Weekly Schedule:
at Midwestern (Texas) State Hampton Inn-vitational-
Friday, Sept. 2 - vs. Nova-Southeastern (Fla.); 10:30 am
Friday, Sept. 2 - at Midwestern (Texas) State; 1:00 pm
Saturday, Sept. 3 - vs. Texas A&M-International; 10:00 am
Saturday, Sept. 3 - vs. Incarnate Word (Texas); 3:00 pm
Full Notes (PDF)
Live Stats (MSU link) - will be available later this week
The 38th season of Truman State University volleyball gets underway this Friday and Saturday at the Midwestern (Texas) State Hampton Inn-vitational, held in Wichita Falls, Texas. The 20th-ranked Bulldogs will face Nova-Southeastern (Fla.) and the host Mustangs on opening Friday before battling Texas A&M-International and Incarnate Word (Texas) on Saturday.
Truman returns ten letter-winners and four starters from its 2010 squad that reached the NCAA tournament for the 11th straight time in program history.
Headlining the returners are junior middle blocker Megan Sharpe, a two-time AVCA all-American and an all-MIAA first-team selection last year, and senior outside hitter Molly Sinclair, an all-MIAA honorable mention pick in 2010 and the National Player of the Week after last season's week one.
The Bulldogs will play three regional contests this weekend but open with an NSU Sharks program that was tabbed seventh in the Sunshine State Conference's preseason poll. The Sharks went 8-19 in 2010 and are led offensively by returning middle blocker Molly Sigerich (2.38 kills/set, .274 atk %), and setter Jordan?Pappas (10.11 assists/set).
Following the season-opening match with NSU, the Bulldogs will face a stiff test with a true road match against the host MSU Mustangs. Midwestern State was picked to finish fourth in the Lone Star Conference and return four starters off last season's 15-14 squad. Senior Kiara Jordan was pegged the LSC's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 4.79 digs/set in 2010, while three of their top four hitters, including junior OH Shelbie Stewart (2.50 kills/set), don jerseys again for the '11 campaign.
Saturday morning opens with a match against Texas A&M-International, who, under first-year head coach Al Givens, will look to improve off a 1-25 record last season. Junior middle blocker Jacquelynne Matula is the only offensive player back who averaged more than two kills per set in 2010, while the Dustdevils also look to replace their top two setters from a year ago.
Finally, Truman wraps up the event with a 12:30 pm Saturday showdown with Incarnate Word, a program tapped to finish seventh in the Lone Star Conference this year. The Cardinals posted a 9-15 record a year ago and will look to be led offensively by junior outside hitters?Stephanie Bonura (2.38 kills/set) and Beth Soukup (2.16 kills/set).
Following the Bulldogs:
Midwestern State will provide free online live stats throughout the weekend via their website, MSUMustangs.com. Links to all four Bulldog matches will be made available through TrumanBulldogs.com on the Volleyball schedule page.
A Check of the All-Time Numbers:
The Bulldog program has had limited interactions with this weekend's set of opponents, but despite what little they've seen, there has been a high amount of success. Truman is 3-0 all-time against Nova-Southeastern, including a 3-0 win last year and a 3-0 win in the 2008 national quarterfinals; 2-0 against Midwestern State; 2-0 against Incarnate Word, and 0-0 against Texas A&M-International.
Coming Out Strong:
The Bulldogs have experienced success from the get-go since the turn of the century, as Truman has posted a 40-4 record in the past 11 season-opening weekends. Two of those losses came to then-eventual national champions, but nine of the victories have come against top-10 squads.
Continuing the Tradition:
Truman has been ranked in the AVCA top-25 coaches' poll every week since the 2000 season, spanning 154 consecutive polls. During that time, the 'Dogs have posted eight 30+ win seasons, a postseason appearance each season, two trips to the national championship match and seven MIAA championships.
The Bulldogs rank 15th in Div. II history in all-time appearances in the top-25 (154) and are tied for ninth all-time for times ranked in the top-10 (97).
Bulldogs Tabbed Third in MIAA:
The Truman volleyball team was picked third in the 2011 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, announced Wednesday, Aug. 3 by the league office.
The Bulldogs earned 65 points in the poll, earning seven third-place votes and a pair of second-place votes. Truman fell in behind preseason favorite Central Missouri (81 points, nine first-place votes) and Washburn (73 points, one first-place vote). Emporia State (50) and Pittsburg State (47) rounded out the top five. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The MIAA will play as a ten-team volleyball league in 2011 following the departure of Nebraska-Omaha in March. The only current league school not competing in volleyball is Lincoln (Mo.).
Chart-Toppers:
Senior Kylie Easlon and juniors Megan Sharpe and Emily Briseno will start the 2011 season with their names on Truman volleyball's career leaders chart and will look to improve their standing throughout the season.
Sharpe is currently on pace to be the top hitter in program history, as she enters the year with a career .339 mark - more than 20 points higher than Allie Cherven's (2006-08) .317. In addition, Sharpe and Briseno share a mark of 0.87 career blocks per set, which has them tied for eighth all-time in program history.
Easlon, a four-year starter and setter as part of Truman's 6-2 system, sits ninth all-time in career assists with 1,297. She is nearly 500 back of Kelsey Wackerman's (2003-06)?mark of 1,788.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered:
When the 'Dogs got ahead, 2-0, in a match last season, it was lights-out for their opponents, as the 'Dogs closed out matches 100% of the time in the ensuing sets. Truman finished 2010 16-0 when getting ahead, 2-0.
Throw it in “Neutral”:
Neutral-site matches proved to be Bulldog opponent kryptonite in 2010, as the purple and white blasted their way to a 10-1 mark, compared to 8-2 at home and 7-5 in true road affairs.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs head to conference-member Southwest Baptist for the “Purple Bash” next Friday & Saturday, Sept. 9-10, in Bolivar, Mo. While there, Truman will face 16th-ranked Minnesota State, Southern Arkansas, Colorado School of Mines and Arkansas-Fort Smith.
The matches against Great American Conference members SAU and UAFS count as in-region matches for the 'Dogs.
