Volleyball Looks for First MAC Victory

Complete Game Notes (PDF).

Live Stats vs. Ohio (9-30-06).

EMU LOOKS FOR FIRST MAC VICTORY: The EMU volleyball team hits the road Thursday for a divisional matchup with Central Michigan, Sept. 28, at venerable Rose Arena in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Following the contest, the Eagles travel south to Athens, Ohio for a tilt with defending conference champion and 21st ranked Ohio, Sept. 30.

Eagles Struggled to Open MAC Play: For the first time since the 1997 campaign, the EMU volleyball is winless after two matches in Mid-American Conference play. The Green and White held an eight-match winning steak in conference lidlifters dating back to a three-set victory over Central Michigan, Sept. 23, 1998, but fell to Northern Illinois, 3-1, to open the 2006 league slate, Sept 22. The following day Western Michigan rallied from two-games down to upend the Eagles in a heartbreaking five-game match.

Cudney Approaching the All-Time Digs Record: Senior libero Ashley Cudney is second all-time in EMU history with 1,786 career digs, and is closing in on the school-record that Jennifer Nighswander has held since the 2003 season. Cudney is 111 digs from passing Nighswander who recorded 1,897 from 2000-2003. Cudney is sixth in the MAC this season with 4.96 digs per game.

Piccolini Among the Elite In Kills: Senior Lindsay Piccolini tallied 28 kills against instate rival Western Michigan, Sept. 23, to set a career-high bettering her previous mark of 25 kills versus Northern Illinois, Sept. 22. The St Clairsville, Ohio native’s 28 kills are the most on the EMU squad this season and the most by an Eagle since Jill Hutton posted 29 versus Bowling Green, Nov. 27, 1999. Piccolini’s 29 kills are also the second most in the conference this season, bettered only by NIU’s Kate McCullagh’s 33 versus IPFW, Sept. 19.

Schedule Change Announced: Due to a water leak at Bowen Field House, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team has announced a pair of date changes to allow the matches to be moved back to the Convocation Center, head coach Kim Berrington announced Sept. 25. The Eagles' Oct. 14 contest versus Bowling Green State University will now take place Sunday, Oct. 15, and the Oct. 20 match against the University of Toledo will occur Sunday, Oct. 22. Both games are scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

BECKY REENDERS SELECTED MAC WEST DIVISON PLAYER OF THE WEEK, SEPT. 17: Junior middle blocker Becky Reenders was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Volleyball Player of the Week for the period ending Sept. 17. This marks Reenders’ first MAC weekly award.

Reenders continued her stellar start to the 2006 season as the Green and White completed a 2-1 week at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., Sept. 15-16. The Grand Haven, Mich. native saw action in all 12 games, tallying 57 kills and 12 blocks (3 solo, 9 assists) for a total of 64.5 points and a .383 attack percentage. For the week she averaged 4.75 kills per game, 1.00 blocks per game and 5.38 points per game.

Heading into the weekend Reenders’ previous best was 16 kills against UTEP (8-25-06), this weekend she shattered that mark twice with a pair of 20+ kill efforts. Against Iowa (9-16-06), Reenders led the way with a 21 kills and a .350 attack but bettered that effort just a few hours later against Columbia tallying a personal-best 25 kills to go along with a .538 attack percentage. The 25 kills and .538 attack percentage are both the best statistical numbers on the EMU squad this season.

Sulewski and Reenders named to All-Tournament Team: Juniors Kate Sulewski and Becky Reenders were named to the All-Tournament team at the College of Charleston Invitational, Sept. 15-16. Sulewski had 141 set assists and hit .500 with 16 kills. Reenders hit .538 in the win over Columbia and had 57 kills for the weekend.

Outside Shot: Outside hitter Victoria Randolph continues to be a force to be reckoned with. At the College of Charleston Invitational, Sept. 15-16, she averaged 2.17 kills and 2.08 digs per game. She hit .138 in receiving 20 percent (109 of 524) of the team’s sets. For the season, Randolph tallies kills at a 2.22 per-game clip and averages 2.62 digs. In addition to that, her 13 aces this year account for one-quarter of team’s total.

Building Blocks of Success: Eastern Michigan’s block has always been one of its strengths and it continues to be its tour de force this year. At the College of Charleston Invitational, Sept. 15-16, the Eagles tallied 2.96 blocks per game compared to 2.92 for the opposition. For the season, the Eagles swat away 2.58 attempts per game and have out-blocked their rivals 95.5 to 86.0.

All-Around Improvements: Junior Becky Reenders has wasted little time improving on all aspects of her game in the 2006 season. In the first 10 matches, Reenders set career-highs in three very different statistical categories. Against the College of Charleston (Sep. 15), Reenders recorded seven blocks to set a career-best mark, then tallied 25 kills two matches later against Columbia (Sept. 16) to establish another career high. In the first match of the year at UTEP (Aug. 25), Reenders contributed three assists to blow away her old career-best of one.

