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MATCH NOTES: Lady Buffs Face New Mexico Highlands On Road Before Hosting LSC Tournament
Nov. 10, 2003
After a week off, the West Texas A&M University volleyball team returns to action by traveling to Las Vegas, N.M. to face New Mexico Highlands University on Monday, Nov. 10, as a tune-up for the Lone Star Conference Tournament, starting Thursday at The Box. The Lady Buffs are the No. 1 seed in the South Division, and have a first-round by, so they will play Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of Texas Woman's and Eastern New Mexico.
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
The Teams
The Lady Buffs are 26-7 on the year after defeating Abilene Christian and Angelo State last weekend to claim their seventh-straight LSC South title. WTAMU has won nine of its last 10 matches, including two straight, after having its 40-match win streak in The Box snapped by Lubbock Christian in five games on Oct. 30.
New Mexico Highlands is 10-17 overall on the year. The Cowgirls, members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, are 7-12 in the conference and just missed qualifying for the RMAC Tournament. NMHU has lost 12 of its last 15 matches, including three in a row.
The Coaches
WTAMU head coach Tony Graystone (Grand Valley State, 1992) became the Lady Buffs' all-time winningest coach on Oct. 28. Graystone, in his fifth year at the helm of the Lady Buffs, currently has a 162-17 (.905) career record, topping with Debbie Hendricks' 159 wins from 1992-'98. This will be Graystone's first meeting with NMHU.
Graystone was the fastest coach to reach 100 wins in the history of the NCAA. He achieved the accomplishment in only 106 matches. The next closest to reach 100 wins was Gil Dobie, who coached Boston College football, reaching the milestone in 108 games.
New Mexico Highlands is coached by Tom Duke (New Mexico, 2003), who is in his second year directing the Cowgirls' program. Duke has a 16-36 (.308) career record at the NMHU helm.
Region Rankings
WTAMU is ranked sixth in the latest NCAA-II Southwest Regional Rankings, released by the NCAA on Nov. 5.
The Lady Buffs are the highest Lone Star Conference team, followed by Abilene Christian ranked eighth, and Cameron ranked 10th.
The region rankings, which determine who makes the region tournament, will be released again on Nov. 12, with the region tournament Nov. 20-22 at the highest seed. {Complete Southwest Region Rankings}
WTAMU vs. NMHU Series History
This will just be the second meeting between the Lady Buffs and Cowgirls, as NMHU won the first meeting back in 1983.
About the Lady Buffs
WTAMU leads the LSC in hitting percentage (.238), kills (16.03 kpg), assists (14.19 apg), digs (19.99 dpg) and opponent hitting percentage (.156). The Lady Buffs are 17th in kills per game in the NCAA-II statistics (as of 10/26/03), 21st in digs per game and 26th in assists.
WTAMU is led by two-time All-American 5-9 senior setter Kendra Morgan, who was named LSC South Setter of the Week for the fourth time this season, after establishing a new LSC career assists mark, as she now has 5,891 assists. The Amarillo, Texas native has recorded five triple-doubles on the season, most recently against Lubbock Christian on Oct. 30, the same match that she established the new LSC career assists record. Morgan, who was named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the week following the opening weekend, is averaging 11.97 apg, 3.56 dpg and 1.72 kpg. Morgan leads the LSC in hitting percentage (.355), ranks second in assists and eighth in digs.
Morgan has surpassed 1,000 assists for the fourth-straight season. She currently has 5,891 career assists in 470 games, for an career average of 12.53 apg, which presently ranks fourth on the NCAA-II career assists per game list, as well as 11th for career assists. Morgan joins her sister, Holly Morgan, in the NCAA-II record book. Holly, a Lady Buff from 1995-'98, is 19th in digs per game (3.81 dpg).
Morgan has achieved a triple-milestone that is very rare in college volleyball, as she has 5,891 assists, 598 kills and 1,354 digs for her career.
A pair of freshmen provide the offensive charge for the Lady Buffs, in 5-11 outside hitter/middle blocker Ambra Clark and 5-9 outside hitter Jessica Scherr. Clark, an Amarillo, Texas native, leads the team with 3.87 kpg, and second on the team with 0.62 bpg. Clark is second in the LSC in hitting percentage (.295) and sixth in kills. Scherr is second on the team with 3.79 dpg and 3.39 kpg. Scherr, a Kingwood, Texas native, ranks sixth in the LSC in digs.
