Volleyball Sports

Volleyball: City side in hunt for treble

2011-03-14T23:38:00.001-07:00

Volleyball: City side in hunt for treble

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 03:59 AM PDT

City OF EDINBURGH hurdled an important barrier towards a Scottish volleyball treble when they beat Kilmarnock Blaze in straight sets in the men's Scottish Cup semi-finals at Wishaw Sports Centre.

The Capital side, who fell at the same stage to City of Glasgow Ragazzi last year, won through to their third Scottish Cup final 25-18, 25-18, 27-25.

Now, it is Ragazzi - who beat second division Kilmarnock II 25-17, 25-15, 25-18 in the other semi-final - who stand between them and a first triumph in the competition.

Having won the John Syer Trophy at the end of last year, Edinburgh can still win all three pieces of silverware this season as they are also in the league play-offs.

Given that player-coach Barry McGuigan has had to re-cast his side after losing so many key players last summer, it would be a remarkable feat.

It could be a Capital double in the cup finals in May with City of Edinburgh easing into the women's final by comfortably taking care of Su Ragazzi 25-17, 25-17, 25-8.

Troon PA, who dropped a set to non-league North Grampian before winning their semi-final tie 25-7, 25-16, 22-25, 25-12, await in the final.

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“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-03-14T00:30:00.001-07:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 13 Mar 2011 07:01 PM PDT

Saturday night Purcellville resident Blair Brown managed to surpass even her most spectacular previous athletic accomplishments, helping her Penn State Nittany Lions teammates win an unprecedented four straight National Women's Volleyball Championship.

The championship round is a best of five contest, but the Lions won three straight over California to gain the championship in Kansas City, MO. Playing for a team that is one of the most dominant women's volleyball forces ever, Brown herself is proving herself a dominant player nationwide.

Brown has been named one of four finalists for the 2010-1011 Honda Sports Award, which determines the top woman collegiate athlete in volleyball. Her competitors include Texas' Juliann Faucette; USC's Alex Jupiter; and Cal's Carli Lloyd, all three of whom she knows well and against whom she has played often. The winner will be a candidate for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year award. A member of the 2010 National Championship All-Tournament Team, Brown is the 10th Nittany Lion to be named a finalist for the Honda Award for volleyball.

The 6'5" tall Brown, who was a standout performer on the Loudoun Valley High School girls' volleyball team, helped the school win the Group AA State Volleyball Championship in 2004. In 2004 and 2005, she was named the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year. She graduated from Valley in 2006. After being red-shirted her first year at Penn State because of an ankle injury, she returned to the court in 2007 and was named to the Big Ten on the all-freshmen team.

Over the past three years, Brown increased her importance to the Penn State team. Her stats and honors are impressive. Earlier this season, she became the sixth straight Nittany Lion to be named the Big Ten Player of the Year. She is a three-time AVCA All American. A three-time All-Big Ten selection, she earned Second Team laurels in 2008 and First Team honors in 2009 and 2010. Brown has started all 37 matches this season and leads the Nittany Lions with 521 kills, averaging 4.24 kills per set on .320 hitting. She is second on the team with 281 digs and 113 total blocks. Her 4.24 kills per set ranks second in the Big Ten and 21st nationally, while her .323 attack percentage ranks ninth in the league. Her 4.72 points per set ranks 18th in the country. Brown earned conference player of the week laurels three times. She surpassed the 1,000 career kills milestone this season and closed out her career with 1,295 kills.

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

Her volleyball coach at Valley remembered his former player with affection. "She was a wonderful young lady, who never lost sight of her family and whom she came from," Laird Johnson said, calling her "gracious" in her approach to teammates and opponents alike.

A popular member of the Valley volleyball team, nevertheless she was also "extremely competitive," he recalled. But it was a competitiveness that never got out of hand. "She kept everything in perspective," Johnson said-no easy feat considering her success.

Much of the credit for Brown being so balanced Johnson attributed to her parents, who "have done everything physically and financially" to support her career as a player. "Early on they realized she was a very special player and athlete, and they supported her 100 percent. They traveled with her everywhere, gave all the support she needed," he said. So did her brother Tyler, a county deputy who played golf at Valley.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

"It's been a fun, fun ride," her father said Monday, hardly believing that Saturday night's championship win was not the only glittering honor facing his daughter. "It's a tremendous award (the Honda Sports Award) to be considered for," he said.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

One of the highlights the Brown family will take away from the championship occurred on the academic front. Having been injured her first year and red-shirted, Blair Brown is a fifth year senior. Her graduation was set to occur Dec. 18, the night of the finals. Penn State President Graham Spanier is "quite a volleyball fan," Jeff Brown said. When Spanier called Coach Russ Rose to say he would not be able to make the Nittany Lions' final games because of graduation ceremonies, he learned that Brown would not be able to make his graduation event either, as she had her other "graduation" to attend to.

Providing a personal note that touched Brown, her family and her teammates, Spanier came to the team's final practice before boarding the plane to Kansas City wearing his full academic regalia and handing Brown a cap and gown for her graduation, which he performed on the spot at the end of the practice.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"I'm very proud of her, she's a great kid," he said. Right now Brown is being flooded with offers to play professionally, either in the U.S. or abroad, including Brazil and Puerto Rico. But, she's taking a break from it all, although she will make up her mind as to future career choices in a couple of months.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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Varsity sports report, March 12: DP boys volleyball loses in tournament final

Posted: 12 Mar 2011 09:02 PM PST

Mark Gilliam collected 15 kills for Dr. Phillips in a 25-21, 26-24 loss to Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy in the Premier Division Gold Bracket final of the Dr. Phillips/Orlando Volleyball Academy Invitational boys tournament.

DP (6-1) advanced by beating Winter Park 25-17, 18-25-15-10 at the Orlando Sports Center. Archbishop McCarthy, considered a state-title contender, knocked off Boca Raton Spanish River 25-18, 25-23 in the semifinals.

"They just were too emotional in the first game," DP coach April Ball said. "We kind of broke down mentally, and the fact we still scored 21 points, I was happy."

The Panthers led 20-15 in the second game before McCarthy rallied.

"We got a little tentative," Ball said. "We had some chances to swing, and we were chipping. That cost us.

"I am happy that at this point, we are hanging with them. That is promising for the future."

Gilliam finished with 60 kills and six blocks in DP's five matches. Logan Maladecki added 16 blocks and 20 kills while Joe Tribou had 95 assists.

In other Premier Division championship matches, Lake Mary beat Tampa Berkeley Prep 25-22, 25-23 in the Silver Bracket; Cypress Creek outlasted Lake Worth Park Vista 25-17, 25-19 in the Bronze Bracket; and Timber Creek edged Apopka 25-19, 25-21 in the Copper Bracket.

— Stephen Ruiz

Bracy, Hines win

Boone's duo of sprinter Marvin Bracy and distance ace John-Logan Hines had impressive individual performances, but Olympia brought home both of the team titles from Saturday's Lake Highland Classic.

The victories marked the Titans' first invitational team titles in at least three seasons.

"The highlight today is the camaraderie our athletes are starting to develop," said first-year Olympia coach Jason Greer.

Hines ran by himself virtually all of the way in the boys 3,200 but managed to obliterate his previous personal best by 28 seconds with a time of 9 minutes, 21.75 seconds.

"I'm finally back," the UF signee said, referring to an injury that spoiled his junior season. "The crowd, my coaches and my teammates cheering kept me focused."

Bracy lowered his area-leading 200 time to 21.52, anchored Boone's winning 4x100 relay and scored in the long jump and 4x400.

At Kissimmee Osceola's Kowboy Invitational, National leader Octavious Freeman of Lake Wales beat area leader Tynia Gaither of Kissimmee Osceola to the finish line in fast girls 100, 200 and 4x100 races. St. Cloud's girls and Lakeland Kathleen's boys took the team titles.

— Buddy Collings

Blue battles back

M. Volleyball. No. 1 USC Men's Volleyball Defeats UC Irvine

2011-03-12T23:10:00.001-08:00

M. Volleyball. No. 1 USC Men's Volleyball Defeats UC Irvine

Posted: 12 Mar 2011 10:02 PM PST

March 12, 2011

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Murphy Troy had 16 kills and Tony Ciarelli added 12 kills with 5 digs and 4 blocks to help the No. 1-ranked USC men's volleyball team beat No. 7 UC Irvine, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 27-25, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match on Saturday (March 12) in USC's Galen Center.

USC improved its overall and MPSF records to 14-1. The Trojans are off to their best overall 15-match start since 2000 (also 14-1) and their best MPSF 15-match start since 1991 (15-0).

UC Irvine fell to 12-10 overall and 9-7 in the MPSF.

Trojans Steven Shandrick and Tri Bourne each added 9 kills, with Shandrick hitting .615. Teammate Henry Cassiday had a match-high 15 digs and Riley McKibbin added 12 digs

For the Anteaters, Carson Clark had a match-leading 27 kills with 7 digs and 3 blocks. Jeremy Denjo came off the bench to start the second set and ended up with 12 kills, while Will Montgomery had 10 digs and Anthony Spittle added 9 digs.

The Trojans hit .339 to UCI's .240. The Anteaters served 5 aces.

USC jumped out to a 4-1 start in the first set, but UCI pulled even at 21-21 before the Trojans scored the next 3 points to regain control. The second set was tied at 16-16 before the Anteaters went on a 5-point run to pull away. USC got out to a 5-3 lead in the third set, built it to 11-5 and was never threatened while hitting .478 and getting 3.5 blocks. The final set was tight throughout before consecutive kills by Austin Zahn and then Shandrick ended the match.

USC next takes its first break from MPSF play when it hosts Harvard in a non-conference match on Wednesday (March 16) at 7 p.m. in the Galen Center.

