Volleyball GLVC Notes: Truman Takes Top Seed to East Peoria

Truman Volleyball Postseason Notes (Bracket)

Match 29 (LIVE STATS/VIDEO - #GLVCSN):
W1 Truman (25-3, 17-1 GLVC) vs. E4 Southern Indiana (19-10, 9-9 GLVC)

Date: Thursday, November 13, 2014 (7:30 p.m.)
Location: East Peoria, Illinois (EastSide Centre)
Series Record: Truman leads, 7-1
Briney vs. USI: 3-1 (+4 set differential)
Last Meeting: Truman won, 3-0, on Oct. 26, 2014 (Evansville, Ind.)

Social Media: @TrumanAthletics || #TSUvsUSI || @TrumanVB
Truman Links: 2014 Schedule || 2014 Statistics

Opening Serve:
The Truman State University volleyball team kicks off postseason play this Thursday night, as the Bulldogs take the Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division No. 1 seed to East Peoria, Ill., for a 7:30 p.m. quarterfinal showdown with the University of Southern Indiana.

The Bulldogs (25-3, 17-1 GLVC) were the winningest GLVC team throughout the regular season; however, the purple and white will need a three-match winning streak this weekend in order to capture the program's first GLVC Championship title. This season marks the second attempt for the Bulldogs since the team's conference change prior to the 2013 campaign, in which Truman advanced to the GLVC Championship Tournament title match before falling to Indianapolis, 3-1, last November.

Last weekend, Truman righted the ship after a brief hiccup the Sunday prior, as the Bulldogs defeated both Maryville (3-0) and Missouri-St. Louis (3-1) at home.

Thursday night will mark the second time the Bulldogs and Screaming Eagles have met in the GLVC quarterfinals, with Truman defeating USI, 3-1, in last season's postseason matchup. This year, the teams have met once, with Truman picking up a 3-0 sweep of the Screaming Eagles in Evansville on Oct. 26. Abby Heise and Allie Brak each recorded a dozen kills, while both Meghan Zimmerman and Abby Moser finished with a team-high 17 digs.

On the season, Truman is hitting .240 as a squad, while holding opponents to just a .149 mark. The Bulldogs are also on pace to break the program record for aces per set, averaging 1.44 in each of the 100 sets played so far this season. The squad is also looking to snap the program's digs per set record, as the team currently is averaging 19.23 digs per frame next to 2.20 blocks per set.

Despite boasting a balanced offensive attack this year, the Bulldogs have relied heavily on their two starting outside hitters, as Brak (3.63 kills/set) and Bastian (3.46 kills/set) have been on tune throughout much of the season. The tandem has also combined for more than six digs per set on the defensive end.

Meanwhile, junior Ali Patterson (2.36 kills, 1.32 blocks) and Heise (2.40 kills, 0.74 blocks) have stood tall at the net all season, with junior Emilee Walters adding 0.74 blocks per set of her own.

Zimmerman has been the engine for the offense, as he 10.87 assists per set rank fourth in the GLVC, while she is also adding 3.54 digs per frame. Moser is back above the five digs per set line on the year, checking in with 501 total digs in 100 sets of action.

The Bulldogs are coached by Ben Briney, who has a 144-57 record in now his sixth season at the helm.

Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman volleyball is available online at TrumanBulldogs.com, including results, upcoming match information and weekly updates.

When available, links to free online live stats are added to the Bulldog volleyball schedule page as well as the top of each weekly update.

Keep up with the Bulldogs by tracking in-match updates (when available). Follow Truman Athletics on Twitter (@TrumanAthletics). Also be sure to sign up for Text Caster and Newsletter updates on the TrumanBulldogs.com homepage.

GLVC Tournament Preview & History:
The top eight teams will compete for the 2014 GLVC Championship this Thursday through Saturday at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill. In addition to winning the title, the GLVC Championship Tournament winner will receive the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Championship.

The top-three teams from the East (Indianapolis, Lewis, McKendree) and West (Truman, Rockhurst, Missouri S&T) Divisions, and two wild cards (Missouri-St. Louis, Southern Indiana) make up the eight-team field. The single-elimination tournament consists of four first-round matches on Thursday, followed by two semifinal games on Friday evening, and the championship match on Saturday afternoon.

The past two seasons, it's paid to be the No. 2 seed from a division, as No. 2W Rockhurst defeated No. 2E Lewis in 2012 in front of No. 2E Indianapolis returning the favor on No. 2W Truman last year.

