|
Women's Volleyball ends last three matches with
losses, but ready to build in 2005 (November 2nd, 5th and
6th,
2004)
The first of the three matches saw ERAU match up against
Glendale Community College. This 5-game volleyball match
that left everyone in attendance clamoring
for more
volleyball.
This
was the
final
home match
of the 2004 season and the last home opportunity for our graduating
seniors to shine as Eagles. And shine they did…all
three seniors, Sara Benko, Angela Ferretti, and Kimberly
Miller gave enviable athletic performances on this very special
night. It was, in large part, their performances that led to
some of the best volleyball that the ERAU Women’s Volleyball
team has EVER played.
Sara Benko, a senior led the team in kills – 20 on
31 attempts with only 8 errors. As an offensive
contributor, Sara was firing on all cylinders posting a hitting
% of .387. Topping off a very strong offensive night
she posted a 91% serving efficiency, serve received 29 balls
and tallied a total of 24 digs (3rd on the night). Other top
performers for the night were Susie Mongeon and Teri-Ann
Thompson. Despite the lose, the Eagles were proud of the
performance.
The second match saw the Eagles face CAL PAC powerhouse
Notre Dame de Namur in a 4 game fight for victory. The Eagles
held tight and managed to take it to four before losing the
match. Karly Oakley, a sophomore posted 19 kills on 33 attempts
with only 1 hitting error. Led the team in number of
kills on the night along with hitting % at.545. She also
tallied 5 digs. Another standout for the Eagles was Lauren
Nouis, a sophomore who posted 9
kills on 21 attempts with only 3 errors and was 2nd on the
night in hitting % at .286. She
also tallied 3 digs. Again, the Eagles walked away with valuable
lessons that they would use in their final match of the season
against Holy Names University.
The match against Holy Names would be the last one of the
2004 season for the ERAU Eagles. From the big wins to the
losses, the Eagles had grown and developed and were ready
to face this powerhouse. The Eagles came out fighting and
won game one 30-24, but were not able to hold on to the match
victory as HNU walked away with the win in four. The highlight
of the night was the final performance from senior Sara Benko
who posted 16 kills on 54 attempts with 9 errors, leading
the team in
kills on the night. She also carried the 2nd highest hitting
% that night with a .130. And rocked the defense for ERAU
by posting an astonishing 27 digs (2nd) against this
NAIA opponent. Finally, led the team with 36 pass attempts.
"A well fought 4-game match by both teams, " said Coach
Meyer after the game. "Final results could have easily gone
the other way given the way
each team
competed. While the loss is tough to take, we ended the
season having played competitively and with plenty to build
from and leave me excited with." The Eagles will take this
season and all the lessons and continue to build for the
future.
Women's Volleyball travels to Phoenix for two matches
(October 23rd, 2004)
The Eagles traveled down to Phoenix to play against Ashland
College and host, Grand Canyon University. After coming off
a huge victory against Southwestern College, the Eagles were
ready to continue progressing on their season. However, it
was two outstanding NCAA Division II programs, Ashland and
Grand Canyon who proved victorious when the day was concluded.
The day began with a match against Ashland, that although
did not result in a win, proved to highlight some stellar
performances from Teri-Ann Thompson, Susie Mongeon, Sara
Benko, Zoe Arsenych and Kim Miller. Thompson, posted
four kills on seven attempts, Mongeon with seven kills on
twenty-one attempts and Benko with ten kills on thirty-three
attempts. And adding some spark to the offense was senior
setter Kim Miller with nineteen set assists from eight incredible
digs from freshman Libero Zoe Arsenych.
All in all, the Eagles
were proud of their performance, "This match was a showcase
for the kind of positively intense practices, which have
been going on in our home gym. As a result, I am very encouraged
and look forward to continuing to build off of the team’s
practice environment enthusiasm and intensity," stated Coach
Meyer after the game.
Unfortunately things began to fall apart later that day
as the Eagles faced Grand Canyon. "Generally speaking, our
team passing made it very difficult to run a tremendously
effective offense," stated Coach Meyer of her teams performance
that afternoon. It is these costly errors that seem to be
a problem for the young Eagle squad.