PICCOLINI GARNERS ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS AT MSU: Senior Lindsay Piccolini helped the Eagles to a 2-1 finish at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational, Sept. 1-2. The St. Clairsville, Ohio native saw action in nine games at the tournament, tallying 35 kills, 10 total blocks (5 solo, 5 assist), six service aces and three digs for a total of 48.5 points and a .299 attack percentage. In the sweep of the Miami Hurricanes, the senior chalked up 13 kills and six blocks (3 solo, 3 assist) and a .348 attack percentage in the victory. Against Villanova, she added a team-high 10 kills and three blocks (1 solo, 2 assist) along with 12 kills and one block versus Michigan State. For her efforts she was named to the invitational’s All-Tournament Team.

EASTERN EARNS ACC AND BIG EAST BRAGGING RIGHTS: The EMU volleyball team earned some bragging rights with a pair of victories at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational, Sept. 1-2. The Eagles dominated Atlantic Coast Conference foe Miami (Fla.), 3-0, before sweeping Big East Conference member Villanova, 3-0. With the victories the Eagles improved to 8-2 all-time versus the 12- team ACC and 12-14 all-time against the 16-team Big East.

Coincidently, the last time EMU defeated a team from each conference happened just a week apart during the 2001 campaign. That season the Eagles defeated North Carolina State, 3-0, at the IUPUI Tournament, Sept. 2, and just a week later upended Pittsburgh, 3-2, at the University of Michigan Invitational, Sept. 8.

PICCOLINI SHINES AT SUN BOWL CLASSIC: Senior Lindsay Piccolini paced the EMU attack as the Green and White opened the 2006 campaign at the Sun Bowl Volleyball Classic, Aug. 25-26. The St. Clairsville, Ohio native saw action in all 16 games, tallying 63 kills, 18 block assists, 11 digs and two service aces for a total of 74.0 points and a .237 attack percentage. For her efforts, she was named to the Sun Bowl’s All-Tournament team.

In the five-game setback to Texas Tech, Aug. 26, Piccolini posted a career-high 23 kills breaking her previous best of 22 kills just last season against Ball State, Nov. 19, 2005.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Green and White have enjoyed the friendly confines of the EMU Convocation Center over the past five seasons, posting a 46-10 mark in the "Nest," including eight home victories last season.

SULEWSKI PICKING UP RIGHT WHERE SHE LEFT OFF: Junior setter Kate Sulewski began 2006 right where she left off last season. Sulewski, one of the Mid-American Conference’s top returners in assists, averaged 11.25 set assists per game during the opening weekend of the 2006 season at the Sun Bowl Volleyball Classic. The Ottawa Lake, Mich. native recorded 24 assists versus New Mexico State, 59 against UTEP, 63 versus Texas Tech and 34 against Sacramento State. As a sophomore, Sulewski started 28 matches and averaged 13.89 assists per game.

EAGLES READY FOR 2006 CAMPAIGN: The Eagles return three starters from last year’s 22-7 squad that captured the program’s first-ever MAC West Division Championship. The Green and White’s 14 league wins were the most in program history and marked the eighth time the Eagles had reached the 20-win plateau. Senior middle blocker Lindsay Piccolini (3.9 kills per game, 1.47 blocks per game) and senior libero Ashley Cudney (5.43 digs per game) will lead the way along with junior setter Kate Sulewski (13.89 assists per game) and junior middle blocker Becky Reenders (1.38 kills per game).

CUDNEY DIGGING TOWARDS THE RECORD: Senior Ashley Cudney returns for her fourth season as the libero, after chalking up the second most digs in program history in 2005. Last season, Cudney led the team with 554 digs. Her 5.43 digs per game was second in the MAC and 22nd in the nation.

THESE FOUR THINGS I KNOW ARE TRUE!: Eastern Michigan captured its first-ever Mid-American Conference West Division championship in 2005. The championship marked the first-ever West Division title in EMU volleyball history since the league switched to divisions in the 1997-98 season. The win also marked the first time Eastern clinched a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. The Eagles set the school record for most conference victories with 14 and reached the 20-win plateau for the eighth time in the school history.

EMU CAPTURES PROGRAM’S FIRST MAC WEST DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP: The EMU volleyball team claimed its first-ever Mid-American Conference West Division Championship with a 3-0 sweep of Ball State, Nov. 11. The Eagles had only finished better than third place in the conference once in the program’s 30-year history, a second place finish during the 2002 campaign. The MAC switched to the divisional format during the 1997-98 campaign.

BERRINGTON’S 11TH SEASON AT EMU: Head Coach Kim Berrington is in her 11th season as head coach of the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team.

The seventh coach in EMU history became its winningest coach, Sept. 20, 2003, as the Eagles posted a victory over East Carolina in the Coastal Carolina Tournament. The victory was Berrington’s 110th win at the helm of the EMU program. In her tenure as head coach, Berrington has now posted an overall record of 161-146 and a 83-88 mark in conference play.