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

2011-03-11T23:31:00.001-08:00

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 11 Mar 2011 05:17 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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“Beach volleyball returning to Cincy” plus 2 more

2011-03-10T23:37:00.001-08:00

“Beach volleyball returning to Cincy” plus 2 more

Beach volleyball returning to Cincy
Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist
Sports Beat Ground Round to host volleyball leagues

Beach volleyball returning to Cincy

Posted: 10 Mar 2011 12:39 PM PST

From a press release today:

World Class Beach Volleyball Players Return to Cincinnati as the Prestigious US Open Tournament Shifts from California to the Midwest

The U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball, presented by Corona Light and one of the premier beach volleyball events held in the U. S., will be played Sept. 2 – 4 and for the first time the event will converge in the country's heartland, with play set for Hahana Beach in Cincinnati.

In addition to the new venue, players will be competing for a $150,000 purse, a $100,000 increase from last year's U.S. Open in Manhattan Beach.

"Six years ago we were approached by (volleyball great) Karch Kiraly and his team to join forces in creating a beach volleyball event that paralleled successful Open championships that have been part of the sports landscape in golf and tennis for years," said Daniel Kinghorn, Manager-National Sponsorships at Crown Imports.

"Our faith in Karch's credibility and respect for The Elevation Group, USA Volleyball, and Brand X Marketing made this an easy decision as the Corona Light brand and the beach volleyball lifestyle fit perfectly together."

The U.S. Open launched in 2007 as a collaborative effort between Kiraly, The Elevation Group, USA Volleyball and Brand X Marketing, and is joined in 2011 by ReachUSA to further expand this event over the next three years.

"We are excited to continue the tradition of excellence associated with the US Open of Beach Volleyball in Cincinnati," Bob Slattery, president of ReachUSA, said. "Volleyball's growth has exploded in the US over the last 10 years. The 2011 US Open will give attendees a chance to watch, enjoy, and learn from the champions of the sport."

The Hahana Beach location is a 6-acre complex located in Columbia Township (7605 Wooster Pike).

– Enquirer Ed. note: The Association of Volleyball Professionals national beach volleyball tour shut down last Aug. 13 because of financial woes, but many of its top players participated in a Labor Day weekend tourney (the Pro Beach Volleyball Players Championship) at Hahana Beach.

Former Olympians including Misty May-Treanor, Nicole Branagh, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers participated in the 2010 Cincinnati event. No word just yet on which players might participate in the 2011 event, but Slattery said today via telephone: "We're very confident that again we'll have all the top players."

Slattery said Cincinnati landed the 2011 event partially because of its recent, positive history with beach volleyball and relationships with top players.

–Tom Groeschen

Posted in: Updates

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 10 Mar 2011 07:16 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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Sports Beat Ground Round to host volleyball leagues

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 02:36 AM PST

Sports Beat Ground Round to host volleyball leagues | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

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“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-03-08T23:17:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 05:48 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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Volleyball: Troon PA do Jets a favour

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 02:29 AM PST

EDINBURGH JETS had a bittersweet day in the women's Schelde Sports Scottish Volleyball League but clinched a place in the play-offs.

A straight sets defeat by reigning champions City of Edinburgh - 25-16, 25-23, 25-15 - meant they had to rely on Troon PA doing them a favour against North Lanarkshire.

The Ayrshire side, who lost their first match of the season to Edinburgh the previous weekend, bounced back with a 25-19, 25-18, 16-25, 25-21 win _ a result which means North Lanarkshire cannot now overtake Jets.

But Edinburgh Jets II now look destined for a relegation play-off after they lost heavily 25-8, 25-9, 25-17 at Su Ragazzi.

In the men's first division, champions City of Edinburgh qualified for the top four play-offs as they came back from losing the first set to beat Glasgow Ragazzi 23-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17 in Coltness.

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

2011-03-07T23:12:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist
Club Sports: Men’s volleyball gains national ranking
Sports › Volleyball ace Kurihara out for 3 months after knee surgery

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 05:32 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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Club Sports: Men’s volleyball gains national ranking

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:23 PM PST

The men's volleyball team climbed to its highest national ranking in several years with a No. 7 rank in this week's poll. The Irish recently defeated the past two national champions, including last year's champion and current No. 1, Ohio State. Led by senior Mark Iandolo, the club is preparing for a run at the national title next month.

Cycling

Ohio State hosted the MWCCA road races Saturday on a rolling 15-mile course. Sophomore Brian Hurley competed first for Notre Dame. In his debut weekend, Hurley rode well and finished mid-pack.

Freshman Josh Corcoran, graduate student Andrew O'Donnell, and sophomore Michael Tonzi represented ND in the Men's 'C' field. Tonzi crossed the line first in his group and fifteenth overall. O'Donnell did not finish far behind while Corcoran also finished in the top half of the field of 60.

Graduate student Douglas Ansel and sophomore Joe Magro rode for the Irish in the Men's 'A' category. Starting towards the rear, Magro passed much of the field on the ascent and crested the hill in the front group. As the temperature dropped into the thirties and driving rain turned to sleet and hail, riders strung out all over the course.

Magro settled into the second group of eight and scored more nationals qualification points with a finish of seventeeth overall. After two weekends he now leads the D-II conference standings by one point over Maxwell Anderson of Wisconsin Platteville.

Equestrian

The Notre Dame/Saint Mary's equestrian team traveled to Chicago this past weekend to compete in its first show of the semester against UW-Madison, UW-Lacrosse, UW-Milwaukee,

Northwestern, Augustana and Iowa State. The team took third place on Saturday with 28 points while Northwestern took second with 33 points and Wisconsin- Lacrosse took the top spot with 38 points. On Sunday, however, Notre Dame/ Saint Mary's was the high-point team with 38 points and Wisconsin- Madison came in second with 32 points.

Individually, the team excelled on both Saturday and Sunday. The show started with Open Fences. Sophomore Mia Genereux had an excellent performance, coming in second place. Freshman and first-time competitor Stephanie Nearhos took a solid second in Intermediate Fences. Despite the large number of competitors in Novice Fences, freshman Sarah Dalton trotted away in fourth place.

The Irish and Belles held their own in each of the flat classes. Mia Genereux swept the Open class with a first-place finish, also making her high point rider for the day. Junior Victoria Scheid took first place in Intermediate Flat. Whitney Preisser and Amanda Leon delivered a one-two punch by taking first and second respectively, in Novice flat. Senior Nicole Oberschmied got fourth place while also qualifying for regionals. Senior Laura Powell placed third in Advanced Walk-Trot-Canter. To finish up the day, senior Megan Daugherty received a strong second in her Walk-Trot class.

An even better day was to follow on Sunday, as Preisser and Walsh qualified for regionals — with Walsh qualifying in two events — and Nearhos finished first in two different classes of competition.

Women's Ice Hockey

This weekend the Notre Dame women's ice hockey team closed its season with a pair of games at the University of Illinois. In the first game, the Irish played well, but fell to the Ilini by a score of 3-0.

In the second game, the Irish fought back from Friday's defeat and tied Illinois 1-1. The first period ended with no score as the Irish played strong defense, led by senior Amber Rosenberg.

In the second period, the Illini scored on a power play, putting them up by one goal. However, in the third period, the Irish came back with one minute and 41 seconds left on the clock. Junior Lauren Miller scored the goal that tied the game for good.

Ultimate

The Notre Dame women's ultimate team ventured to St. Louis, Mo., for the Midwest Throwdown, a highly competitive tournament consisting of 32 women's teams.

The women's A team first saw action against Colorado College. The team fought hard but eventually fell, 9-2. In the second round of pool play against Washington, the A team traded points throughout the game, battling cold temperatures and heavy winds. The weather proved difficult to overcome, however, as the Irish lost, 9-6.

In their final game of the day, Notre Dame faced rival Ohio State. Both teams attempted to capitalize on strong zone offense, with sophomore Allie Hawkins finding gaps to catch the disk. Notre Dame fell to Ohio State 7-4, but endured through the entire game, trekking through heavy mud in adverse conditions.

Notre Dame entered bracket play on Sunday against Iowa State. The women came out strong, with long downfield throws from seniors Molly Thompson and Kim Ford and solid long cuts from sophomore Kelly Taylor in an 11-8 loss.

The A team finally claimed victory against the B team of Carleton College, winning 10-6. They advanced in the ninth place bracket to play Minnesota. The women rallied back with three points in a row to tie the game at seven, the final point determining the outcome as the Irish fell 8-7.

In their final match of the weekend, the women easily defeated Truman State with a score of 9-2, ending the tournament as the 11th place finishers. Both freshman Kelsey Fink and junior Vicke Hadlock played strong defense throughout the weekend.

The Notre Dame women's B team came out in their first official tournament of the season. They started off the day with pool play games against St. Olaf and Wisconsin B, falling 10-1 and 12-2, respectively. Their third game pinned the women against the B team of Carleton College, where they struggled to find cutter flow and lost 10-1.

On Sunday, the women's B team opened play against Kenyon. Sophomore Kat Wilson made great plays while freshman Taylor Roberts showcased her catching and throwing abilities. The Irish couldn't quite seal the victory, losing 11-6 and moving on to play Hendrix. Although a close game, the women lost 7-4 and were highly determined to win their final match of the tournament. The B team did just that, defeating Kansas State 11-4, with strong cuts from sophomore Annie Flood and solid catches from newcomer and sophomore Betty Graham.

The Notre Dame men's ultimate team competed in the Midwest Throwdown in St. Charles, Mo., this weekend. The A team finished in a somewhat disappointing tie for ninth place in the 25 team tournament, with a 4-3 record for the weekend. The tournament began with a loss to Harding University, but the team rebounded to beat Missouri the following game. A comfortable win over Missouri S&T was followed by a loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater to end Saturday play.

