RedHawks Travel to Local Foe Cincinnati
9/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2002
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MIAMI TO FACE FOUR 2001 NCAA TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS; REDHAWKS TRAVEL TO LOCAL-FOE CINCINNATI ON TUESDAY
After going 2-1 at the Miami Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic, the RedHawk volleyball team embarks on a five-week stretch which includes only one home match (Sept. 21 vs. Western Ontario). Miami starts a two and a half week road stretch as it travels to local rival Cincinnati on Tuesday, Sept. 3 for a 7 p.m. match. In the last meeting with the Bearcats (Sept. 1999), Cincinnati snapped Miami's 17-match home winning streak with a 3-1 win. This week, the RedHawks face four opponents who advanced to the NCAA tournament last year (Cincinnati, Florida A&M, Louisville and Georgia Tech). Cincinnati, Louisville and Georgia Tech are all receiving votes in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The RedHawks travel to Atlanta, Ga., for the Georgia Tech Invitational this weekend.
A FRESH START
Last weekend, freshman setter Megan Clark (Solon, Ohio/Solon) became the first true freshman to earn starting setter duties during head coach Carolyn Condit's 19-year Miami tenure. Clark guided the RedHawks to wins over IPFW and Delaware and averaged 8.89 assists per game in her first weekend with the RedHawks. In Miami's season opener against IPFW, Clark compiled 42 assists, five digs, three kills and two blocks over four games.
BUROKER'S "BUR"-AKE OUT
Sophomore outside hitter Tara Buroker (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) wasted no time making her presence felt on the court for the RedHawks in their season-opening weekend. Buroker, the youngest captain named during head coach Carolyn Condit's 19-year tenure, burst out of the gates in Miami's season opener against IPFW to amass a career-best 29 digs, 17 kills and a .385 hitting percentage to lead the RedHawks in all three categories. In the first game against the Mastodons, Buroker compiled an impressive 15 of her 29 digs. For the weekend, Buroker paced the RedHawks averaging 4.20 digs and 3.40 kills per game.
MIAMI CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Three players earned all-tournament team laurels at the Miami Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic: sophomore outside hitter Tara Buroker, senior outside hitter Erika Eagan (Bloomington, Ill./Tri-Valley) and junior middle hitter Susan Poll (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Kentwood). This is the first time any of the three players have earned all-tournament team honors.
750 AND THEN SOME
Miami head coach Carolyn Condit coached her 750th career match in Miami's season opener against IPFW. In her 23rd season as a head coach, Condit owns a 452-300 record. In January, Condit, who boasts a league-best 187 career MAC wins, was inducted into Miami's Athletic Hall of Fame.
ABOUT CINCINNATI
After posting a 23-8 mark and advancing to the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament, Cincinnati's four returning starters and seven returning letterwinners are off to a 1-2 start. However, Cincinnati's two losses came at the hands of formidable opponents. The Bearcats dropped a close five-game match to Cal-Poly to open their season, just getting edged in the fifth game, 16-18. Cincinnati then fell in three games to No. 25 Notre Dame, before trouncing Wisconsin-Milwaukee in three games on Sunday. Blocking could be a key factor in Tuesday's match-up. Miami is averaging 2.8 blocks per game, while Cincinnati averages 1.9. The RedHawks were blocked 2.7 times per game, however UC was blocked an average of 5.2 times per game. Sophomore outside hitter Julie DuPont leads the team averaging 5.00 kills per game, while junior setter Laura Lauder averages 12.27 assists per game. Senior outside hitter Trish Ladusaw averages a team-best 5.55 digs per game, and sophomore middle hitter Rachel Torblaa knocks down 1.36 blocks per game.
SERIES VERSUS THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati owns a 16-12 advantage in the series with the RedHawks. Miami had won five straight meetings until the Bearcats snapped a 17-match Millett Hall win streak for the RedHawks with a 3-1 win in 1999. Miami is 4-3 when playing at Cincinnati (in contest dating back to 1979). In 1993, Miami produced a 3-2 win at Cincinnati. Miami's last loss on the Bearcats' home court was in 1989 in four games.