However, there are some players who deserve to be recognized
for their effort in this match. Even in this losing effort,
players like Susie Mongeon, Zoe Arsenych and Kim Miller managed
to make a difference. It was Mongeon with six kills and a
tying seven digs that allowed the Eagles to remain close
in the match. Tying Mongeon with digs was senior Kim Miller,
who posted seven digs and fifteen assists on the night. Finally,
it was the freshman libero, Zoe Arsenych that kept the ball
moving with her eight digs and overall powerful defensive
play.
The Eagles will travel to New Mexico this weekend to face
the College of the Southwest and University of Texas at Permian
Basin.
Eagles Volleyball hammers Southwestern
College in three, second
time this
season
(October 19th,
2004)
The Eagles came out to play on October 19th against interstate
rival Southwestern College, even after two full weeks off
of competition. The team looked fresh both on offense and
defense, as they began the first game coming out to a huge
10-3 lead, with three aces and a handful of extremely athletic
kills. It was obvious to the full house of fans that the
Eagles had been working hard in practice and were definitely
implementing many of these tactics against Southwestern.
The powerful team managed to extend the lead to 16-7, even
through the fight of Southwestern College and the digs from
#8 Julia Rice. After cleaning up a few mistakes, the Eagles
regained control of the match and finished off Southwestern
30-14, with many of the Eagle’s points coming off aces
(7) and other serves that forced errors from their opponent.
Game two began with a serve from Kim Miller that lead to
a quality rally from both teams, but ended with an error
from Southwestern giving the Eagles the first point of the
game.
Following kills by Susie Mongeon, Kim Miller, Sara Benko,
Kensie Oakley and another one by Mongeon, the Eagles pushed
the lead to 13-4, forcing SWC to take a much needed momentum-breaking
timeout. The timeout proved to be fruitless as the Eagles
continued scoring first off three consecutive aces and then
another point from Teri-Ann Thompson to take the score to
18-5. The play continued with domination from the Eagles,
but it was SWC that lingered in the game with solid, hard
work, especially from the play of setter Julia Rice. However,
the power of Eagles was too much and game two ended with
the
final score of 30-10.
Without a break for a halftime, the action resumed immediately
with a kill by Lauren Nouis, lifting the Eagles to a 1-0
lead. However, for the fist time all night SWC managed to
even the score at 1-1, but not for long as Susie Mongeon
hammered one to the floor exciting the crowd. The Eagles
took the score to 11-4 with some powerful kills and some
great all around team plays. SWC managed to bring the score
within 7, but the Eagles soon regained control and finally
finished the game and the match, 30-23. Kudos to SWC for
a great third game taking the Eagles close to the limit.
Come catch the Eagles in their next home action against
cross town rivals Yavapai College, which will prove to be
a heated and intense match. The match will be played in the
Activity Center of ERAU on October 25th at 7:00 pm.
Eagles face WNMU for second time, look to improve
(September 11th, 2004)
Game one began with a strong rally from both teams as they
felt each other out with the various lineup changes from
the pervious match. The Eagles, who changed a few positions
and personnel began the match with a renewed confidence and
looked strong. With a quick kill by Sara Benko, the Eagles
took an early lead 5-4. But again, the Mustangs regained
control and brought the score to 6-9, but the Eagles kept
focused, not allowing the visitors to run away with the game.
Coach Meyer took a timeout with the score line at 8-14, Mustangs
to talk it over and slow down the renewed Mustang drive.
The Eagles fought for every point, but eventually the speed
of the Mustangs play was too much and game one ended, 18-30.
Game two began with the Eagle serve from setter, Kim Miller
and the Eagles took an early 1-0 lead. After some incredible
digs and back and forth play, the Mustangs started to pull
away. With a kill by Teri-Ann Thompson, the Eagles managed
to slow down the Mustang momentum and bring the score to
3-8, Mustangs. After a surge by the Mustangs, the score moved
to 9-22 and it looked as if the visitors were in control
of the game. With a mistake by the Mustangs setter, the Eagles
regained the serve and brought the score to 11-24. A kill
by Susie Wells, brought the score to 12-27 and the Eagles
continued to fight to stay in the game. But, again the Mustangs
were too powerful and the game ended 15-30.
Despite losing the first two games, the Eagles remained
focused and eager to improve upon their previous mistakes.