A loss to Grinnell in the pre-quarterfinal round ended Notre Dame's championship hopes, but the Irish bounced back to beat Truman State in a come-from-behind 16-14 win. The team closed the weekend by defeating Nebraska to finish with an overall winning record.

Freshman Connor Hanney played exceptionally well on Sunday, making big plays on both sides of the disc. Seniors Patrick Kozak, Jon Holland and Justin Browne gave Notre Dane experience on the handler line, limiting turns while finding cutters downfield. On the defensive-Line, juniors Adam Barsella and Thom Kenealy and senior John Miller continuously shut down opposing cutters. Sophomores Colin Mackett, Dan Bolivar and Eric Bens all added contributions with accurate throws, timely cutting and shut down defense. The team will be back in action next weekend in Tennessee, and the following weekend at the College Southerns in Statesboro, Ga.

Sports › Volleyball ace Kurihara out for 3 months after knee surgery

Posted: 01 Mar 2011 11:18 AM PST

TOKYO —

Japan national team wing spiker Megumi Kurihara has undergone surgery for cartilage damage in her troubled left knee and will be out of action for around three months, her Pioneer Red Wings team said Tuesday.

Kurihara, who last fall helped Japan win the bronze medal in Tokyo for its first women's world championship medal in 32 years, had been complaining of discomfort in the knee since early January, according to team officials. The popular 26-year-old underwent a meniscus operation on the same knee last March.

M. Volleyball. No. 1 USC Men's Volleyball Goes 5 Sets Second Night In Row To Beat No. 2 BYU

2011-03-05T23:23:00.001-08:00

M. Volleyball. No. 1 USC Men's Volleyball Goes 5 Sets Second Night In Row To Beat No. 2 BYU

Posted: 05 Mar 2011 10:32 PM PST

March 5, 2011

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For the second consecutive night, the No. 1-ranked USC men's volleyball team needed 5 dramatic sets to beat No. 2 BYU, this time by a score of 25-18, 23-25, 25-16, 22-25, 15-10, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match in front of 3,000 fans on Saturday (March 5) in USC's Galen Center.

Friday's (March 4) score was 25-21, 17-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-12 in favor of the Trojans.

The big crowd turnout was due in part to the post-match jersey retirement ceremony for former USC All-Americans and Olympians Dusty Dvorak and Celso Kalache. Dozens of former Trojan players were in attendance to honor Dvorak and Kalache, including such greats as Tim Hovland, Steve Timmons, Bryan Ivie, Tom Duke, Donald Suxho, Bob Yoder, Bill Yardley, Nick Becker, Lawrence Hom, Bill Stetson and former coach Ernie Hix.

With the victory, USC upped its overall and MPSF records to 12-1. It is the Trojans' best overall 13-match start since 2000 (also 12-1) and best MPSF 13-match start since 1994 (also 12-1).

BYU fell to 13-6 overall and 9-5 in the MPSF.

All-American Murphy Troy led USC with 18 kills while hitting .438. He added 8 digs and 3 blocks. His ace in the second set was the 125th of his career, a new USC rally scoring era career record (breaking Joao Grangeiro's mark set from 2003 to 2006).

Tri Bourne added 16 kills (hitting .483) and 10 digs for USC, Austin Zahn had 13 kills (hitting .611) with 4 blocks, Tony Ciarelli had 8 kills, 7 blocks, 5 digs and 2 aces, Steven Shandrick had 7 blocks, Henry Cassiday had a match-high 15 digs and Riley McKibbin contributed 58 assists, 7 digs and 3 blocks.

For BYU, Robb Stowell had a match-best 22 kills with 10 digs and 3 blocks, Taylor Sander added 17 kills and 9 digs, Futi Tavana had 11 kills (hitting .611), BJ Hiapo had 14 digs and setter Joe Kauliakamoa came off the bench in the second set and posted 45 assists.

Overall, USC outhit (.346 to .218) and outblocked (13.0 to 6.0) BYU and served more aces (5 to 1).

In the first set, USC got off to a 4-2 lead and never relinquished it while hitting .440.

BYU then clawed back from a 14-9 deficit in the second set, scoring 4 straight points to gain a 24-22 lead (the Cougars hit .457 to USC's .464).

USC got it back together quickly in the third set, forging an 8-4 lead and steadily pulling away while hitting .360 (BYU hit just .071) and getting 5 blocks.

Like it did in the second set, BYU fought back from a big deficit in the fourth set, overcoming a 16-11 gap by going ahead 18-17 and then holding off the Trojans.

The final set was full of momentum shifts as BYU began with 3-0 and 5-1 leads, but USC scored 5 unanswered points with Bourne serving to go up 7-6, then built it to 9-7 only to have the Cougars knot it at 9-9 before the Trojans had another 5-point run to gain control of the match.

USC continues on a 6-match homestand next week by hosting No. 13 UC San Diego on Friday (March 11) and No. 7 UC Irvine on Saturday (March 12). Both MPSF matches start at 7 p.m. in the Galen Center.

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

2011-03-04T23:25:00.001-08:00

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 07:47 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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“Women's volleyball team new addition to club sports” plus 1 more

2011-03-03T23:19:00.001-08:00

“Women's volleyball team new addition to club sports” plus 1 more

Women's volleyball team new addition to club sports

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:28 PM PST

Nikki Maloney, sophomore social work major, speaks on behalf of the women's club volleyball team at the SGA meeting Thursday.

SGA voted to approve women's club volleyball as a recognized organization at their meeting Thursday.

Nikki Maloney, sophomore social work major, spoke on behalf of the volleyball club.

Maloney said the goal of the club is to allow women that aren't part of SRU Women's Volleyball to take part in tournaments.

"We would just like the opportunity to play against other colleges competitively but not have it be as time consuming as NCAA," she said.

SGA also voted to table a motion proposing that the new union be named after President Robert Smith upon his retirement.

The motion will be revisited at SGA's next meeting on March 24.

SGA President Jeremiah Rosser said his original plan was to table the motion, but he wanted to start a discussion among the members of SGA.

Rosser urged SGA members to reach out to the student body to find out how they feel about the idea of naming the new union after President Smith.

If the motion passes, SGA will compose a letter to the Board of Trustees suggesting the idea.

Twelve SGA members were removed from their senate positions for failing to record their office hours.

According to SGA Parliamentarian, Sam Goodge, SGA's constitution requires all senators to log at least three office hours per week.

Since those twelve senators failed to do that for at least two consecutive weeks, the SGA executive board was forced to remove them from senate on Tuesday

SGA voted to reinstate the eight senators that appealed the removal. The eight reinstated senators include: Brandon Maharaj, Katie Campbell, Marcie Johnson, Caitlin Niemic, Alex Tinker, Matt Ligman, Matt Henderson and Christian Ricketts.

John Jackson, the Rhoads Hall senator, didn't appeal his removal.

LaVarr Stephens-Howling, Alaire Chybrzynski and Cory Boslet, all commuter senators, didn't appeal their removals either.

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 07:29 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

2011-03-02T23:33:00.001-08:00

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 05:17 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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“Sports › Volleyball ace Kurihara out for 3 months after knee surgery” plus 2 more

2011-03-01T23:06:00.001-08:00

“Sports › Volleyball ace Kurihara out for 3 months after knee surgery” plus 2 more

Sports › Volleyball ace Kurihara out for 3 months after knee surgery
Sports editor asks UD to applaud volleyball program
Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Sports › Volleyball ace Kurihara out for 3 months after knee surgery

Posted: 01 Mar 2011 11:18 AM PST

TOKYO —

Sports editor asks UD to applaud volleyball program

Posted: 28 Feb 2011 08:43 PM PST

This is the column I never thought I would have to write - not like this certainly, and not this soon.

University of Dayton volleyball has a rich tradition, and over the past decade, that has included nearly annual trips to the NCAA Tournament. This season, the story was no different as a cast of six seniors led the Flyers to a 23-match winning streak and a program-record tying No. 12 national ranking, but were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

For the third time in four seasons, the team again fell in the tournament's second round on Saturday, Dec. 4. The Ohio State University Buckeyes team brought its pep band, a half dozen cheerleaders and even mascot Brutus, and managed to conquer UD in an epic five-set match, at the Frericks Center.

At the post-match press conference, third-year head coach Kelly Sheffield gave credit to both teams for sticking to their game plan, and said he would have felt awful for whichever team had to lose at the end. Meanwhile, redshirt seniors Lindsay Fletemier and Amanda Cowdrey were in near tears, scraping for the right words to describe their emotions.

Despite the sorrow, now is the time to commend this Dayton volleyball team more than ever. Now is the time to stand beside Coach Sheffield's program and congratulate these players on their continued success.

During his tenure that began in March 2008, Sheffield advanced the production of the team even further from the days of Tim Horsmon, the team's former head coach. Since arriving from the University of Vermont, "Shef" has reached for new goals to measure the program's success in comparing UD to the top teams from across the nation.

In the 41 years of Dayton volleyball, the program has totaled 930 victories with a .637 winning percentage. Additionally, there has been an average of 11.8 conference wins just within the past 16 years of A-10 affiliation.

And then finally, let's take a look at the success of the seniors, middle blocker Fletemier, outside hitter Cowdrey, setter Jessica Yanz, middle blocker Becky Novacek, defensive specialist Rachael Broerman, outside hitter Tiffany Gaerke and even former setter Kacie Hausfeld.

Combined, the players finished with a 112-22 record, three A-10 tournament titles and three trips to the tournament's second round. But it is the individual stories that make up the meaningfulness of this team.

