the conference in blocks
per game with a 1.29 mark. North Texas ranks second in the Sun Belt
as a team in digs, averaging 16.41 per contests. UNT will face Troy
on Friday night.
South Alabama
and North Texas will meet for the 15th time on Sunday. UNT holds
a 10-4 lead in the all-time series. Earlier this season, USA held
a 2-1 match lead versus UNT before the Lady Eagles took the final
two games to get the match victory. South Alabama’s last victory
against UNT came back in the 2001 season when the Jags defeated
North Texas 3-2 in Denton.
NOTE:
The South Alabama/Spring Hill match scheduled for Tuesday (Nov.
8) at 7 p.m. at Spring Hill has been moved to a home match for the
Jaguars and will be played at Jag Gym.
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