With numerous unforced errors, the Eagles allowed the Mustangs
to take control of the games. So in game three, the Eagles
looked to rectify those mistakes. At 3-10 Mustangs, Coach
Meyer took a timeout to refocus the Eagles and encouraged
them to fight, “It’s time to take these mistakes
personally; step up and change it,” infused Coach Meyer.
And fight they did, with a huge kill by Susie Wells, one
a few plays later by Kensie Oakley and an ace serve from
Sara Benko the Eagles got within three points of the Mustangs,
bringing the score to 14-17. With points going back and forth,
kills from Wells, Miller and Nouis the Eagles kept the game
very close at 18-23. However, it was again a string of unforced
errors that allowed the Mustangs to increase their lead to
18-26. Meyer again sought the timeout to stop the Mustang
momentum. And again, it worked, with the Eagles earning the
first point after the minute break. With a kill by Benko
the Eagles managed to keep the Mustangs from winning the
match and brought the score to 21-29, but again the Mustangs
speed, power and height proved too much and the visitors
won game three and the match, but not without a great fight
from the Eagles.
The Eagles will play again on Friday the 17th of September
and Saturday the 18th of September at the Valley of the Sun
Tournament in Phoenix, AZ. Their next home action will be
the Alumni game on Friday, October 1st at 7:00 pm.
Eagle Volleyball takes on Division II powerhouse
Western New Mexico State University, loses
in three. (September 10th, 2004)
The Eagles began a very heated match with kills by Susie
Wells and Sara Benko forcing WNMU to take a time out to talk
it over. In front of a 100 loud, painted and raucous fans,
the Eagles managed to withstand a Mustang surge to stay close
throughout the first game. With a kill by Benko, the score
line moved to 9-15 Mustangs and the Eagles had a renewed
fire. A quick set by setter, Kim Miller for a point moved
the score to 12-15 Mustangs. A continuous rally kept the
score close as it was back and forth for the majority of
the game. It was not until late in the game that the Mustangs
took control and a well fought game ended 20-30, Mustangs.
Game 2 began with a kill from the Mustangs, but was quickly
answered by the Eagles. Benko tied the game with her fifth
kill of the night, taking the score to 2-2. The Eagles took
a timeout with the score at 2-8 to talk it over and slow
down the momentum of the Mustangs. With two back-to-back
kills from Susie Wells, the Eagles regained some of the momentum
and forced the Mustangs to step it up. The Mustangs stepped
up to the challenge and took the score to 6-26 Mustangs.
The Eagles held on earning points from quality defense and
managed to bring the score to 8-30 before succumbing to the
power of the Mustang offense.
After a halftime of fun, games and promotions, the action
resumed with the service beginning with the Mustangs. The
Eagles came out fired up, scoring the first 2 points of the
game. The Mustangs managed to fight through and brought the
score to 5-10, but a kill by Susie Wells, her sixth of the
game, quieted their rush. The Mustangs regained control and
brought the score to 9-20, but it was again the Eagles who
keep fighting and with a kill by Benko, the Eagles fire was
re-ignited. It was defense and some incredible digging that
kept the Eagles in game 3. Unfortunately, the power of the
Mustangs was too much and game three ended at 15–30,
also ending the match.
These two teams will face each other again at 2:00 pm at
the Activity Center on Saturday, September 10th.
Eagles travel to the Midwest, gain valuable experience(September
3rd-4th, 2004)
The Embry-Riddle Volleyball Team traveled
to Grand Rapids, Michigan over the Labor Day weekend
to compete in the Cornerstone University "Cornerstone Classic Volleyball
Tournament." The Eagles entered the tournament with
a 2-2 record, coming off of a very successful home tournament
during orientation weekend.
Tournament matches began on Friday, September 3rd when
the Eagles competed with Bethel University (#5, Region
VIII)
and tournament host, Cornerstone University (#1, Region
VIII). The Eagles ended the day 0-2. "The match against Bethel
University could have, in reality, gone either way. The team
competed well, but the difference in this match came down
to who made the positive plays at the critical times." Final
scores for ERAU were 24-30, 27-30, 29-31.
