Match Notes
La Salle at No. 17 Dayton – Friday, Nov. 5 – Dayton, Ohio – Frericks Center – 7 p.m. ET
Live Coverage: Stats; Video (Mike Ivcic - play-by-play, Mandy Robbe - analyst) (DaytonFlyers.com)
Promotions: Future Flyers Kids Club Pizza Party before the match. Player autographs after the match.
No. 17 Dayton at Charlotte – Sunday, Nov. 7 – Charlotte, N.C. – Halton Arena – 1 p.m. ET
Live Coverage: Stats, Blog (DaytonFlyers.com)
Noting the Flyers (20-3, 11-0)
Dayton needs one win this weekend to clinch at least a share of its sixth Atlantic 10 regular season title in seven years ... The Flyers remained at No. 17 for the second consecutive week in the latest AVCA Top-25 ... UD owns the sixth-longest winning streak in the country at 15 matches ... UD capped off an undefeated month of October last week (9-0) with wins over Xavier and George Washington ... Senior Lindsay Fletemier was given her 15th career A-10 weekly honor on Tuesday as the league’s Offensive Player of the Week ... Fletemier ranks second in the nation in blocks per set (1.57) ... Dayton leads the A-10 in four categories – hitting percentage (.243), opponent hitting percentage (.123), blocks per set (2.98), and digs per set (17.48) ... Nationally, the Flyers rank fourth in blocks per set, and 15th in digs per set ... Head Coach Kelly Sheffield recently won his 200th career match on Sept. 17 against Santa Clara at the Notre Dame Invitational ... The Flyers have been ranked in the AVCA Top-25 for 14 consecutive weeks.
About La Salle (5-23, 1-11)
On Wednesday the Explorers snapped a 14-match losing streak and won its first conference match in 37 tries against Temple ... La Salle had four players with double-digit kills in the four-set victory over its cross-town rival ... The last La Salle conference win was Sept. 26, 2008 against Rhode Island in five sets ... UD holds a 27-0 all-time record against La Salle ... The Explorer offense runs through sophomore outside hitter Samantha Tulskie, averaging 2.04 kills per set, and sophomore outside hitter Kelly Scanlon with 2.02 kills per set ... La Salle is at the bottom of the conference in hitting percentage (.085), opponent hitting percentage (.218), assists (.9.02 per set), kills (9.70 per set), and blocks (1.08 per set) ... Head Coach Dave Stever is in his ninth season with the Explorers with a 61-194 record.
The Series: Dayton leads, 27-0.
About Charlotte (14-12, 5-6)
The 49ers have one of the top defenses in the conference, ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.166) and blocks per set (2.41) behind Dayton ... Charlotte also ranks second in the A-10 in aces per set (1.48), but the Flyers held the 49ers to just one ace in their last meeting on Oct. 23, 2010, which Dayton won 3-0 at UD Arena ... The 49ers are led by fourth-year Head Coach Chris Redding with a 56-57 record at Charlotte ... Charlotte defeated George Washington and Temple last weekend and has won five of the last seven matches ... Setter Sheri Davis leads the conference in hitting percentage (.464) during conference play ... Kalan Thompson is the 49ers’ top service threat with 0.36 aces per set, second-best in the A-10 ... Sophomore outside hitter Bianca Rouse paces the team with 3.18 kills per set and a total of 325.0 points.
The Series: Dayton leads, 5-1.
Regular Season Title On The Line
With one win this weekend, Dayton will clinch at least a share of the 2010 Atlantic 10 regular season title ... With two wins, the Flyers will clinch sole possession of the regular season crown ... One win and losses from Duquesne, Xavier and Saint Louis, UD would also clinch sole possession ... It would be the Flyers’ eighth Atlantic 10 regular season title since joining the league in 1995 and the sixth title in the last seven years ... Last season UD shared the crown with Saint Louis, both at 14-1 in the A-10 ... The A-10 was split into divisions from 2005-08 (East-West) as UD took home three of the four West Division titles during that period ... Since 1997 only one team has gone undefeated in the A-10 regular season (Saint Louis, 2008) ... Dayton was picked to win the conference in the 2010 A-10 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
In the past seven years, Dayton holds a 77-11 Atlantic 10 record without losing more than two conference matches in a season ... In that stretch UD has won five regular season crowns, five tournament titles, and made six trips to the NCAA Tournament ... The Flyers only remaining non-conference opponent is Ohio on Nov. 26 – after the A-10 Tournament ... The Flyers hold a 22-6 mark in non-conference matches since last season.