Lewis leads the current conference contingent with eight titles, followed by UIndy's five and then Southern Indiana with two.

Opponent Quick Glance:
Southern Indiana
The Screaming Eagles enter the GLVC tournament as the No. 4 seed from the East Division after posting a 19-10 overall (9-9 GLVC) mark during the regular season. Since October 8, the squad has been relatively hot, winning 11 of 15 contests. One of those losses during that stretch was to Truman, however, on Oct. 26 in the team's final home match of the year.

USI is hitting .201 on the season while allowing its opponents to hit at just a .145 mark. Fawn Ryan (3.35 k/s), Lauren DeShaney (2.80 k/s), and Abbey Winter (2.61 k/s) have been the three go-to's with the USI attack, while Jessica Lee is averaging 3.88 digs per set on the back line.

Leah Mercer is in her 10^th season at the helm of the USI program and has a 184-125 career record.

Regional Poll Due Late Wednesday:
The Bulldogs once again sat first in the second (of three) installments of the 2014 Midwest regional poll, announced last Wednesday (Nov. 5) by the Regional Advisory Committee. Truman led No. 2 Grand Valley State and No. 3 Rockhurst at the top of the ten-team poll. The top eight teams combining to come out of the GLVC, GLIAC and GMAC leagues will qualify for the NCAA Div. II tournament.

The GLVC and GLIAC both receive an automatic bid for their conference champions.

The third regional poll is due to be released late Wednesday (Nov. 12) afternoon, with tournament selections coming on Sunday (Nov. 16) evening at 9 p.m. (CT).

'Dogs Hanging on in AVCA Coaches' Poll:
The Nov. 9 version of the AVCA top-25 coaches' poll moved the Bulldogs back one spot to No. 25, despite the squad posting a 2-0 record last week. Truman is the only GLVC squad in the top-25, while region-mates Grand Valley State (No. 16) and Ferris State (No. 22) join the Bulldogs in the poll.

As a program, Truman has now been in the top-25 178 total times, which is 15^th-place all-time in Division II for total weeks ranked.

'Dogs Listed Amongst Nation's Elite:
Three Bulldogs find themselves individually in the top-30 of different national leaderboards entering conference tournament week across the country.

Junior Ali Patterson ranks 5^th in Div. II (1^st in GLVC) in blocks per set at 1.32, while sophomore Kayla Bastian ranks 26^th in attacks per set (11.19). Senior Meghan Zimmerman is 29^th in the nation in assists per set at 10.87.

Meanwhile, all three Bulldog seniors are among the nation's active career leaders in a variety of charts, as senior Allie Brak ranks sixth of all active Div. II players in career kills (1,468). Senior specialists Zimmerman (491) and Moser (488) are 5^th and 7^th respectively in active career sets played, with Zimmerman ranking 5^th among active Div. II players in career assists and Moser sitting 6^th in career digs (2,314).

Up Next:
Should the Bulldogs defeat USI in the GLVC tournament opening round, the squad would face either Lewis or Missouri S&T at 5:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 14) evening. The championship match is set for 12 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 15) afternoon.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Bulldogs on twitter (www.twitter.com/TrumanAthletics) or via the official athletics website (www.trumanbulldogs.com) for the latest information regarding the conference tournament and national post-season selections.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Kayla Bastian: OH; 5' 10"; Sophomore; Fond du Lac Fusion

#14 Allie Brak: OH; 5' 11"; Senior; TVA

#8 Abby Heise: OPP; 6' 2"; Junior; Jacksonville Networks

#3 Abby Moser: L; 5' 5"; Senior; Rockwood Thunder

#9 Ali Patterson: MH; 6' 2"; Junior; Invasion

#11 Emilee Walters: MH; 6' 2"; Junior; Capital Volleyball Academy

#15 Meghan Zimmerman: S; 5' 9"; Senior; Premier Volleyball

Players Mentioned

#12 Kayla Bastian
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; Fond du Lac Fusion
: OH

#14 Allie Brak
: 5' 11"; Senior; TVA
: OH

#8 Abby Heise
: 6' 2"; Junior; Jacksonville Networks
: OPP

#3 Abby Moser
: 5' 5"; Senior; Rockwood Thunder
: L

#9 Ali Patterson
: 6' 2"; Junior; Invasion
: MH

#11 Emilee Walters
: 6' 2"; Junior; Capital Volleyball Academy
: MH

#15 Meghan Zimmerman
: 5' 9"; Senior; Premier Volleyball
: S