MIAMI 3, IPFW 1
After inching out a 30-26 win in the first game, the RedHawks came out and captured a 30-17 win to take a two-game lead in the match. The Mastodons rebounded to post a 30-25 game-three win. In the fourth game, IPFW built a 23-17 lead, but Miami regained composure to outscore the Mastodons 13-5 and take the fourth game and the match 30-28.
Sophomore outside hitter Tara Buroker had a career night, posting a career-best 29 digs, 17 kills and a .385 hitting percentage. All three led the RedHawks. Fifteen of Buroker's digs game in the first game. Freshman setter Megan Clark turned in a solid performance in her RedHawk debut with 42 assists, five digs, two blocks and three kills. Senior middle hitter Jennifer Eaton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) tallied 13 digs and eight blocks, while junior middle hitter Susan Poll added 13 kills, seven digs and three blocks. Senior outside hitters Kelly McCullough (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and Erika Eagan recorded 12 kills and five blocks, and 10 kills and 20 digs, respectively.
MIAMI 3, DELAWARE 0
Miami posted a 30-21 win in the first game, inched out a 30-27 win in the second game and captured the match on a 30-21 triumph in the third set. Junior outside hitter Erika Eagan paced the RedHawks with 11 kills, eight digs, three blocks and a .400 hitting percentage. Junior middle hitter Susan Poll added 10 kills and three blocks.
WASHINGTON 3, MIAMI 0
Miami dropped its final match of the Miami Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic to Washington 30-23, 30-27 and 30-27. Paige Benjamin recorded a match-best 15 kills and added four blocks, while sophomore middle hitter Alexis McDonald tallied nine blocks. Three RedHawks posted 10 kills: Eagan, Kelly McCullough, and Tara Buroker. McCullough added four blocks and three service aces. Eagan also added three service aces.
TOUGH FOES
Six of Miami's 12 non-conference opponents advanced to the 2001 NCAA Tournament: Louisville, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Cincinnati, San Jose State and Florida A&M. Four of those six reached the second round, while Ohio State went on to the regional semifinal. Five teams are either ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA/USA Today Preseason Coaches' Poll. Ohio State is ranked No. 9, while Louisville, San Jose State, Cincinnati and Georgia Tech received votes.
ROAD WARRIORS
Following the Miami Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic, the RedHawks host only one home match over a five-week span. Miami plays in the Georgia Tech and TCU tournaments and at Cincinnati, Ohio State and Dayton over the first two and a half weeks of that stretch. The RedHawks return home to host Western Ontario on Sept. 21 before opening league action on the road for two straight weekends.
NEWCOMERS MAKE WEEKEND CONTRIBUTIONS
Four of Miami's newcomers made contributions over the weekend. In addition to freshman setter Megan Clark, who started two matches for the RedHawks this weekend, Suzy Wolford (Batavia, Ill./Batavia), Kristen Walters (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee), Lindsay Simpson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota West) and Lindsey Sullenberger (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua) all earned playing time in the Miami Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic. Wolford, who saw action in five games, played various roles for the RedHawks seeing time as a setter and libero. Walters and Simpson were also used as liberos, while Sullenberger saw time at middle hitter. Also seeing court time for the first time in her career was sophomore outside hitter Angie Zent (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrup). Zent, who has been plagued with injuries over the past two seasons, played in six of Miami's 10 games over the weekend.
FOR OPENERS
Over its 29-year history, Miami improved to 14-15 in opening matches with a four-game win over IPFW last Friday in the Miami Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic. The past 10 seasons Miami has posted an 8-2 mark. Even more impressive, the RedHawks have won five-straight season-opening matches. When opening the season in a tournament, Miami is 7-7.
FOR OPENERS II
When opening the season at home, Miami is 8-3 (Miami records for home and away contests date back to 1979) and has won its last four home season openers (1994 vs. Western Kentucky, 3-0; 1999 vs. Northwestern, 3-0; 2000 vs. TCU, 3-2; 2002 vs. IPFW, 3-1). Three times Miami has opened its season with the Miami Classic and all three times posted wins in its season opener (1994 vs. Western Kentucky; 2000 vs. TCU; 2002 vs. IPFW).