Winning Streaks
Dayton is currently on a 15-match winning streak – the sixth-longest in the nation tied with No. 1 Florida ... During the streak, the Flyers have held opponents to a .095 hitting percentage while recording a .266 hitting percentage of its own ... UD’s recent improvement in serving is evident with 76 service aces, averaging 1.46 aces per set ... Dayton is averaging 3.12 blocks per set, compared to opponents’ 1.20 blocks per set ... Four players are hitting over .300 and four players have 100 or more kills in 15 matches ... Lindsay Fletemier is UD’s out-right leader in numbers with 186.5 points, 1.48 blocks per set, .449 hitting percentage with 150 kills and just 17 attacking errors ... Amanda Cowdrey (4.15) and Paige Vargas (4.10) are each averaging more than four digs per set ... 11 matches have been decided in three sets, including all five at home during the winning streak.
UD also holds the fifth-longest home winning streak in the nation with 22 consecutive wins at the Frericks Center or UD Arena ... Dayton finished 14-0 at home in 2009 and are currently 8-0 in 2010... The last home loss was on Nov. 15, 2008 vs. No. 20 Saint Louis.
Home Winning Streaks – NCAA Division I
1. Penn State, 86
2. Cincinnati, 39
3. Central Arkansas, 26
4. Lipscomb, 25
5. Dayton, 22
6. Illinois, 20
7. Tulsa, 19
8 UNI, 18
9. American, 17
10. Michigan, 16
Overall Winning Streaks – NCAA Division I
1. Tulsa, 22
2. Sacred Heart, 19
3. American, 17
4. Northern Iowa, 17
5. Hawai’i, 16
6. Dayton, 15
6. Florida, 15
8. Niagra, 13
9. Colorado State, 11
10. Marquette, 10
10. Texas-San Antonio, 10
Defense Wins Championships
Dayton is the only team in the country to rank in the top 20 in both blocks and digs ... Among 327 NCAA Division I volleyball programs, the Flyers rank fourth in blocks per set (2.98) and 15th in digs per set (17.48) ... UD has two players who average 1.00 or more blocks per set and nearly four players averaging 3.00 digs per set (Jessica Yanz with 2.94 d/s) ... Senior middles Lindsay Fletemier (1.57 b/s) and Becky Novacek (1.22 b/s) rank first and second in the A-10 in blocks per set, respectively ... Sophomore libero Paige Vargas (4.06 d/s) and senior outside hitter Amanda Cowdrey (3.81 d/s) are the only teammates in the A-10 to rank in the top eight in digs per set ... UD leads the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.121) and has held foes to a hitting percentage under .100 in nine matches.
Rising In The Polls
Dayton rose to the top 10 in the NCAA RPI this week with a No. 9 ranking ... The NCAA RPI debuted Dayton at No. 12 ... The Flyers have played four teams in the RPI top 5, including a win over fifth-ranked Northern Iowa ... Dayton remained at No. 17 in the AVCA Top-25 on Monday ... With 537 points, the Flyers received the most points during its current 14 consecutive weeks in the poll, dating back to last season ... The highest Dayton volleyball has been ranked in the AVCA Top-25 is No. 12 during the week of Oct. 15, 2007 ... In other national polls this week, RichKern.com places the Flyers at No. 15 for the fourth consecutive week and Volleyball Magazine puts UD at No. 16 for the second straight week.
Academic Successes
Senior Becky Novacek was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America All-District Second Team, while junior Yvonne Marten was named Third Team on Thursday ... Novacek holds a 3.88 GPA as a business major and Marten is a pre-medicine emphasis with a 3.80 GPA ...The pair are the first UD players to be named on any Academic All-District IV team since 2004 ... District IV includes all universities in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama.
The newest NCAA Graduate Success Rate (GSR) numbers were released on Oct. 26 and Dayton volleyball reported a perfect score of 100 percent of all student-athletes who started playing volleyball for UD in 2003 having graduated ... Flyer volleyball was also recognized for the third straight season with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award ... Finishing the season No. 25 in the AVCA poll, UD is one of just three nationally-ranked teams to earn the award this season (Oregon, Stanford) ... The Flyers reported a 3.37 team GPA in the 2009-10 school year ... UD volleyball also scored a perfect single-year APR score (1000) in 2008-09, which was released in the Spring by the NCAA.
