Sept. 22, 2009

LADY BUFFS CONTINUE CONFERENCE PLAY – The #7-ranked West Texas A&M Lady Buffs continue Lone Star Conference play on the road as they face Texas A&M-Commerce on Sept. 24, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in Commerce, Texas, followed by Texas Woman’s on Sept. 26, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. in Denton, Texas.  

LAST TIME OUT - The Lady Buffs went 2-0 last week in opening week of Lone Star Conference play, sweeping Abilene Christian and Angelo State.

THE RECORDS – Texas A&M-Commerce is currently second in the conference with a record of 14-3, 2-0 LSC. Texas Woman’s stands at 8-8, 1-1 LSC. The Lady Buffs are currently 13-2 and are undefeated at 2-0 in Conference play. 

THE SERIES – The all-time series record between the Lady Buffs and the Lions stands at 26-7 in favor of WT. Against Texas Woman’s, WT leads the series record 31-6.

THE COACH – The 2009 season finds the ultra-successful Lady Buff Volleyball program under the guidance of Jason Skoch, who has established himself as one of the bright, talented young coaches in game. His record in his first season at West Texas A&M currently stands at 13-2 (.867 percent). Over the past four years, Skoch (rhymes with `coach’) has served as head coach at Truman State. While at Truman State, he has compiled a 137-22 won-lost record (.861 percent), made five consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, developed 11 All-America student-athletes as well as two MIAA Most Valuable Players.

UP NEXT - The Lady Buffs stay on the road and take on the MIAA conference in a crossover tournament at Washburn University, in Washburn, Kan. The tournament is set to take place Oct. 2 and 3.

Last Week - The Lady Buffs opened Lone Star Conference action last week, taking on Abilene Christian and Angelo State. They swept both opponents in three sets. Against ACU, the set scores were 25-19, 25-14, and 25-20. The set scores against ASU were 25-20, 25-17, and 25-17. WT performed well against the Wilcats, holding them to a team hitting percentage of .151. The Lady Buffs were not as crisp against the young Rambelles team with multiple unforced errors, but were able to hang on in three sets for the second conference win.

Dig, Set, Attack - Laura Prinsen (Sr., Rightside Hitter, Spring, Texas) tallied a team leading 21 kills against Abilene Christian and Angelo State. She average 3.5 kills per set and recorded a hitting percentage of .319. She led the team in kills against ASU with 12. She also contributed defensive support with 19 digs to average 3.17 digs per set for the week. Prinsen has 185 total kills and 129 total digs this season. She has also registered five double-double outings.

Assist, Rickwartz - Katie Rickwartz (Sr., Setter, Canyon, Texas) assist average continues to rise as the season progresses. She currently boasts 624 total assists for an anverage of 10.5 assists per set. Last week, she recorded 74 assists (12.3 assists per set) to go along with six kills, three service aces, 10 digs, and three block assists. This season, Rickwartz has registered nine double-double outings with assists and digs. 

Harper Kills - Melissa Harper (Sr., Middle Blocker, Peoria, Ariz.) dominates the Lady Buff middle when she is on the court. Against ACU and ASU, she recorded 17 kills in 31 attempts for a hitting percentage of .452 and an average of 3.4 kills per set. She also tallied a dig, an assist, and two block assists. Her best match was against Abilene Christian where she registered 10 kills and a block.

Thedford On the Back Row - Lauren Thedford (Jr., Outside Hitter, Carrollton, Texas) has made the switch from outside hitter to defensive specialist and has been impressive on the back row, She is second on the team in total digs with 187 (3.17 digs per set). Against Abilene, she tallied eight digs and against Angelo, she had nine digs and a service ace. This season, Thedford has registered double-digit kills and digs three times.

Purdy Blocks - Lauren Purdy (So., Middle Blocker, Arlington, Texas) led the team in blocks last week with four, but increased her kills count with 18 total kills against ACU and ASU. Against the Wildcats, she registered a team leading 11 kills in 21 attempts for a hitting percentage of .429. She also recorded a service ace. This season, Purdy has tallied 10 services aces to go along with 81 total kills, and 46 total blocks.

Defense By Beville - Lauren Beville (Libero, Hereford, Texas) has truly stepped up to the plate as Lady Buffs’ starting libero. She leads the team in digs with 221 total digs and averages 3.75 digs per set. Last week, she recorded 21 digs with double-digit digs in both matches. She had 11 digs against Abilene and 10 digs against Angelo. 

Dupree in Action - Erika Dupree (So., OH, Mesquite, Texas) has recently switched positions for the Lady Buffs from a rightside hitter to an outside hitter. Against ACU and ASU, she tallied 11 total kills in 24 attempts for a hitting percentage of .250. She also tallied four digs and a block. Her best match was against the Wildcats, as she recorded eight kills and a block. 

Johnson steps up - Natalie Johnson (Sr., Outside Hitter, Cortez, Colo.) struggled against Abilene, but regained composure against Angelo as she was one of only two Lady Buffs to register double-digit kills with 10. She recorded a hitting percentage of .292 against the Rambelles. Johnson has 106 total kills this season.

New faces - Several new players on the Lady Buffs’ roster are earning positions in the Lady Buffs’ rotations. Stormi Lancaster (Fr., OH, Mobeetie, Texas) registered 11 kills last week against ACU and ASU and also tallied six digs. Kelsey Mangum (Fr., OH/DS, San Antonio, Texas) tallied double-digit digs against ASU with 10 and recorded six digs, three assists, and one ace against Abilene.