Nov. 3, 2009

Complete Volleyball Release in PDF Format

WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE: The 22nd-ranked University of San Diego women's volleyball team (15-5, 7-2 WCC) will begin a three-match road swing this week as they head to the Bay Area to take on Santa Clara on Thursday in a 7 p.m. match. Then on Saturday, the Toreros will travel to San Francisco to take on the Dons of the University of San Francisco in a 1 p.m. match.

LAST TIME OUT: The Toreros posted a 1-1 record this past week, as they dropped a 3-0 decision to Pepperdine, then bounced back with a 3-0 win over Loyola Marymount. In Wednesday's loss to the Waves, Junior right side Ali Troost paced the Torero offense as she recorded a match-best 21 kills to go along with nine digs. Junior libero Kayleen Webster racked up a match-best 22 digs and Kelsi Myers recorded 42 assists in the match. In Saturday's win over Loyola Marymount, Troost recorded a team-best 12 kills on 22 swings, while only committing two attack errors to post a .455 attack percentage. Kelsi Myers, Colleen Carlson and Carrie Baird all recorded eight kills apiece, with Myers racking up 29 assists in route to pacing the team to a .358 attack percentage. Kayleen Webster had a match-high 12 digs, while Amber Tatsch recorded 10 digs herself.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Toreros will once again hit the road next week as they return to the Bay Area to take on first place Saint Mary's in a 1 p.m. match on Saturday Nov. 14. This could be a battle for first place yet again, as they two teams collided in a first place battle back on Oct. 17 when SMC came to San Diego and were dealt a 3-1 loss.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Santa Clara enters the week with an overall record of 14-4 and are 4-4 in the WCC after defeating Bay Area rival San Francisco 3-1 this past Saturday. The Broncos lead the all-time series at 28-19, but USD has won the last three meetings. Offensively, SCU turns to senior outside hitter Lindsy Davigeadono to lead the charge with her team-best 231 kills (2.89 kps). The floor leader for the Broncos is junior setter Emily Burke, who has a team-leading 540 assists, while helping direct the SCU offense to a .235 team attack percentage. The Broncos are under the direction of 11th-year head coach Jon Wallace. During his tenure at Santa Clara, Wallace has posted an overall record of 227-92.

SCOUTING THE DONS: San Francisco enters the week with an overall record of 10-11 and are 4-4 in the WCC after dropping a 3-1 decision to Bay Area rival Santa Clara. USD leads the all-time series at 35-145, including taking a 3-1 decision in San Diego back on October 8. USF is led offensively by junior opposite/outside hitter Sarah Mandala, who has a team-leading 368 kills (4.60 kps), and is second on the team in digs with 180. The floor leader for USF is junior setter Alaina Sully, who has a team-best 502 assists, while helping steer the Dons offense to a .185 team attack percentage. San Francisco is under the direction of third-year head coach Gilad Doron. During his time in San Francisco, Doron has posted an overall record of 49-23.

THE POLLS: The Toreros dropped three spots to No. 22 in the latest AVCA top-25 poll after posting a 1-1 record this past week. Neither Santa Clara or San Francisco are ranked in any of the top-25 polls.

DIGGIN THE FRESHMAN: San Diego freshman outside hitter Carrie Baird continues to impress this season, as the true freshman has been steadily climbing up the USD dig chart, and currently ranks second on the tem with 142 digs. Baird also continues to hit well as she has now moved her hitting percentage up to .250 and she has recorded 124 kills on the season.

SOLID & RELIABLE: Naturally teams will look to their upper classmen for that extra motivation and to push themselves the extra mile, and junior right side Ali Troost fits the bill perfectly for San Diego. Through the first 17 matches of the season, Troost leads the team 282 kills (3.76 kps), and is second on the team in blocks with 34. Troost helped pace USD's offense this past week as she recorded a team-best 33 kills, and racked up 16 digs.

NATION'S ELITE: Junior setter Kelsi Myers is currently ranked second in the nation in assists per set (12.16). Myers recorded a career-high in assists on Nov. 17 in a win over UC Irvine, when she racked up 63. On the season, Myers has now recorded 912 assists and has helped steer the USD offense to a .270. Myers has also been busy on the defensive side of things, as she is third on the team with 141 digs.

LIGHTS, CAMERA ACTION: All USD home matches, as well as select road matches, will be streamed live via video on the athletics department website. Fans can watch all the action live from the comfort of their home by logging onto usdtoreros.com. There is no cost for this service. The Toreros will also be adding in a live play-by-play with the home video stream this season, as Paul Duchesne will be calling all the action.

TOREROS TABBED AS FAVORIATES TO WIN WCC: Fresh off its fourth conference championship in the last five years, the University of San Diego has once again been selected as the preseason favorite to take home the 2009 West Coast Conference regular season title. The Toreros, who will be returning five starters from last year's squad, received the maximum seven first place votes for a total of 49 points. Head Coach Jennifer Petrie returns the reigning WCC Player of the Year in Amy Mahinalani DeGroot as well as Ali Troost, both of whom were named to the preseason all-conference team, also selected by the league's head coaches.

DEGROOT TO REDSHIRT IN 2009: San Diego senior outside hitter Amy Mahinalani DeGroot will sit out the 2009 season with a medical redshirt. Last season, DeGroot led the team with 392 kills (4.22 kps) and was second in digs with 231 en route to being named the WCC Player of the Year and earning an All-America honorable mention honor from the AVCA. DeGroot will return in the 2010 season.

THE COACH: 11th-Year head coach Jennifer Petrie has done an outstanding job directing the fortunes of San Diego volleyball since taking over as the Toreros head coach in 1999. Honored as the 2004 and 2008 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year, Petrie continues to establish the University of San Diego as one of the top volleyball programs in the nation. In nine complete seasons as head coach, Petrie has led San Diego to seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 & 2008) with her 2004 team reaching the Sweet-16.