Fletemier was the two-time A-10 Player of the Year, and is likely to appear on the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American team for the third straight season. Yanz and Cowdrey transferred from Nebraska University and Vermont, respectively, and contributed immensely over their time at UD.

Novacek provided consistent efforts at the net alongside Fletemier, while Broerman and Gaerke were two of the most reliable players on the team that never received the credit or attention they deserved.

Furthermore, all of their success this year was dedicated to their former setter Hausfeld, who tragically passed away along with her father Tom in an April plane crash in Kettering, Ohio. The team members wore a "KC14" insignia on their uniforms all season, and constantly attributed their high level of play to honoring her life.

It was another historic year for Dayton volleyball, and another one in which the program made continuous strides.

Now's not the time to be frustrated about the loss, but to be reflective about this incredible team and its record-breaking success.

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 01 Mar 2011 06:35 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-02-28T23:34:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 28 Feb 2011 05:30 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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M. Volleyball. It's No. 1 Vs. No. 2 As USC Hosts BYU Men's Volleyball

Posted: 28 Feb 2011 05:17 PM PST

Feb. 28, 2011

Complete Release in PDF Format

The No. 1-ranked USC men's volleyball team (10-1 overall, 10-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) begin a 6-match homestand by hosting No. 2 BYU (13-4, 9-3) in a pair of crucial back-to-back MPSF matches on Friday (March 4) and Saturday (March 5) in the Galen Center. Both matches start at 7 p.m. The jerseys of former USC All-Americans and Olympians Dusty Dvorak and Celso Kalache will be retired after the Saturday match.

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-02-27T23:33:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 08:58 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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Loran Smith: New UGA volleyball coach set for success

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 06:09 PM PST

While sitting in Lizzy Stemke's office at the University of Georgia's Ramsey Center, a flood of reflections came rushing to the forefront. The affiliations in her life and career with familiar sports figures stimulate confidence that she has the foundation for preeminent success as the school's volleyball coach, a position she took over this past December.

Friendships and affiliations don't guarantee victories or championships, but it is clear that she and her husband, Kevin, who played football at Wisconsin, have always been linked with successful coaches and winning traditions — and at least one Bulldog she never knew.

Immediately, there was a flashback to the time of Bernie Ramsey, a small-town matriculate at Georgia who took his business degree, shrewd financial judgment, investment savvy and opportune timing to Wall Street. There, he amassed a small fortune, part of which he shared with his alma mater. If Lizzy had known the late Bernard Ramsey — the Ramsey Center is named for his wife — it is likely that they would have immediately formed a mutual admiration society.

They would have bonded with a handclasp of affection and a high-fiving respect toward making a great university even greater. I thought of Bernie Ramsey, a remarkable alumnus, as Lizzy and I reminisced about mutual friends and liaisons, along with her enthusiasm for taking Bulldog volleyball to the top.

She is the daughter of Billy Fitzgerald, who coached basketball and baseball at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, where a trio of kids named Manning — Cooper, Peyton and Eli — came under his tutelage.

"Lizzy was a fine athlete whose father has influenced a lot of kids, including ours," Archie Manning said. "Our kids were crazy about Billy Fitzgerald. She will do well as a head coach."

Lizzy's older brother, Edmond, played basketball at Ole Miss; younger brother, Robert, played baseball at Tennessee; and sister, Meg, volleyball at Florida. Any casual observer would say her DNA makes her a good fit for life as a coach.

"We grew up in gyms," she said with an appreciative smile.

Lizzy made All-America in volleyball at Wisconsin, the only Fitzgerald to leave the Southland, but a highlight of her life was to come about from that change of address.

It was in Madison that she met her husband, Kevin, the inaugural winner of the Ray Guy Award, something of a Georgia tie for the Stemkes. He played for Barry Alvarez, who gave the Badgers a Rose Bowl comeback after a 31-year drought, convincing folks in Madison that their team could compete against the dominant teams in the Big Ten — Michigan and Ohio State — and reminding everybody there were two teams in the state of Wisconsin that could win football championships. (Not everybody in the state waves Packers green and gold.)

Lizzy came to Athens from Nebraska, where she was an assistant volleyball coach on teams that made four NCAA appearances and won a national championship. Prior to her stay in Lincoln, she was an assistant at North Carolina. Her resumé reveals that at Nebraska she was multifaceted, handling everything from recruiting to academics to clinics and video management.

"I thought Lizzy related well to her players, was a very hard worker, and obviously knows volleyball," Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne praised in an e-mail.

Interestingly, Lizzy the recruiter became the recruited.

"Greg McGarity set the tone in the interview process and was so persuasive," she said. "I kept hearing what I wanted to hear. That he wants to be a pacesetter in all sports and that he will give us the resources to do our job. What more can you ask for?"

"We know we will love the outdoor opportunities here, and we are great football fans. We are enthralled with sports on a college campus — the environment, camaraderie and excited crowds at an athletic contest. We hope to stay in college athletics for a lifetime. It is such a great way of life."

Loran Smith is a contributing columnist for The Daily Citizen. You can write to him at loransmith@sports.uga.edu.

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-02-25T23:22:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 25 Feb 2011 06:50 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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M. Volleyball. No. 1 USC Men's Volleyball Goes 5 Sets To Beat Long Beach State

Posted: 25 Feb 2011 10:02 PM PST

Feb. 25, 2011

Box Score
Box Score (PDF)

The No. 1-ranked USC men's volleyball team--behind 4 players in double kill figures--fought back to post a 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12 win at No. 6 Long Beach State in a closely-contested Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match on Friday (Feb. 25).

It was only the fourth time in 11 matches this season that the Trojans were extended beyond 3 sets and it was USC's first 5-set victory of 2011.

USC improved both its overall and MPSF records to 10-1. The Trojans are off to their best overall start since going 10-1 in 2000 and their best league start since also posting a 10-1 mark in 1994. LBSU dropped to 8-5 overall and 7-3 in the MPSF.

Tony Ciarelli led USC in kills with 17 (hitting .341) and had 13 digs, Austin Zahn hit .524 with 14 kills, Tri Bourne had 13 kills, 12 digs and 3 blocks, Murphy Troy had 12 kills, 5 aces, 11 digs and 2 blocks, Steven Shandrick hit .474 with 9 kills and 5 blocks, Henry Cassiday had a career-high 18 digs and Riley McKibbin added 9 digs and 60 assists.

The 49ers also had 4 players with double digits in kills. Jim Baughman had a match-leading 21 kills along with 4 aces, 10 digs and 4 blocks, Taylor Crabb added 16 kills, 2 aces and 9 digs, Brad Hemmerling had 11 kills and 3 blocks, Ryan Meehan had 10 kills (hitting. 562) with 6 blocks, Antwain Aguillard had 6 kills (hitting .417) with 5 blocks, Kirk Francis had a match-best 22 digs and Mike Klipsch had 10 digs with his 59 assists.

USC outhit Long Beach State, .315 to .253, but the 49ers had the edge in blocks (11.5 to 7.0) and aces (8 to 6).

Long Beach State got off to a 5-0 start in the first set and USC didn't catch up until 23-23, but a pair of Crabb kills closed the set as the 49ers hit .390 to the Trojans' .324.

USC turned up its hitting in the second set (.444) and LBSU cooled off (.107), as the Trojans overcame a 12-7 deficit to tie it at 15-15 and then a bit later scored 5 unanswered points to forge a comfortable 23-18 margin.

USC used a 4-point run (behind a pair of Troy aces) to go ahead 17-15 in the third set and held onto that lead.

USC scored 5 consecutive points to tie the fourth set at 15-15, but then at 21-21 the 49ers got a combo block by Aguillard and Heimerling followed by a Heimerling kill to give LBSU the lead it needed.

The final set went back and forth (USC hit .542 to LBSU's .400) until the Trojans scored the match's final 4 points, with Shandrick leading the way with 2 kills and a block assist in that late run.

USC now returns home for the start of a 6-match homestand, beginning with back-to-back MPSF matches against No. 2 BYU on Friday (March 4) and Saturday (March 5) at 7 p.m. in the Galen Center. Former Trojan All-Americans and Olympians Dusty Dvorak and Celso Kalache will have their jerseys retired following the March 5 match.

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-02-24T23:15:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 24 Feb 2011 07:11 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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BYU volleyball: Cougars struggle to beat Tritons

Posted: 24 Feb 2011 10:30 PM PST

Published: Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011 11:20 p.m. MST

By Chris Peterson, Mormon Times

PROVO — Judging from the reactions of the BYU men's volleyball team Thursday night, it would have been hard to figure out they got a victory.

After winning the first two games, the Cougars (12-4, 8-3 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play) dropped the next two and almost let the deciding game slip away to an inferior UC San Diego (6-11, 3-8) squad. Instead, the Cougars captured four of the match's last five points to capture the win in five games, 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 29-31, 15-12.

"Even though we won the first two games, we weren't playing well," BYU's Kevin Sagers, who finished with 14 kills, said. "I don't know if we just thought we could use our athleticism to win or what."

In the third game, UC San Diego won the last four points to turn a 21-23 deficit into a 25-23 win.

Then the Tritons backed it up by gutting out a fourth game that went into extra time. Tied at 23 apiece, Robb Stowell's kill gave the Cougars match point, but the visitors got the next two points. From there, it went back and forth, as the two teams were tied four more times.

But UCSD came up with two key blocks, the last by Calvin Ross, to send the match into the final and fifth game.

A stunned BYU crowd watched as Sebastian Brady — who came up with 15 kills for the Tritons — produced a big kill to give his team a 3-1 lead and put the Cougars' all-time series record of 28-0 against UCSD in jeopardy.

