KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, IND. – After playing their first four games of the season on the home court, the ISU volleyball team will hit the road this weekend, visiting Long Beach, Calif., to participate in the Long Beach State Tournament.
Indiana State (1-3) will open against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers (1-1) at 7 p.m. (ET) Friday and remain on the court to play the 26th ranked Long Beach State 49ers (0-2) at 10 p.m. (ET). The Sycamores wrap up the tournament by taking on the University of Montana Grizzlies (1-2).
“This will be a great test for our team,” Traci Dahl, Indiana State volleyball coach, said. “We will be taking on three quality teams that have depth and experience. We have to be aggressive right from the first serve and never back down.”
Without a star on the team, Dahl says that the Sycamores need to play as a team and use proper technique.
“We are a better team today than we were midway through last season,” Dahl said. “Our technique is better, our athleticism is better and our team play is better. We just have to be aggressive throughout each game and good things will happen.”
The Sycamores return home next weekend to host the Best Western ISU Classic. Ball State, Chicago State and Eastern Illinois will also participate in the two-day tournament.
FOLLOW THE SYCAMORES ONLINE - Live stats and video from this weekend’s tournament will be available through the Long Beach State website (www.longbeachstate.com).
RECAPPING LAST WEEK - The Sycamores opened the 2009 season by hosting the Best Western Sycamore Classic with North Dakota, Akron, SIU Edwardsville and UMKC providing the competition. Indiana State had trouble getting started in their two morning games, falling to North Dakota on Friday and UMKC on Saturday, both by 3-0 counts. The two Sycamore evening matches both went five sets, ISU losing to Akron 2-3 on Friday and then defeating SIU Edwardsville 3-2 on Saturday.
JAMES HONORED - Indiana State sophomore was named to the Best Western Sycamore Classic All-Tournament team following a vote of participating coaches at the tournament this past weekend in the ISU Arena. James, a defensive specialist/libero from Indianapolis, Ind. (Pike HS), had 55 digs through the four games (3.44 per set) and a service ace.
FROMM MOVING UP - Sycamore setter Whitney Fromm, a senior from Snohomish, Wash., continues to move up in the top 10 list of career set assists for Indiana State. Fromm had 131 set assists (8.19 assists per set) at the Best Western Sycamore Classic, upping her career total to 2,198 which moves her into sixth on the ISU All-Time list. The senior moved past Stephanie Gale, who had 2,178 assists from 1984-1987.
THIS WEEK’S OPPONENTS - When the Sycamores arrive in California for this weekend’s tournament, they will be taking on two opponents for the first time and another that they have met twice before. Indiana State will play both Long Beach State and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County for the first time when they play this Friday. The Sycamores are 1-1 against Montana, defeating the Grizzlies in their last meeting (3-2) which occurred at the Indiana State Tournament that opened the 2003 season.
Maryland-Baltimore County played in the Madison Bingaman Memorial Tournament last weekend, defeating Long Island 3-2 (25-21, 25-16, 20-25, 25-22, 15-9) and then losing another five set game 2-3 to Northeastern (14-25, 28-26, 13-25, 25-23, 8-15), both played on Saturday.
Long Beach State dropped a pair of matches last weekend, losing to #15 San Diego 1-3 on Friday (24-26, 25-15, 22-25, 22-25) and then dropping a hard fought game to #2 Texas 2-3 on Saturday (25-22, 25-20, 18-25, 23-25, 9-15).
Montana went 1-2 at the Virginia Tech Tournament last weekend, losing to Virginia Tech on Friday 1-3 (25-19, 23-25, 23-25, 19-25), defeating Liberty 3-1 on Saturday (20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 27-25) and then losing to UNC-Greensboro Saturday 2-3 (25-21, 28-30, 25-23, 24-26, 9-15).
OPPONENTS IN THE RANKINGS - Two Sycamore opponents are ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I Coaches Poll which was released on Aug. 31. Wichita State was ranked 18th in the pre-season poll but dropped to 25th in the latest rankings. Long Beach State opened the season ranked 23rd but has dropped to 26th in the last AVCA poll.
SYCAMORES IN THE VALLEY - Two Indiana State players are in the top 10 of the Missouri Valley Conference statistics after the first weekend of the 2009 season. ISU sophomore is currently fourth in the MVC in hitting percentage at .379 while senior Whitney Fromm is ninth in assists per game with an 8.19 average and fifth in total assists with 131.
Courtesy: ISU Athletics