Kacie Hyatt, a 5-5 senior libero leads the LSC and ranks 20th in the NCAA-II statistics in digs with 4.77 dpg. She has been named LSC South Defensive Player of the Week four times this season. Hyatt, an Amarillo, Texas native, became WTAMU's single-season digs leader in the ASU match last Saturday, as she now has 582 digs, overtaking Rachel Williams' 573 digs in 1995. Hyatt has 1,477 career digs, currently fourth on WTAMU's career digs list, needing 14 digs to move into third. Hyatt's 37 digs on in WTAMU's five-game victory over Lubbock Christian on Sept. 9 is the most in the LSC this season.
Freshman middle blocker Megan Spivey (6-0), leads the Lady Buffs and the conference in blocking with 1.10 bpg. Spivey, a Keller, Texas native, adds 2.25 kpg, and is sixth in the LSC in hitting percentage (.273).
The Lady Buffs have swept 15 times this season, including six of their last nine matches, and have been swept twice. WTAMU is 5-2 in five-game matches.
About the Opposition
New Mexico Highlands is 10-17 overall, having lost three-straight and 12 of its last 15 matches. The Cowgirls have faces two LSC teams, defeating Texas A&M-Kingsville in five games on Sept. 5 and splitting with Eastern New Mexico. NMHU won the first meeting, in its season-opener, sweeping ENMU, but the Zias bounced back to defeat the Cowgirls in five games on Sept. 23 at Portales, N.M.
NMHU is led by 5-10 junior outside hitter Kindy Peterson, who has a team-high 420 kills (4.16 kpg) on the season, including 22 vs. Mesa State on Friday. Peterson adds 337 digs (3.34 dpg). Nikki Revling, a 6-1 middle blocker adds 315 kills (3.71 kpg) and a team-high 69 blocks (0.81 bpg). Kasey Frederickson, a 5-8 sophomore setter, has dished out a team-high 924 assists (12.00 apg), including 52 assists in the four-game loss to Mesa State Friday.
The Cowgirls have swept four times, but have been swept eight times. They are 2-3 in five-game matches.
Triple-Double Bubble, Toil and Trouble
Kendra Morgan has recorded five triple-doubles on the season and just missed a sixth, coming up one dig shy against TAMU-Kingsville on Oct. 3. Morgan, who logged two triple-doubles in one week alone, has earned LSC Setter of the Week twice and Sports Imports/AVCA D-II National Player of the Week honors once, along the way.
Morgan is the first Lady Buff to accomplish the feat since Sarah Butler tallied a triple-double on Aug. 28, 1998, vs. Nebraska-Kearney. WTAMU records are incomplete as far as other triple-doubles, but Morgan is thought to be the first to not only accomplish it multiple times in a week, but more than once in a season.
Morgan's Triple-Double Log:
- 9/9 vs. Lubbock Christian
- 9/13 vs. Incarnate Word
- 9/27 vs. Cameron
- 10/30 vs. Lubbock Christian
^ - one off of career-high
WTAMU Coaching Ledger
WTAMU head coach Tony Graystone (Grand Valley State, 1992) became the Lady Buffs' all-time winningest coach on Oct. 28. Graystone, in his fifth year at the helm of the Lady Buffs, currently has a 162-17 (.905) career record, topping with Debbie Hendricks' 159 wins from 1992-'98. He already is the Lady Buffs' winningest coach by percentage.
WTAMU's Top Five Winningest Coaches List
WTAMU's NCAA-II Record Streak Snapped at 77
On Oct. 10, WTAMU was upset by Angelo State in five-games, snapping the Lady Buffs' NCAA-II record for consecutive wins in all matches vs. conference opponents at 77-straight.
Poll Positions
WTAMU fell out of the AVCA poll three weeks ago, the first time since 1995 that the AVCA poll did not include the Lady Buffs. After beginning the season with a No. 12 ranking and climbing as high as ninth after the first week, WTAMU is currently first among others receiving votes. WTAMU has slid out of the AVCA Top 25 Poll for the first time since the final poll of the 1995 season, when the Lady Buffs posted a 30-8 overall record. WTAMU was not ranked in the poll for most of the 1993, '94, and '95 seasons.
Upcoming Schedule
The Lady Buffs host the LSC Tournament Thursday-Saturday at The Box. WTAMU is the No. 1 seed in the South and has a first-round bye. The Lady Buffs will play the winner of Eastern New Mexico and Texas Woman's, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
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