After BYU tied it at 6-6, three straight points gave them the supposed cushion they needed. But the Tritons tied things once again at 11 all, before the Cougars closed out the match, the final points coming from a Stowell kill and a block by Otavio Souza.

"I don't know if we did refocus (in the fifth set)," Sagers replied when asked what the players did to regroup. "I think we just got kind of lucky, and a few bounces went our way."

After the game, BYU head coach Rob Neilson lamented his team's service errors, which totaled 26.

"This team has made tremendous strides with our serves, so it was tough to watch tonight, making that many errors," he said.

Outside hitter Taylor Sander sat out the first game due to academic violations, and didn't see action until the fifth game.

It was hard to find any positives, but Sagers managed to.

"If you can fall short as much as we did and still win, you're a good team," he said.

Acknowledging the victory, Neilson wouldn't even concede that much.

"I want to feel good about the way we play," Neilson said. "We won, but I don't feel great about it. We didn't play the BYU brand of volleyball we are capable of."

Stowell had a game-high 23 kills for the Cougars. Carl Eberts led the Tritons with 17 kills.

The same two teams tangle again tonight at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse.

“Volleyball shows the way” plus 2 more

2011-02-23T23:10:00.001-08:00

“Volleyball shows the way” plus 2 more

Volleyball shows the way
Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist
New youth volleyball organization targets masses

Volleyball shows the way

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 08:12 AM PST

Tim Escher of Shalom Black in action.

Mike Knott BUNVOL

SCHOOL volleyball powerhouse Bundaberg High made a good start to its Bundaberg and District Secondary School Sports Summer series last week.

It fielded four teams in the round and achieved three wins and a draw.

The open boys had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Bundaberg Christian College after winning the first set 25-14, being edged out in the second 25-23, and being ahead 12-8 in the third but it was not able to be completed by the finishing time.

Bundaberg High's junior boys produced a dominant performance to defeat Shalom Black in straight sets 25-17, 25-12, 25-14.

Both of the school's junior girls' outfits were also successful with its Blue side also prevailing over Shalom Black in straight sets 25-23, 25-17, 25-17.

But its White side was forced to fight back after losing the second set to Shalom Red, ultimately getting home 25-18, 20-25, 25-22.

Gin Gin's two junior girls' teams were also victorious with Green outgunning North 25-14, 25-21, and Yellow accounting for Kepnock 25-20, 25-20.

In golf, the opening round of the interschool play at Bargara saw some amazing performances from the students.

BDSSS golf convenor Hugh Peers said St Luke's provided the highlights of the day in the three-man ambrose competition.

"St Luke's junior team were even with the card after playing their five holes, while the senior team, headed by Jordan Curd, were an astonishing three-under par after playing their five holes," Peers said.

"If this is a sign of things to come, Bundaberg Golf has some great prospects over the next few years."

Bundaberg High touch teams were also victorious in four of the five divisions – open and under-15 boys, under-15 girls and under-13 mixed – with just their open girls side biting the dust.

There was plenty of keen competition in tennis, ten pin, table tennis, softball and surfing.

Meanwhile, 171 Bundaberg and District students will contest Wide Bay summer sports trials across eight sports today, with Bundaberg High the best-represented school with 60.

Cricket and touch trials will be in Bundaberg at Salter Oval and Greg Duncan Fields respectively.

The other venues will be Maryborough (golf), Hervey Bay (softball), Murgon (squash and girls volleyball), Rainbow Beach (surfing) and Kingaroy (tennis and boys volleyball).

Results

Volleyball - Open Boys: BSHS drew with BCC 1-1 (25-14, 23-25, 12-8 incomplete); Shalom Black d Shalom Red 2-1 (25-16, 25-11, 19-25)

Open Girls: Shalom drew with North Purple 2-2 (15-25, 25-15, 25-13, 20-25); Gin Gin d Rosedale 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-12)

Junior Boys: Bundy High d Shalom Black 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-14); Shalom Red won on Forfeit (North)

Junior Girls: Bundy White d Shalom Red 2-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-22); Bundy Blue d Shalom Black 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-17); Gin Gin Green d North 2-0 (25-14, 25-21); Gin Gin Yellow d Kepnock 2-0 (25-20, 25-20).

Touch Progress points – Open boys: BSHS 3, St Luke's 3, Isis 1, Rosedale 1, Shalom 0. Open girls: North 3, Shalom 3, BSHS 1, Kepnock 1, St Luke's 0, BCC 0. Under-15 boys: BSHS 3, St Luke's I 3, Shalom I 3, Kepnock 1, North 1, St Luke's II 1, Shalom II 0. Under-15 girls: BSHS 3, St Luke's I 3, St Luke's II 3, Kepnock 1, BCC 1, Shalom 1. Under-13 Mixed: Shalom II 3, BSHS 3, Isis 3, St Luke's 3, Shalom I 1, Shalom III 1, BCC 1, Kepnock 1.

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 06:27 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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New youth volleyball organization targets masses

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 08:06 PM PST

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There's a new volleyball organization in town and they're looking for players that haven't had an opportunity to experience the spikes and hits of competitive youth volleyball, and even players that have the experience, but want to spend a little less for their playing time. read more

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-02-22T23:25:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 05:21 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Leesburg Today.

Total Comments: No comments posted.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your member ID will be posted with the comments.

M. Volleyball. No. 1 USC Men's Volleyball Travels To CSUN, CSULB

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 12:46 PM PST

Feb. 22, 2011

Complete Release in PDF Format

The No. 1-ranked USC men's volleyball team (8-1 overall, 8-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) will make its last road trip for more than a month when it visits a pair of teams it previously swept while opening the 2011 MPSF season: Cal State Northridge (4-10, 3-6) on Wednesday (Feb. 23) and No. 6 Long Beach State (7-5, 6-3) on Friday (Feb. 25). Both MPSF matches begin at 7 p.m.

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

2011-02-21T23:37:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist
Manhattan Beach Open volleyball tournament gets new sponsors
Irvine finds balance

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 05:53 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Leesburg Today.

Total Comments: No comments posted.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your member ID will be posted with the comments.

Manhattan Beach Open volleyball tournament gets new sponsors

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 05:35 PM PST

The 2011 Manhattan Beach Open will feature a new pair of sponsors.

The rights to the prestigious volleyball tournament have been awarded to USA Volleyball, the sport's national governing body, and IMG Action Sports, a multinational marketing firm. The organizations submitted a formal proposal to the city in January that called for $200,000 in player prize money.

The sponsorship deal was approved by the City Council last week.

Also vying for the tournament's sponsorship rights were Elevation Management LLC, a Cleveland-based marketing firm, and ION Sports, which streamed last year's tournament live on the Internet.

USA Volleyball and IMG will reimburse the city for all costs related to hosting the tournament, which often reached $60,000 when it was run by the Association of Volleyball Professionals. The AVP tour abruptly folded in August.

The 2010 tournament was put on by the city and scaled-back to two days.

The Manhattan Beach Open has been held each summer for the last 50 years. The 2011 tournament is expected to be held in August.

- Douglas Morino

Irvine finds balance

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:35 AM PST

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 21, 2011

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARADVERTISER.COM

Nejc Zemljak served four aces against UCLA on Saturday. The Warriors face UC Irvine today and tomorrow.

For a volleyball team with a .500 record overall and in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, UC Irvine is experiencing an uneven season.

"It's been a little more up and down," said UCI coach John Speraw, whose Anteaters host Hawaii tonight and tomorrow in Bren Events Center.

Speraw was admittedly surprised when the Anteaters were No. 2 in the preseason rankings.

"I thought that was way too high," Speraw said, a suspicion supported when the Anteaters lost the season opener to the NAIA's top-ranked team, California Baptist.

What's more, a key injury impacted the Anteaters' ability to efficiently start their quick-to-the-pins offense.

But libero Will Montgomery is back from an injury, and opposite attacker Carson Clark is back to above normal.

"The process hasn't always been smooth," Speraw said, "but we're starting to play better volleyball."

The Anteaters' improvement has coincided with a more active defense, which was boosted by Montgomery's return.

"We weren't playing particularly polished defense," Speraw said. "Balls were dropping. People didn't know exactly what their roles were. (Montgomery has) made a difference for us. He's vocal. He's experienced. He's made the easy plays that weren't so easy for us. It's refreshing to see."

Clark missed fall training while working out with the U.S. national team. There were greater expectations, many self-imposed, when he rejoined the Anteaters.

"He learned to manage expectations," Speraw said, noting that as a national-team member "everyone expects you to be unstoppable.

"That's not the case. There are good players in the MPSF who can put up good blocks. He's adjusted, and he's playing some good volleyball. When he's rolling, that's good for us, and he's starting to roll."

Clark is averaging 4.54 kills per set. Left-side hitter Cory Yoder does not have a swing as powerful as Clark's, but manages to score points with a variety of shots.

The Anteaters have five capable middles, and the best blocker — Austin D'Amore, a 6-foot-5 junior — recently received medical clearance. Speraw said he has not decided if D'Amore will be in tonight's lineup. D'Amore would force UCI to choose between Scott Kevorken, a 6-foot-9 freshman who has played in every match this season, and Kevin Wynne, who was named to the All-America second team in 2009, at the other middle position.

For now, Speraw said, both teams consider this an important series. The Anteaters are 5-5 in the MPSF. The Warriors, who split with UCLA in the first half of this four-match road trip, have a 4-4 league record.

"The MPSF is unforgiving, especially this year, when I think there are a lot of senior players, particularly at the setter position," Speraw said. "It's a pretty talented league. ... There are a lot of teams battling (for a playoff berth). It'll be a battle until the end."