In six of the last seven seasons, she has led the Eagles to the MAC Tournament, with the 1999 campaign marking the first time the squad has played in the postseason event since the 1990 season. Her teams have also led the MAC in digs in seven of the last nine seasons, including ranking nationally in five of those campaigns.

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: The EMU volleyball team was picked to finish second in the 2006 Mid-American Conference preseason poll as voted on by the head coaches and released by the conference office, Aug, 17. Coming off the program’s first MAC West Division title, the Eagles collected two first-place tallies en route to the second place showing.

Ball State was picked as the West Division champion, earning a total of seven first-place votes. The Cardinals return six players from last year’s team which posted an 11-5 conference record and advanced to the finals of the conference tournament in Toledo, Ohio.

Western Michigan was picked third, followed by Northern Illinois, Toledo and Central Michigan.

Three-time defending MAC regular-season and tournament champion Ohio was once again picked to win the East Division title. In the West Division, the coaches tabbed Ball State to recapture the regular-season crown. Ohio was also picked to win the postseason MAC tournament at Toledo’s SeaGate Centre, Nov. 17-19.

The Bobcats, who finished 33-3 (16-0 MAC) last season, look to become the first team since the 1986 Western Michigan Broncos to win four consecutive regular-season and tournament championships. The Bobcats made MAC history by becoming the first team to make it to the Sweet 16 of the 2005 NCAA Volleyball Championship and the first MAC team to be ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll.

Picked to finish second behind Ohio is Miami, followed by Bowling Green, Kent State, Akron and Buffalo.

EMU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: The EMU volleyball team finished the 2005 season among the leaders in several NCAA statistical categories. The Eagles wrapped up ranked 11th in the nation in kills per game at 16.69, while placing 14th in digs per game at 18.87. Head coach Kim Berrington’s squad finished 15th in assists per game at 15.27 while setter Kate Sulewski ranked fifth in assists at 13.89. Libero Ashley Cudney cracked the rankings at 22nd with 5.43 digs per game, while middle blocker Lindsay Piccolini ranked 28th in blocks per game with 1.47.

VOLLEYBALL TEAM HONORED BY AVCA FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS: The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team was one of just 54 NCAA Division I programs to receive the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2005-06 school year. The honor marks the sixth time in the program's history, and the second consecutive year that EMU has earned the award.

Last season the Eagles boasted a 3.342 GPA on a squad that posted its fifth consecutive winning season and first-ever Mid-American Conference West Division Championship. Following the season, senior Becky Baltare and sophomore Melissa Bartlett were selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV University Division Volleyball Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

"All decisions regarding the volleyball program center on the interests of the student-athlete and academics are a core belief of our volleyball program," said Head Coach Kim Berrington. "We believe the success of our program is based on the development of personal responsibility and the cooperation among teammates, staff and the university."

The Eagles posted the highest GPA in the nation during the 1997-98 season.

The AVCA Team Award is given to college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. The nominating head coaches must be AVCA members.

Initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, recipients of the award range from NCAA Division I institutions to high school girls’ and boys’ teams. The college ranks produced 150 programs that met the requirements for the award. NCAA Division I schools led the way with 54 receiving the distinction, NCAA Division III followed with 44, while NCAA Division II had 31 honorees.

THREE EAGLES GARNER ALL-MAC ACCOLADES: Junior Lindsay Piccolini and sophomores Melissa Bartlett and Kate Sulewski highlighted the All Mid-American Conference squads announced Nov. 17 by the league office.

Lindsay Piccolini, a first team honoree, has been the offensive catalyst for the Eagles all season long, leading the program to its first-ever MAC West division championship. Piccolini ended the regular season second in the MAC in hitting percentage (.368), second overall in blocks (1.52); fifth in points (4.81 points per game), and sixth in kills (346). In conference only tilts, Piccolini is the league leader in hitting percentage (.407) and blocks per game (1.67). Piccolini was named MAC-West Player Of The Week for the period ending Sep. 24.

Sophomore setter Kate Sulewski earned her first career All-MAC honor by claiming first-team accolades. The Ottawa Lake, Mich. native ranks second in the MAC in assists, compiling 1,240 total sets for an average of 13.93 assists per game. Sulewski directed the EMU offense to a league-second best .243 hitting percentage, including a .262 mark in conference games only.

Sophomore outsider hitter Melissa Bartlett garnered her first All-MAC honor by earning honorable mention recognition. The Chatham, Ontario native averaged 3.48 kills, 3.39 digs and 3.84 points per game and has the fourth most points on the team with 322.5.

TWO EAGLES SELECTED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Sophomore Melissa Bartlett and senior Becky Baltare have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV University Division Volleyball Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced today. Bartlett was named to the second team, while Baltare received third team honors.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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