The match against Cornerstone University was a completely
different scenario. Cornerstone is a solid team, athletically. "Had
the Eagles passed better, we could have created more opportunities
for ourselves. However, a breakdown in this fundamental skill
really eliminated our chances of making this much of a match." Final
scores for ERAU were 9-30, 11-30, 7-30.
Saturday matches started at 11:00 EST and right away,
the Eagles faced nationally ranked Walsh University
(#1, Region
IX/X). "The final game scores in this match aren't reflective
of the way the Eagles played on this particular morning against
this particular team. As a coach, I was impressed with my
team's on court efforts. Each athlete positively contributed
in this match. The team visibly worked at implementing our
defensive system, while offensively, we were firing on more
cylinders than we had since our home tournament." Final
scores for ERAU were 14-30, 21-30, 17-30.
Our final match of the tournament saw the Eagles paired
up against Waldorf University (#5, Region VII). "A match
that, like the one against Bethel University, I truly believed
that we could win." "However, it just wasn't in
the cards." Final scores for ERAU were 23-30,
16-30, 26-30.
In the end, as I review the results of our tournament
performance, I am again encouraged by the positives
and believe that
with continued system training, this 2004 squad will
be one of the most successful in ERAU's history.
Eagles Host Tournament, Defeat ERAU-Daytona
Beach (August 27th, 28th)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University opened
the season over the weekend by splitting four matches at
its own Eagle Volleyball Kickoff.
The Eagles got off to an impressive start on Friday with
marathon victories over Westminster (Utah) and Embry-Riddle
(Fla.). It was at this match that the Athletic Center was
packed to maximum capacity with cheering fans. The Eagles
managed to come back and fight through fatigue to win
the fifth game in a powerful fashion. The night was a huge
success
as the Eagles bested their sister school in front of 300
plus fans. However, the intensity of Friday night left the
Eagles a bit tired and the team struggled on day two
with losses to College of the
Southwest
(N.M.)
and
Hope
International
(Calif.).
“I’ll take that as a starting point,” ERAU
coach Katrina Meyer said. “I think we’re looking
very strong with a solid group coming in this year. I’m
excited for the times ahead.”
The Eagles opened the tournament Friday against Westminster,
an NAIA school out of Salt Lake City. Embry-Riddle took a
victory of 29-31, 30-15, 23-30, 30-21 and 15-12. To end the
night, the locals downed their sister school from Daytona
Beach, Fla., “for a little revenge” as Meyer
put it, 30-18, 30-26, 27-30, 17-30 and 15-9.
Meyer said the team played with a lot of emotion on the
first night, with competition running well past 10 p.m. In
Saturday’s matches, the Eagles fell to College of the
Southwest out of Hobbs, N.M., 31-29, 30-20 and 30-19. ERAU
then dropped its final match to Hope out of Fullerton, Calif.,
30-23, 30-20 and 30-14.
The Eagles (2-2) will head to the Cornerstone Classic in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday to face Cornerstone University,
Walsh University and Waldorf College.
2004 RECRUITING CLASS NAMED Recruiting for the 2004 women's
volleyball season is complete. Head Coach Katrina Meyer, heading
into her 5th season with the start of the 2004 schedule, announces
the names of the 5 newest Eagles.
"Recruiting student-athletes is, unarguably, a demanding
and unique process for every coach at every institution that
supports intercollegiate athletics. This element of our chosen
career is continual and seems to weave itself into any moment
of any day of any week of the year." "I find recruiting
to be one of the most rewarding requirements of what I do.
I enjoy people and competition and both are prevalent in recruiting."
"If I have identified the correct candidate for both
academics and athletics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
then 4 or 5 years into the future, after hours of hard work
and success, in the gym and in the classroom, I will watch
as a confident, competent, driven, and prepared young woman
walks across a stage to collect her diploma…ready to
succeed at whatever her tomorrow has to offer."
"I am proud to announce the Fall 2004 newcomers to the
campus and Prescott communities." "Each of these
young student-athletes will add a necessary ingredient to
the recipe for on- and off-court success of the Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University Women's Volleyball Team."