Fletemier Moving Up
More than mid-way through her fourth season in the Red and Blue, two-time All-American Lindsay Fletemier is approaching a handful of career records at Dayton ... Fletemier is currently second on the career block-assists list with 451 ... Fletemier entered the year fourth on the all-time block-assist list with 336 and has passed Sheila Kreim (1994-97) and Katie Ferriell (1998-01) this season ... Fletemier holds the second-best career hitting percentage with an improved .369 rate through 23 matches this season ... Fletemier also entered the season second in hitting percentage behind Faye Barhorst (2003-06) ... The Garden City, Mich., native also broke into UD’s career kills list this season, currently in fourth with 1,431 ... Last weekend Fletemier passed Sierra Ashley (1997-00) for fourth place; the next number to catch is Cathy Wojciechowski’s (1990-93) at 1,645 kills.
Fletemier ranks second in NCAA Division I in blocks per set (1.57) ... She has had at least one block in 71 consecutive matches played and holds a comfortable A-10 lead in blocks with 121.0 total ... Last season Fletemier finished the season ranked 35th in the nation in blocks per set (1.25) and 11th in hitting percentage (.389), gaining Third Team AVCA All-America honors ... Teammate and fellow senior Becky Novacek currently leads the A-10 in blocks per set during conference play with 1.46 – 51.0 total.
Accurate Acers
Freshman Allyson Morey leads the Atlantic 10 in aces per set (0.49) during conference play (third overall) going into the weekend ... Morey, who leads the team in sets played coming off the bench, has 28 aces and just 11 service errors ... Senior Amanda Cowdrey averages 0.31 aces per set with 25 aces and 17 service errors ... As a team the Flyers hold the third-best service aces-to-errors ratio in the conference with total of 95 aces and 117 errors ... Duquesne (97:87) has the only positive ratio in the A-10, followed by George Washington (132:160) in second.
Dayton Atlantic 10 Players of the Week
Nov. 2 – Offensive Player of the Week
Fletemier totaled 24 kills on a .385 hitting percentage with eight blocks in wins over second-place Xavier and George Washington to earn her 15th career Atlantic 10 weekly award and third offensive ... Opened the weekend by leading UD to a three-set win over Xavier at home with 12 kills on a .345 hitting percentage ... With 12 kills on 23 swings (.435 hitting percentage) at George Washington on Sunday Fletemier recorded double-digit kills for the fifth consecutive match – the longest streak of any Flyer this season.
Sept. 28 – Offensive Player of the Week
Second consecutive Offensive POW honor ... 2.75 kills per set on a .457 hitting percentage on the weekend against Saint Louis and Duquesne ... Six blocks, 12 kills, no attacking errors, and a .545 hitting percentage in a five-set win at SLU ... 10 kills, .375 hitting percentage, six blocks, 16 points in a three-set win at Duquesne.
Sept. 21 – Offensive Player of the Week
MVP of the Notre Dame Invitational with 37 kills and 22 blocks in the Flyers’ three wins over Santa Clara, Delaware and Notre Dame ... Only recorded five attacking errors in 68 swings for a .471 hitting percentage ... In five-sets with Santa Clara, recorded her first double-double of the season with 17 kills and 11 blocks ... 13 kills, no attacking errors and six blocks to help sweep Delaware ... Seven kills and five blocks to sweep host Notre Dame.
Sept. 7 – Defensive Player of the Week
Diet Coke Classic (Minnesota) All-Tournament Team selection after totaling 20 blocks and 28 kills in three matches ... Registered nine blocks to hold No. 22 Northern Iowa to a .166 hitting percentage in a five-set victory ... Helped hold Baylor to a .096 hitting percentage in the Flyers’ four-set win with six blocks and nine kills ... Tallied 11 kills and five blocks against No. 8 Minnesota.
