Oct. 15, 2009

LADY BUFFS CONTINUE CONFERENCE PLAY – The #6-ranked West Texas A&M Lady Buffs are on the road this week, traveling to Lawton, Okla., to face Cameron on Oct. 15, at 7:00 p.m. They will then move on to Wichita Falls, Texas, taking on Midwestern State on Oct. 17, at 2:00 p.m.      

LAST TIME OUT - The Lady Buffs went 2-0 last week against conference opponents, Southwestern Oklahoma and Central Oklahoma. 

THE RECORDS – The Cameron Aggies are currently 13-8 overall and 1-4 in the LSC. The Midwestern State Mistangs boast an overall recordof 8-17 and are 4-1 in conference play, which places them third in the LSC going into this week’s matches. The Lady Buffs are 20-3 overall and are the only undefeated team in the conference at 6-0.    

THE SERIES – The all-time series record between the Lady Buffs and the Aggies is 34-2, in favor of WT. Against the Mustangs, the record stands at 19-0 as the Lady Buffs are undefeated against Midwestern.

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 20-3 (.870 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 for an early week match against Lubbock Christian in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7:00 p.m. They return to The Box for matches on Thursday, Oct. 22 against Southeastern Oklahoma at 7:00 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23 against St. Mary’s at 7:00 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 24, against East Central at 2:00 p.m.  

Last Week - The Lady Buffs stayed strong in LSC action, sweeping Southwestern Oklahoma and Central Oklahoma last week. Set scores against the Bulldogs were 25-14, 25-12, and 25-16. Against the Bronchos, the set scores were 25-19, 25-20, and 25-13.

Players of the Week - Melissa Harper and Katie Rickwartz were named LSC offensive player and setter of the week for the week of Oct. 5. This season, Rickwartz has been named POW five times, and Harper and Laura Prinsen have received the honor twice each.

UNDEFEATED - The win against UCO marked the 56th-consecutive Lone Star Conference victory, dating back to 2006 and including conference and postseason matches. In fact, this senior class has never lost a match to a conference opponent.  

Harper Kills - Melissa Harper (Sr., Middle Blocker, Peoria, Ariz.) sat out against Southwestern Oklahoma, but came back strong against Central Oklahoma, leading the team in kills with 12 in 16 attempts for a .688 hitting percentage. She also put up two block assists. 

Dig, Set, Attack - Laura Prinsen (Sr., Rightside Hitter, Spring, Texas) recorded 11 kills last week in 24 swings for a .417 hitting percentage. She also contributed a service ace, nine digs, and two block assists. Prinsen is approaching another career milestone as she needs only 23 more digs to break 1,000 total career digs. This season, Prinsen has recorded eight double-double outings, with double-digit kills and digs.  

Assist, Rickwartz - Katie Rickwartz (Sr., Setter, Canyon, Texas) added 74 assists to her career total last week, averaging 12.3 assists per set. She also contributed seven kills, a service ace, 13 digs, and two block assists. Rickwartz is also nearing a career mark, needing only six more digs to break 1,000 career total digs. This season, Rickwartz has registered twelve double-double outings with double-digit assists and digs.  

How About Those Freshman - Several new players on the Lady Buffs’ roster are earning positions in the Lady Buffs’ rotations. Last week, Kelsey Mangum (Fr., OH/DS, San Antonio, Texas) continued her strong play as she registered 11 digs to go along with five kills and two assists.  Lauren Beville (Fr., L, Hereford, Texas) recorded 12 digs last week. Stormi Lancaster (Fr., OH, Mobeetie, Texas) was strong on the attack with 13 kills to go along with four digs and six block assists.  

Thedford Does it all - Lauren Thedford (Jr., Outside Hitter, Carrollton, Texas) registered a team-leading 13 digs last week, average 2.60 digs per set. She also contributed four kills and an assist. She has four double-doubles this season. 

Johnson Doubles up - Natalie Johnson (Sr., Outside Hitter, Cortez, Colo.) played well last week, hitting double-digit kills against Central Oklahoma with 12. For the week, she recorded a team-leading 18 kills in 37 swings for a .351 hitting clip. She also contributed six digs and two block assists.