Alekzandra "Zoe" Arsenych. Zoe,
a 5'6" Defensive Specialist/Libero, will enter ERAU
as a candidate for a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. She
is a native Californian, born in Redondo Beach and raised
in El Dorado county where she began volleyball training as
a 2nd grader. At the age of 18, Zoe's resume already posts
10 years of playing, training, and coaching volleyball. Without
hesitation, Zoe has stated "...I am destine to play volleyball."
Outside of the volleyball venue, Zoe enjoys horseback riding.
Receiving an AE degree from ERAU "would open up many
doors to work for NASA." Zoe's ambitions at NASA include
acceptance into the Astronaut Candidate Program so that she
might work on the International Space Station Freedom or
work
on the Space Shuttle during flight operations.
Alana Greenwalt. Alana,
a 5'5" Defensive Specialist/Libero, will enter
ERAU as a candidate for a degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
Alana began her experience with sports, indoor and outdoor,
very early in life - basketball, softball, volleyball, cross
country and downhill skiing, along with knee boarding and
wake boarding.
Alana's resume boasts a tremendous amount of leadership and
community service experience. She actively participates in
her Parish (Brendan Leadership Team member), been voted captain
of several of the sports teams of which she has been a member,
and has regularly devoted time to assisting poor and needy
families. Alana has twice participated in mock mission simulation
at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington
and when asked about her career goals and expectations from
ERAU, she responded with "I would like to eventually
obtain my masters in either aerospace or materials engineering...to
work for NASA designing and researching material to build
spacecraft."
Bridget Kirckof. Bridget is a 5'10" Outside Hitter and will enter ERAU
as a candidate for a degree in Aeronautical Science. Born
and raised in Minnesota, Bridget boasts success as a high
school multi-sport athlete (Volleyball - 3 years All-Conference
recognition, Basketball - All-Conference recognition, rebound
leader, and hustle award winner, and Track - varsity since
7th grade and All-Conference recognition) who "takes
sports very seriously." Outside of these sporting venues,
Bridget participates as a member of her student council and
band, teaches Sunday School, and assumes the Treasurer and
Secretarial duties of her youth group. Bridget has "always
wanted to be a pilot (the biggest goal she has for herself)."
With a degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Bridget
hopes to "open the doors for…a career in aviation."
Karly Oakley. Karly
is a 6'0" Middle Hitter who is transferring to
ERAU as a candidate for a degree in Aeronautical Science.
A transfer student-athlete from Bethany College (NAIA, Region
2, Cal. Pac. Conference), the culmination of the 2003-2004
year will close one chapter of Karly's academic and athletic
pursuits while another opens. Also a multi-sport athlete,
Karly has been playing volleyball since she was a freshman
in high school and was bestowed the honor of team captain
as a junior and senior. Leadership and community service are
not strangers to Karly, in fact she "views being an older
sister as a huge leadership role…because she know[s]
that her younger sister looks up to her and she strives to
be someone that [she] can model [herself] after." Prescott
should be a cozy fit for Karly since she loves to hike, mountain
bike, and camp. Upon graduation from ERAU, Karly says that
she'd like "more than anything to be a fighter pilot
for the Air Force…serve…country" and/or become
a "commercial pilot." Further, she expects that
raining from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will give
her "the confidence and skills needed to do anything
she could ever dream of doing with her life."
Kensie Oakley. Kensie
is a 5'9 Outside/Opposite Hitter and will enter ERAU as a
candidate for a degree in Global Securities Intelligence
Systems. Graduating from Fallbrook Union High School in Fallbrook,
California, Kensie has been pursuing the sport of volleyball
for 5 years and is currently an active member of the Hard
Rock Volleyball Club 18-Tom team. Kensie pursues other passions
outside of the sporting venue to which she devotes a great
deal of time… singing, digital photo restoration, and
community service. Kensie was recently selected to tour with
the ACDA National Women's Honor Choir (directed by Polly Vasche)
and is currently a member of the Madrigals singing group at
Fallbrook High. It is also exciting that Kensie has delved
herself into work with the National Charity League for the
past 3 years, the Fallbrook Community Center's 'Wee Care Program',
and the New Haven Boys Home. While Kensie, like so many young
people, continues to mold the answer to the question 'what
do you want to be when you grow up,' she is confident that
receiving her Bachelor's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University will enable her to "approach a career with
a wide variety of choices and, therefore, find one that she
loves."
|