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“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

2011-02-20T23:36:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist
SIS takes volleyball crown
Athlete of the week: Taylor Sanicki

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 20 Feb 2011 05:58 PM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Leesburg Today.

Total Comments: No comments posted.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your member ID will be posted with the comments.

SIS takes volleyball crown

Posted: 20 Feb 2011 06:14 AM PST

Monday, February 21, 2011

SIS takes volleyball crown

Saipan International School foiled Marianas High School 1's upset bid en route to winning the championship in the 2011 Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization Girls Varsity Volleyball League on Sunday at the MHS Gymnasium.

The Lady Geckos earned a first round bye in the double-elimination playoffs for their first place finish and undefeated record in the regular season. They went through Grace Christian Academy in the second round, 25-20, 25-18. Then SIS defeated MHS 1, 25-22, 25-15, to advance to the finals.

The Lady Dolphins 1 swept Kagman High School in the loser's bracket semifinals for another shot at the Lady Geckos. MHS 1 must beat SIS twice to steal the championship.

The Lady Dolphins 1 went on to prevail in Game 1 of the finals to end the Lady Geckos'winning streak this season and force a do-or-die Game 2.

In Game 2, SIS regrouped and won the first set, 25-15. With the second set tied at 14-all, MHS 1 committed too many unforced errors at crunch time, allowing SIS to build momentum. SIS went on to take the second set, 25-16, and was very relieved to save face in the end.

The Lady Geckos have team captain Amber Roberts, Jessica Soll, Emma McCullough-Stearns, Zoe Jewell, Jian Joyner, Shane Jones, Svahn Tured, Celine Camacho, and Jeane Bracken as members.

In other results, Saipan Southern High School fell to GCA in the first round and then lost to MHS 2 in the loser's bracket to finish in seventh place. MHS 2 suffered a first round loss to MHS 1 and later fell to Kagman High School for a sixth place finish. GCA lost its loser's bracket match to KHS and settled for fifth place.

Tinian High School defeated Kagman in the first round, but fell to MHS 1 in its next match. Tinian finished in fourth, while Kagman placed third after the Lady Ayuyus came out on top of their loser's bracket rematch against the former.

Athlete of the week: Taylor Sanicki

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 10:44 PM PST

Age 17

Grade 12

Sports Volleyball, Basketball and Softball

School Ionia High

Mascot Bulldogs

Parents Chris and Christi Sanicki

My favorites

Movie Blue Crush

Sport Softball

Out of the sports you play, which one is your favorate and why?

Softball, because I love everything about the game. I love to watch it because it's extremely exciting.

Who do you try to emulate in life? Why?

I really emulate my aunt Kerri because she is very successful in life and has alway had to work for what she has. She supports and influences me to fulfill my dreams.

What has been your favorite memory of playing sports for your school? Why was it so special?

Winning the Morley Stanwood tournament in 2010. I had played with my team in that tournament for two year prior and each year we would lose in the championship. This memory is special because it represented our programs improvement throughout the years and it was a very appreciated award for the team.

How did you start playing sports?

I have played since I was about five or six. My first sport was AYSO soccer, then softball through GIYL.

What is something that not everybody knows about you?

I love to travel a lot. One of my favorite hobbies is hunting. Sumer is may favorite season. I enjoy being crated and someday want to live in California.

What are your plans after high school? Do you plan on attending college?

I plan on attending Lansing Community College and playing softball for two years. I plan on earning a bachelors degree in Biology. Eventually I will transfer to play two more years at a university.

Next Week A student athlete from Belding High School will be recognized.

Editors Note: The Ionia County Athlete of the week is selected each week by the athletic director of the school which is being represented and is not by the Sentinel-Standard or its employees. The schools are featured an equal amount of times throughout the school year.

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-02-18T23:10:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 06:58 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Leesburg Today.

Total Comments: No comments posted.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your member ID will be posted with the comments.

International volleyball event is coming to Tulsa

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 12:33 AM PST

The No. 5 U.S. men's national team will take on top-ranked Brazil.

By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 2/18/2011 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 2/18/2011 4:57 AM

Tulsa will play host to the Volleyball World League's Intercontinental Round this summer, the Tulsa Sports Commission announced Thursday.

The event pits the U.S. men's national volleyball team, ranked No. 5 in the world, against No. 1-ranked and defending champion Brazil.

The two teams will play a pair of matches at the University of Tulsa's Reynolds Center June 24-25.

"It's another great step for the university's volleyball program and a terrific event for the city of Tulsa and the University of Tulsa for us to host," said TU athletic director Bubba Cunningham. "The Brazilian national team is a great feather in the cap for this community."

The Tulsa Sports Commission estimates a draw of some 5,000 visitors and $324,000 to the local economy.

"It is critical we take every opportunity to get Tulsa in front of new and unique audiences," said Doug Stuart, chair of the volunteer board for the commission, "and this allows us to do that."

Ticket information will be announced later. The event will be broadcast to 120 countries and will be televised by Versus.

"It's an international event, which is very important for Tulsa, as we want to be bigger than just Tulsa," said TSC executive director Ray Hoyt, who said future bids are being made on the 2013, '14 and '15 events.

The 2011 World League - which operates under the Federation of International Volleyball, or FIVB - begins its Intercontinental Round on May 27 and continues for six weekends until

July 1. The final round will be July 6-10 in Gdansk, Poland.

The event pits teams from 16 countries split into four pools playing two matches per week, with the top two in each group advancing to final-round play in Poland. As the host team, Poland is guaranteed a spot in the final round.

Pool A consists of Brazil, Poland, USA and Puerto Rico. Team USA is in Poland on May 27, then visits Puerto Rico on June 3 and Brazil on June 10.

Team USA won the World League in 2008. Brazil has won every other World League title since 2003.

World League play began in 1990. Teams are paid prize money. After winning last year's final round in Argentina, the Brazilian team earned more than $1 million.

Volleyball World League

INTERCONTINENTAL ROUND

Reynolds Center, University of Tulsa

June 24-25

Pool A: Brazil vs. USA. Brazil is ranked as the No. 1 team in the world. The United States is ranked No. 5.

John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

2011-02-17T23:17:00.001-08:00

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 07:22 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

Reader Comments

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Total Comments: No comments posted.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your member ID will be posted with the comments.

“Football team, volleyball, table tennis players immortalized in Cebu Sports Hall of Fame” plus 2 more

2011-02-17T00:01:00.001-08:00

“Football team, volleyball, table tennis players immortalized in Cebu Sports Hall of Fame” plus 2 more

Football team, volleyball, table tennis players immortalized in Cebu Sports Hall of Fame
North-South volleyball teams released for All-Star Sports Week
Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Football team, volleyball, table tennis players immortalized in Cebu Sports Hall of Fame

Posted: 16 Feb 2011 07:29 AM PST

By Iste S. Leopoldo

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

AUSTRALIAN football coach Graeme Mackinnon was considered as team M.Lhullier football team's inspiration for winning the first national championship title in 1988.

And that feat 23 years ago made the team a legend. Fot that, the team, together with volleyball player Maribel Rusiana and table tennis player Federico Ybañez were ensrhined to the Cebu Sports Hall of Fame.

Greet your loved ones this Valentine season.

For the M. Lhuillier team, the credit goes to Mackinnon for his belief in Team Cebu City.

"He was the only one who believed in us when nobody did," Paref-Springdale coach Mario Ceniza said.

Ceniza said everyone, even the local governing body, the Cebu Football Association (CFA), doubted them.

Ceniza added it was Mackinnon who encouraged them to believe that they can make it.

"The best achievement we got was proving the detractors wrong. I saw so much potential in my team," Mackinnon said. "We believed in 1988."

Ceniza said although he feels bad that no Cebu team has duplicated their feat, he understands it is mostly not Cebu's fault.

"It's been 23 years. But there hasn't been a national tournament in the past three years," Ceniza said.

Optimistic

However he added they are optimistic that there is a big chance for Cebu to duplicate it because the CFA is aggressively implementing football grassroot programs.

"We hope it will be repeated in the near future," Ceniza said.

Mackinnon and Ceniza were joined by Dante Orejudos,Allan Arcabal, Rene Maambong,Edwin Arganza, Peter Bordador and Wilfredo Juezan in receiving the recognition.

Honorees

The other honorees were Rusiana, who was a member of the gold medal winning volleyball to the 1979 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia and 64-year-old Ybañez, who became a member of the RP table tennis team to the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ybañez was named the top table tennis player of the Philippines in the 60s. He was also enshrined in the Hall of Fame of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) 10 years ago.

Ybañez, who is from Pasil, came from a family who loves playing table tennis. His father, Teofilo, was also a well-decorated table tennis player and was also named a Hall of Famer by the POC.

"It was my father who influenced me to get into the sport. I started playing when I was six and started competing when I was eight," Ybañez said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 17, 2011.

North-South volleyball teams released for All-Star Sports Week

Posted: 16 Feb 2011 11:08 AM PST

Published: Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 12:55 PM Updated: Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 1:01 PM

HUNTSVILLE, AL. -- Grssom and Huntsville both have two players on the roster and Bob Jones has one for the annual North-South Alabama All-Stars Sports Weekend.

Lady Tigers Regan Kennamer and Olivia Windsor, a pair of right-side hitters/setters, are on the team along with Lady Panthers outside hitter Becky Phelps and setter Lindsey Wintzinger and Lady Patriots middle hitter Drea Matthews.

Also on the team are Hartselle middle hitter Katelyn Hill and Guntersville outside/middle hitter Cati Leak. Hartselle's Tanya Lybarger is a coach for the North.

The Sports Week moves from Huntsville back to its original Montgomery home this summer. The games and accompanying clinics will be held July 11-15.