ALL-"MAC"CULLOUGH
Earning first team honors last season, senior outside hitter Kelly McCullough is one of only two returning first-team All-MAC performers in the league. McCullough became the 10th junior in Miami volleyball history to attain first-team all-MAC distinction.
MILESTONE MARKS
Two single-season records fell last season as outside hitter Erika Eagan captured the record for digs per game (3.98) and middle hitter Jennifer Eaton claimed the block assist record (128). Eagan's 410 digs also ranked fourth on Miami's single-season chart, while outside hitter Kelly McCullough placed her name on Miami's single-season kills per game list (3.89-t-4th) and block assist chart (105-t-6th).
SENIOR TRIO EMBARKING ON CAREER MILESTONES
Kelly McCullough, Erika Eagan and Jennifer Eaton are all embarking on career milestones this season. McCullough needs 190 kills to reach the 1,000-kill plateau, while Eagan needs 273 digs to reach 1,000 career digs. Both Eaton and McCullough are chasing Miami's career block assist record. McCullough owns 227 block assists and needs 120 more to surpass Kristin Wagner's (1989-92) 347 career block assist total. Eaton is just two behind McCullough with 225.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
At the conclusion of the 2001 season, middle hitter Jennifer Eaton and outside hitter Erika Eagan ranked among national leaders in blocks and digs, respectively. Eaton, who averaged 1.52 blocks per game, ranked 13th nationally in blocks per game, while Eagan's 3.98 digs per game ranked 22nd nationally. As a team, the RedHawks finished the season 29th among national leaders in blocks per game, averaging 2.82. Miami also ranked among the top 25 percent for attendance during the 2001 campaign.
MIAMI'S TRIPLE CROWN
Last year, middle hitter Jennifer Eaton tied the most triple-doubles produced nationally during the 2001 season, achieving the feat four times. She also recorded the first back-to-back triple-doubles on record for the Miami University volleyball program and became the first in the program's history to produce four triple-doubles in the same season and in a career. All of Eaton's triple-doubles came in four-game matches, amassing double figures in kills, blocks and digs for all four.
EATON UP THE HONORS
In addition to producing four triple doubles last season, Jennifer Eaton was named to the MAC all-Tournament Team, earned second-team all-MAC recognition and was a second-team Verizon Academic all-District IV selection.
MAC'S TOP BLOCKING DUO FROM 2001 RETURNS
Middle hitter Jennifer Eaton and outside hitter Kelly McCullough have been quite the blocking duo for Miami. Eaton, who led the league in blocks with 1.52 blocks per game, and McCullough, who was the league's top blocking outside hitter, accounted for 50 percent of the RedHawks' league-best 2.82 block-per-game average last season. No other tandem in the league teamed up for as many blocks per game. This season the two are averaging 1.44 blocks per game apiece.
OTHER TOP RETURNERS
Junior middle hitter Susan Poll (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Kentwood) and sophomore outside hitter Tara Buroker are two of Miami's top returning letterwinners. Poll has been a mainstay in the RedHawk lineup over the past two seasons and earned freshman all-MAC recognition in 2000. Buroker earned time at outside hitter last year and is a team captain for the 2002 season along with Jennifer Eaton and Kelly McCullough.
ON THE MEND
Three RedHawks are returning to the courts after rehabilitating injuries over the past year. Junior setter Melinda McCormick (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix) had corrective surgery on both feet in the off-season but has made steady progress this summer. Junior outside hitter Amy Pfohl (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) returns after taking a medical redshirt season last year after a complete reconstruction of her anterior cruciate ligament. Sophomore outside hitter Angie Zent sat out last season with a nagging shoulder injury but has been full-go this season.
NUMBER OF NEWCOMERS
Although Miami has a strong nucleus of returning players, it also boasts eight newcomers to its roster: redshirt freshman Kristin Walters, OH and true freshmen Megan Clark, S ; Natalie Kapteyn, MH (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Kentwood); Lindsay Simpson, L/OH ; Lauren Slusser, MH (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove); Lindsey Sullenberger, MH ; Suzy Wolford, S ; and Linda Young, OH (Minster, Ohio/Minster).