TCU Tabbed Seventh in Conference USA
8/9/2001 12:00:00 AM
Aug. 9, 2001
CHICAGO, Ill. (August 9, 2001) -- The TCU volleyball was named to the number seven position in the Conference USA preseason coaches' poll. The Frogs make their debut in C-USA coming off their best season ever, finishing 15-18 overall and 6-8 in the WAC.
Louisville was selected as the preseason favorite. The Cardinals return 11 letterwinners and five starters, including preseason all-league selection Stacey Mercer, from a club that made its third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance last season. South Florida's Michelle Collier, who set C-USA single-match and single-season records for kills and attempts last fall en route to league Player of the Year laurels, is slated to retain the honor this fall.
With the addition of TCU and East Carolina to Conference USA, C-USA's 14 teams now compete in one division. The teams play a 16-match schedule, single round robin (13 matches), with each team meeting its "traditional rival" twice and two additional teams twice. The two additional teams would rotate each year. The traditional rivals are Charlotte and East Carolina, Cincinnati and Louisville, DePaul and Marquette, Houston and TCU, Memphis and Saint Louis, Southern Miss and Tulane and UAB and South Florida.
A league record four teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2000, and those same four clubs are atop the 2001 preseason rankings. Cincinnati is picked to finish second in Conference USA this fall as the Bearcats aim for an unprecedented seventh straight 20-win season and a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Bonita Wise, who ranked ninth in Conference USA blocks last season (1.01), is a preseason all-league selection.
Houston and South Florida are tied for third. Houston is one of only 12 schools in the nation that can claim a streak of 10-straight NCAA bids. Senior outside hitter Jennifer Wittenburg was granted a sixth season of eligibility by the NCAA after enduring some injuries throughout her collegiate career. She was named First Team All Conference USA after finishing second in the nation with 6.16 kills per game last season. Last season marked the seventh time in 10 years the Bulls recorded a 20-win season, and their 28 wins tied them for third best in school history.
The DePaul Blue Demons are slated to finish fifth. Stephanie Bishop, who needs just 45 kills to become for fourth player in Conference USA history with 1600 career kills, is a preseason all-league choice. The Tulane Green Wave are picked sixth. The Green Wave's 17 wins last season was the best total since 1994 when Tulane posted its last 20-win season. TCU is picked seventh in its Conference USA debut campaign. Saint Louis returns over 80 percent of its blocks, kills and digs last season. Preseason all-league middle hitter Colleen Hunter leads the Billikens. Hunter set a school record last season with 654 kills and became the first SLU player to record 1,000 in her first two seasons.
Marquette returns seven letterwinners in hopes of improving upon last year's 9-23 overall record. At Charlotte, Megan Mosness is first in line to take over at setter for three-time all-league selection Ozlem Ozkan. Memphis also has a veteran club, with eight returning letterwinners and five starters.
At Southern Miss, senior Kelly Tribble is on track to reach 1,000 kills in her career, and she is No. 9 on the all-time list with 949 kills. Tribble also ranks in the top 10 in hitting percentage, block assists and total blocks. East Carolina heads into its first Conference USA season looking to replace four starters, while UAB hope that a non-conference ledger featuring six NCAA Tournament teams serves well for the league slate.
2001 C-USA PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Michelle Collier, South Florida
ALL-LEAGUE TEAM: Stephanie Bishop, DePaul, Michelle Collier, South Florida, Colleen Hunter, Saint Louis, Stacey Mercer, Louisville, Bonita Wise, Cincinnati, Jennifer Wittenburg, Houston
2001 C-USA PRESEASON POLL (as selected by C-USA coaches) 1. Louisville, 2. Cincinnati, 3t. Houston and South Florida, 5. DePaul, 6. Tulane, 7. TCU, 8. Saint Louis, 9. Marquette, 10. Charlotte, 11. Memphis, 12. Southern Miss, 13. East Carolina, 14. UAB