The rosters:

SOUTH ALL-STARS

Player School Position

Hannah Birdsong Auburn MH/RS

Sara Jane Cary Providence Christian S

Sherrill Dahlmann Murphy L/DS

Layne Doctson Montgomery Academy OH

Sara Goodwin Oak Mountain OH

Meredith Parrott Cottage Hill Christian MH

Mallory Raulerson McGill-Toolen Catholic S/RS

Grace Rebarchak St. Paul's MH

Elizabeth Rogers UMS-Wright L/DS

Porsha Tolbert Pelham OH/MB

Alexis Treace Spanish Fort OH

Mattie Weldy Baker MH/OH

Coaches

Bill Oldfield Providence Christian

Metta Roberts Robertsdale

Amy Rachel Eclectic Middle (administrative coach)

NORTH ALL-STARS

Player School Position

Lauren Bedford Hewitt-Trussville DS/OH

Kryssi Daniels Winston County OH

Allender Doggett Jacksonville DS

Katelyn Hill Hartselle MH

Regan Kennamer Grissom RS/S

Rachael Langston Hoover OH

Catherine Leak Guntersville OH/MH

Andrea Matthews Bob Jones MH

Becky Phelps Huntsville OH

Morgan Ray Addison MH/OH

Olivia Windsor Grissom S/RS

Lindsey Wintzinger Huntsville S

Coaches

Bobby Daniels Winston County

Tanya Lybarger Hartselle

Sue Marshall Randolph (administrative coach)

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 16 Feb 2011 06:59 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Leesburg Today.

Total Comments: No comments posted.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your member ID will be posted with the comments.

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-02-15T23:17:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:26 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Leesburg Today.

Total Comments: No comments posted.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your member ID will be posted with the comments.

DeMya Talks Girls & Women In Sports Day

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 10:14 AM PST

National Girls and Women In Sports Day began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women's sports. It has evolved into a day that acknowledges the past while recognizing current sports achievements, the positive infulence of sports participation and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports. In advance of the 25th annual celebration on Feb. 2nd, Sun forward DeMya Walker discusses the role that sports has played in her life as well as its role in how she is raising her daughter.

Hey Sun fans!

With Girls & Women in Sports Day a couple days away, I was thinking about how sports have played such a pivotal role not just in providing me with a career but in molding who I am as a person, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a colleague and a mother. I have done something athletic since I was seven years old running track! I remember I played soccer, softball, ran track and was a cheerleader from fifth through eighth grade. I ran track and played basketball from ninth through 12th grade and was All-State in both sports. That being said, what is it about sports and its importance in my life that have made me who I am today?

As a young girl, I was taller than everyone, awkward, very skinny, and quite the pushover. Sports gave me an outlet and a way to stay out of trouble. They gave me a sense of accomplishment. I was confident in myself when I was competing. I was sure that no one was better than me and I was the "Me" I wished I could be off the playing field. As I went through high school, that confidence spilled into my everyday life. I was proud to be on student council, in advanced placement classes, and to be tall. I was confident in my look and you couldn't tell me I wasn't so fly! Being an athlete set me apart from everyone else. It taught me about setting goals for myself and how to work through my problems intelligently. Of course, basketball has given me a college education from the prestigious and beautiful University of Virginia and allowed me to be a part of something bigger than myself as a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. I have flown all over the world, been influenced by many different cultures, and groomed by coaches and veteran players I would never have had the pleasure to meet had it not been for my beloved sport!

As a friend, daughter and sister, I am the only professional athlete in my immediate circle. I think my friends have adjusted to my competitive nature, and I apply it in the advice I give them for their everyday lives. Sports isn't just for athletes, it's for everyone. It helps put a smile on your face after a bad day. It gives you something to take your aggression out on when you're having a day that makes you feel like you need to just scream. It keeps you in shape and feeling good about yourself and your life. It breeds an edge to your mentality that keeps you from quitting and pushes you to go the extra mile! Girls and women are emotional beings. Let's face it…WE ARE! Sports apply to the girliest of girls as well as the tomboys. It unites us in a way that makes us happy to be individuals but proud to be part of a team. That's why sports are so important to ALL girls and women.

Sports have helped me with time management, problem solving, health and beauty! As a single mom of a beautiful four year old little girl, sports have helped me teach her confidence. She is a cheerleader and a swimmer, tried soccer but didn't like it (despite liking how she looked in the uniform, lol) and is just beginning basketball. In five weeks of swim class, she has advanced five levels. The girls and boys who started in level one with her just made it to level two. I am so proud of her! She is a natural competitor and sports for her have helped her to not be so shy. She doesn't make friends with kids her age very easily because she is very slow to warm. Being a cheerleader and part of a team opened her up and really helped her blossom into being comfortable in crowds. Being a swimmer helped her build her individual competitive spirit.

Sports have connected us as mother and daughter on another level. She looks to me for approval when she does well and uplifting when it wasn't so good. She cheers me on in my games and is just as sad as I am if we don't win. She is learning the value of hard work, the value of money, the value of teamwork, the value of honor and discipline, the value of being a leader and knowing how to follow, the value of trust, and the value of loving what you do! I have been able to teach my daughter these things because of the lessons I have learned by participating in sports. I hope one day to see her in the WNBA (wearing number 22 of course), on the US Olympic Swim Team and the USA Basketball Team…that would be a first!!!

I am forever in debt to sports and the blessing they have been in my life. So on Girls and Women In Sports Day, I want all of you to go for a walk, a jog, a run, a swim, or pick up a ball and play. Just enjoy the great feeling! For those of you in the northeast, pick an indoor sport!!!!

Talk to ya soon…DeMya

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

2011-02-14T23:39:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist
Volleyball: NOVA-NOCSF Age-Group Volley Opens Feb.19
Pandas volleyball

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 07:54 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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Volleyball: NOVA-NOCSF Age-Group Volley Opens Feb.19

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 02:24 PM PST

By Cyrus M. Garde

BACOLOD CITY, Feb. 15 (PNA) -- The annual Negros Occidental Volleyball Association (NOVA)-Negros Occidental Cultural Sports Foundation (NOCSF) Age-Group Volleyball Tournament opens on February 19 at the University of St. La Salle College Covered Court.

Now in its 21 years of existence, about 800 age-group players from different schools, clubs, towns and cities province-wide are set to play in 10 (mini-volleyball), 12, 14 and 16 years old boys' and girls' categories.

This tournament includes the special division, 18-Under girls for the Shakey's Girls' Volleyball League (SGVL) Negros Elimination and the winner will advance to the National SGVL tournament slated to be held at the same venue on April 4 to 7

The games will be played every weekend starting February 19 until March 27, with Freddie Infante, President of Metro Sports as guest during the opening ceremony.

Nova president Roger Banzuela disclosed that this year's NOVA Age-Group and Park Volley will be the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) entry to the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Developmental Committee Project from the member National Sports Association (NSA).

The competition will be played in a single round-robin format for the elimination round, if there are less than seven participating in a specific category.

In the semi-final and the final round, the page-system format will be applied.

In case eight or more teams will participate, they will be divided into two or three preliminary groups wherein each group is set to play in a single round-robin format for the elimination while a cross-over system will be applied in the semi-final round.

The top two teams after the semis will advance in the finals.

Championship trophies will be awarded to the top three teams in every division while a Special Individual Award will also be given to outstanding and deserving players.(PNA)
DCT/LOR/AJP/CMG/vlo

Pandas volleyball

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 09:18 PM PST

“The Nicest Volleyball Butts In Sports” plus 1 more

2011-02-13T23:25:00.001-08:00

“The Nicest Volleyball Butts In Sports” plus 1 more

The Nicest Volleyball Butts In Sports

Posted: 16 Jan 2011 03:09 PM PST

Some of us prefer boobs, some legs, others butts. If you're a fan of the great posterior, then this is your slideshow.

What sport produces some of the best looking rears around? It's volleyball of course.

From tight spandex to sexy bikini bottoms, volleyball gives us plenty of rear to cheer about.

Here are the nicest butts volleyball has to offer!

Indoor Volleyball

For some of the best looking rears in spandex, we need not look further than college volleyball.

Spandex does magic.

Indoor Volleyball

Even while resting, the tight fit of volleyball shorts is form flattering.

Check out this rear, in a relaxed setting.

Indoor Volleyball

Sometimes wide bootys have an advantage.

They're great for covering up hand signals.

Indoor Volleyball

Tight shorts and a cute ponytail also makes a winning combination.

Indoor Volleyball

Back to the wonders of Spandex.

Skin tight shorts certainly have a lot of appeal.

This is a clear cut example.

Indoor Volleyball

Here's a hand rub.

Those shorts aren't used just to look sexy.

They're also good to rub your hands all over, just in case they get clammy.

Indoor Volleybal

Here's some live action to behold.

This booty is ready to bump the incoming ball.

Indoor Volleyball

In this photo, these two teammates show us how much one sport can bring people together.

Indoor Volleyball

Meet the jumping booty.

Tone, tight and ready to play defense so close to the net.

Indoor Volleyball

The resting volleyball butt is a dangerous body part.

You may be fooled into thinking it's at rest and harmless.

But it can strike at any time.

Indoor Volleyball

You're gazing at two sets of butts working closely with one another.

That's called teamwork!

Indoor Volleyball

Meet Big Blue.

Go Number 2!

Indoor Volleyball

Booty's come in all shapes and sizes.

But they're quite a sight when they're all working together.

Indoor Volleyball

Why are volleyball butts so tone?

Because of all the bending and jumping, of course.

Beach Volleyball

Alright, now it's time to drop the Spandex and trade them in for some bikini bottoms.

It's time for some beach volleyball!

Beach Volleyball

Just because they're wearing even sexier outfits doesn't mean they don't do things any more differently.