Oct. 26 – Offensive Player of the Week
Led UD to a combined .336 hitting percentage with 75 assists in a pair of 3-0 victories over George Washington and Charlotte ... Outgained its opponents in kills 100-60 ... Tied a three-set season-high of 40 assists against George Washington, while propelling UD to a team season-best .427 hitting percentage ... Added four kills (.667 attack percentage) and eight digs versus the Colonials ... Closed out the weekend with her 11th double-double of the season with 35 assists and 11 digs in three sets against Charlotte, while registering four blocks.
Sept. 28 – Defensive Player of the Week
Earned her first Atlantic 10 weekly award after averaging 6.00 digs per set and totaling 48 in two matches ... Cowdrey tied her career-high of 27 digs in a five-set win over Saint Louis on Sept. 24 ... Added 12 kills and three blocks against the Billikens, helping the Flyers defeat SLU for the first time on the road since 2007 ... Cowdrey went on to record a three-set team season-high of 21 digs in a 3-0 sweep of Duquesne ... Behind Cowdrey’s defensive efforts, Dayton limited Saint Louis and Duquesne to mere .166 and .055 hitting percentages, respectively.
2010 NCAA Volleyball Regional Tickets Available
Dayton will be one of four hosts during the 2010 NCAA Tournament Regionals on Dec. 10-11 at the University of Dayton Arena ... Tickets are now available for purchase by visiting the UD Arena Ticket Office or by phone at 937-229-4433 ... Other Regional sites include Austin (Texas), Seattle (Washington), and University Park (Penn State) ... The National Semifinals and Final will be held at Kansas City’s Sprint Center ... The Flyers hosted Charlotte in UD Arena on Oct. 23 as a precursor to the Regional – the NCAA requires the host school to play at least one home match at the Regional site during the regular season ... The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be Sunday, Nov. 28 on ESPNEWS at 3 p.m. ET ... Dayton volleyball has hosted the First and Second Rounds at the Frericks Center in two of the last three years.
Sheffield Wins 200th Career Match
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield won his 200th career match at the Notre Dame Invitational against Santa Clara on Sept. 17 ... Sheffield began the season with 193 wins and now holds a 206-99 record in his 10th season as a head coach ... In his third year at UD, Sheffield became the quickest head coach in program history to reach 50 wins in the modern scheduling format, going 51-17 in his first two seasons ... Sheffield spent seven years building the program at Albany, compiling 142 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances ... Sheffield and wife Cathy recently gave birth to their first child, Alexa Grace, on Sept. 28, 2010.
Top 25 Tour
Dayton has faced four top 25 opponents – including three in the top 10 – during its non-conference slate ... The Ameritas Players Challenge featured three teams ranked in the AVCA Top-25: No. 3 Illinois, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 20 Dayton ... The Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis, Minn., also featured three ranked teams: No. 8 Minnesota, No. 20 Dayton, and No. 22 Northern Iowa ... The Flyers hold a 1-3 record against ranked opponents this season, defeating Northern Iowa on Sept. 3.
Novacek a Finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award
Senior Becky Novacek was selected as one of thirty NCAA women’s volleyball student-athletes to be a candidate for the first-ever Lowe’s Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School)Award for volleyball ... To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition ... Novacek is a 2009 First Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection ... The accounting major has earned Dayton’s Presidential Scholarship and has been listed on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll while helping UD to five A-10 regular season and tournament titles, three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and two 30-win seasons.
In Memoriam: Kacie Hausfeld
A number 14 patch is adorned on the Flyers’ jerseys this season in memoriam of late teammate Kacie Hausfeld who tragically passed away last spring in a plane crash with her father, Tom ... Hausfeld, known her leadership and influential personality, would have been a senior ... For three seasons she excelled in the program as a setter, starting in the last two with 7.00 assists per set and 51 aces ... Kacie is survived by her mother Lori and sister Ali.
Returning Champs – Predicted Champs
With five starters returning from last season’s Atlantic 10 Championship team UD has been picked to win the A-10 title again in 2010 ... The Flyers were the regular season co-champs with Saint Louis, and the tournament champs after edging SLU in five sets at the Frericks Center ... The Flyers return two all-conference selections Lindsay Fletemier and Becky Novacek, A-10 Tournament MVP Amanda Cowdrey, and All-Rookie Team selection Rachel Krabacher ... Additionally, the Flyers add highly-touted recruit and Nebraska transfer Jessica Yanz to the setter position.