Hand signals are still integral in this sport.

Beach Volleyball: Logan Tom

Meet Logan Tom, one of the sexiest volleyball players around.

She's an overall hottie, but her rear is still a thrill.

Don't you agree?

Beach Volleyball: Team Brazil

Meet Team Brazil.

Remember the name, you'll see more of them later.

Beach Volleyball: Team Pink

It's true.

Pink makes butts look prettier.

Beach Volleyball: Perfection

Here's a look at one of the best photos around.

You get a glimpse of the beach, a woman in a bikini, a sexy booty and a message that reads: "More Cuervo."

Perfection.

Beach Volleyball: Blue Booty

Here's a butt that's battle tested.

It's seen a lot of action.

Hence, the sand all over.

Beach Volleyball

This is a hard working butt.

Nothing can stop it from getting to the volleyball.

Not even her own teammate.

Beach Volleyball: Pink Elephant

There's a Pink Elephant in this photo.

Really? Where?

Beach Volleyball

Sometimes hand signals are confusing.

Is she sending a message or is she asking someone to pull her wedgie for her?

Beach Volleyball

Well, here's Team Brazil again.

Here's one player not shy about being comfortable.

Beach Volleyball: Team Brazil

Props to Team Brazil for showing a lot of love and affection on the sand.

Sexy.

Beach Volleyball

Here's a booty that's getting all choked up in that bikini.

It's crying for a little tug.

Beach Volleyball

Your call. What's sexier?

Wedgie or no wedgie?

Beach Volleyball: Serious Pair

Here's a serious pair of butts.

You can tell they mean business.

Beach Volleyball: Hard-Working Booty

This is a hard-working butt.

She clearly dove for the ball.

Beach Volleyball: Booty Pat

Don't forget, butts also need some love.

An occasional pat every now and then can help improve morale.

Beach Volleyball: Presidential Approval

Misty Mae's rear is even getting a presidential seal of approval.

Atta boy, W.

Beach Volleyball: Booty Touch

The booty tandem of Kerri Walsh and Misty Mae is one of the best pairs that volleyball has ever known.

No wonder even some of their opponents want to cop a feel.

Beach Volleyball: Pink Skirts

Check out this new sexy look.

Pink skirts on top of those bikini bottoms.

Nice touch ladies!

Beach Volleyball: There You Have It

There you have it.

You've just witnessed some of the best looking rears around.

Hope you enjoyed it.

And take a tip from this last booty. Peace out!

Pattaya Mail

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 03:35 AM PST

Pattaya city employees faced off in volleyball, musical chairs, football and other sports at the 9th annual sports day at the Eastern National Indooor Sports Arena Saturday.

The meet on Soi Chaiyapruek was held to create unity and improve morale among city bureaucrats. Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome oversaw activities as the emcee.

Teams dressed in orange, blue, green and purple – no red or yellow teams this year – competed in chair ball, sack racing, hoola hoop twirling and more events as the audience joined in as cheerleaders.

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

2011-02-12T23:09:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 1 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 12 Feb 2011 10:39 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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VOLLEYBALL: Hollister Volleyball Club making an impact at recent tourneys

Posted: 11 Feb 2011 03:19 PM PST

HOLLISTER

The Hollister Volleyball Club's 16-1, 16-2, and 14-1 teams all competed in Northern California Volleyball Association's annual Kickoff Classic and their Area League qualifier recently.

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The 16-1 team led by offensive standouts Hayley Ashford, Erica Chapa, Blair Brown and setter Monica Medina helped push the team from starting rank of 73 to a final ranking of 33. The 16-1 was led on defense by Annie Hernandez, Brittani Newman, Amanda Himenes and Makenzie Miguel. Middle blockers Marcia Cornwell, Olivia Zertuche and Ellie Burley held their opponents in check by controlling the net throughout the tournament.

The team finished the Area League Qualifier with a record of 4-2 and in second place in a 12-team pool. Both losses came at the hands of Santa Cruz's powerhouse Club Shoreline, which finished the tournament in first place with a record of 6-0.

Monica Medina led the team with 23 serves without an error and 15 aces, nine of which were on consecutive serves.

Meanwhile, HVC's 16-2 team made their debut at the Kickoff Classic with a rank of 82 and finished at 61. Despite a slow start, the girls finished strong, taking every team to three games.

On the offensive front, the 16-2 team was led by Allee Smallwood, Katelyn Armstrong and Hayley Van Dam. The defensive standouts were Selena Juarez, Lauray Gutierrez and Marianna Burns.

At the Area League qualifier, the team finished sixth in its 12-team pool. The team brought both an impressive and competitive performance. The team showed a tremendous amount of growth in this tournament.

Chanel Enz led the team with assists, while Christy Gardner and Lauray Gutierrez led the team in service aces. The team will be back in action on Feb. 12 at the San Jose Convention Center for the Area League Tournament #1.

The 14-1 team started the Kickoff Classic with a rank of 65th and finished at 62nd. They also finished third out of 12 teams in their Area League qualifier.

Coach Dean Askanas said the team is showing a great deal of potential and is looking forward to seeing their growth.

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“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

2011-02-11T23:28:00.001-08:00

“Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist” plus 2 more

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist
M. Volleyball. No. 1 USC Men's Volleyball Is Upset By Pepperdine
Sports Scores: High School Playoffs

Valley's Blair Brown Helps Penn State To Fourth National Title; Named Volleyball Honda Sports Award Finalist

Posted: 11 Feb 2011 07:01 AM PST

Brown is the 22-year-old daughter of Sgt. Jeff Brown, supervisor of the Robbery/Homicide unit of Criminal Investigations in the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Jaima Brown.

And her family was in Kansas City, Jeff, Jaima and Tyler, to see the culmination of Brown's college career.

Fierce competitors all year, the four finalists for the Honda Sports Award nevertheless are friends and hold each other in the highest regard, Jeff Brown said.

"She put the cap and gown over her uniform. You could see her knee pads under the gown," her father said. "We were all totally shocked; she cried, and so did her teammates," he recalled.

"She's off on vacation, visiting her boyfriend in Switzerland," he said.

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Total Comments: No comments posted.

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M. Volleyball. No. 1 USC Men's Volleyball Is Upset By Pepperdine

Posted: 11 Feb 2011 11:16 PM PST

Feb. 11, 2011

The No. 11-ranked Pepperdine men's volleyball team gave top-ranked USC its first loss of the season with a 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 25-16, 17-15 upset in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match in Malibu on Friday (Feb. 11).

USC came into the match with a 6-0 record, its best overall start since 1994, and was looking to go to 7-0 for the first time since 1991. Ironically, it was Pepperdine which also snapped the Trojans 6-match season-opening streak in 1994.

The Waves improved to 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the MPSF, while USC fell to 6-1 in both overall and league play. The match ended a 5-match road trip for USC, which was coming off a bye week.

Pepperdine hit .352 in the match and served 6 aces, while the Trojans hit at a season-low .292 clip.

Murphy Troy had a match-high and season-best 29 kills, in the process breaking the USC career rally scoring era record for kills. He now has 1,649 kills, breaking Juan Figueroa's mark of 1,627 set from 2005 to 2008. Troy, who hit .435 in the match, also had a match-leading 8 digs along with 4 blocks.

Tri Bourne added 15 kills (hitting .361), 7 digs and 6 blocks for USC, while Tony Ciarelli had 11 kills. Ian Wright, who started at middle blocker for Austin Zahn (sprained ankle), had 7 kills and 6 blocks. Henry Cassiday had 7 digs.

Pepperdine had 4 players in double kill figures. Maurice Torres had 17 kills, 7 digs and 4 aces, Beau Vandeweghe had 15 kills while hitting .545 and added 5 blocks, Matt Pollock had 12 kills (also hitting .545) plus 7 blocks and Cory Riecks had 10 kills and 7 digs while eclipsing the 1,000 career kills mark.

USC held a 23-21 lead in the first set before the Waves ran off 4 straight points. The Trojans turned it around in the second set, getting off to a 6-1 start and never were threatened while hitting .391. USC trailed 19-18 in the third set before going on a 4-point run to gain control of the set as it hit .423. In the fourth set, Pepperdine scored 3 consecutive points to forge an 8-7 lead and steadily pulled away while hitting .550 to USC's .167. USC was up 11-8 in the final set, but Pepperdine caught up at 12-12 and then went ahead 16-15 on a USC hitting error, then ended the match with a Riecks kill.

USC next hosts No. 4 Stanford on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in an MPSF match in the Galen Center.

Sports Scores: High School Playoffs

Posted: 11 Feb 2011 08:50 PM PST

Story Published: Feb 11, 2011 at 11:42 PM EST

Story Updated: Feb 11, 2011 at 11:42 PM EST

Boys High School Basketball

Sandy Creek 54 South Lewis 26

General Brown 61 APW 27

South Jefferson 46 Lowville 34

St. Regis Falls 46 Colton Pierrepont 41

Brushton Moira 56 Parishville Hopkinton 28

Chateaugay 75 St. Lawrence Central 48

Harrisville 79 Hammond 29

Lisbon 55 Heuvelton 39

Canton 62 Norwood Norfolk 61

Hermon Dekalb 68 Edwards Knox 65

Morristown 90 Clifton Fine 39

Girls High School Basketball

Carthage 35 Watertown 20

Sackets Harbor 70 Alexandria 54

APW 55 Lowville 43

Hermon Dekalb 51 Clifton Fine 43

Boys High School Hockey

St. Lawrence Central 3 Potsdam 1

High School Volleyball

New York Mills 3 Belleville Henderson 1

South Jefferson 3 Solvay 0

Marcellus 3 Lowville 0