2013 SCAC Volleyball Tournament - Preview

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Three-time defending champion Colorado College looks to become the first program in SCAC history to win four consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament titles as the Tigers compete in this weekend's SCAC Volleyball Championship. Official Tournament Website | Bracket

The 2013 event will be held Friday-Saturday, November 8-9 on the campus of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Colorado College enters as the second seed, but won the 2011 championship from that same position.

The ninth-ranked Tigers (12-2 SCAC / 30-3 overall) are led by three First Team All-SCAC selections, including SCAC Freshman of the Year, Abby Holtze. Holtze, a first-year outside hitter, is currently fifth in the conference in total kills (306), second in kills per set (3.33) and ninth in hitting percentage (.243). Sophomore setter Devon Lucero leads the conference in assists per set (9.60) and is third in total assists (845). She is also third in the league in service aces per set (0.40) and ninth in total service aces (35). Fellow sophomore, libero Sophie Merrifield, is currently second in the conference in digs per set (5.37) and fourth in total digs (591). Second Team All-SCAC selctions, junior middle hitter Kristen Liberty and sophomore right side Courtney Birkett, will also be counted on by head coach Rick Swan for key contributions.

Tournament host and top-seeded Trinity University (13-1 SCAC / 31-6 overall) also features three First Team All-SCAC honorees, led by SCAC Player-of-the-Year Maggie Emodi. A junior outside hitter, Emodi is second in the SCAC in kills (407), third in kills per set (3.13), seventh in digs (474), and eighth in hitting percentage (.248). She has achieved 18 double-doubles (kills-digs) for the 2013 season so far, adding a season high of six blocks in a single match. Junior middle blocker Erin Cusenbary leads the SCAC and is second in the country for total number of blocks (160) and fifth in the country for blocks/set (1.30). She also leads the league in hitting percentage (.293). Junior outside hitter Layne Hubbard is currently fourth in the league in kills (321), second in service aces (43) and sixth in digs (500). Head Coach Julie Jenkins will also count on contributions from first-year setter and Second Team All-SCAC selection Erika Edrington, who is eighth in the league in assists (623) if the 14th-ranked Tigers are to be successful in the securing a record 16th SCAC title.

Third-seeded Southwestern University (10-4 SCAC / 24-10 overall) is the last team not named Colorado College to win the SCAC Volleyball Tournament (2009) and hopes to repeat that performance from four years ago. If the Pirates are to be successful, they will need continued leadership from junior libero Chandler Lentz who currently leads the league in digs (608). The First Team All-SCAC honoree is fourth in digs per set (4.86). A pair of sophomores, both of whom earned Second Team All-SCAC honors, will also be counted on by head coach Hannah Long – outside hitters Kaitlyn Foster and Macey Pool. Foster is sixth in the SCAC in kills (300) and eighth in digs (447) while Pool is 10th in kills (275).

Fourth-seeded Texas Lutheran University (7-7 SCAC / 16-10 overall) enters its inaugural SCAC volleyball tournament with a history of successful seasons under head coach Tiffany Davis. Prior to joining the SCAC, the Bulldogs have won four American Southwest Conference West Division titles and one ASC conference title (2007). This year's TLU squad is led by junior libero Megan Lee, who was named the SCAC Backrow Player-of-the-Year. Lee, a Second Team All-SCAC selection, finished the regular season with 593 digs (third in the SCAC) and a league-leading 6.18 digs per set, and is currently third in the nation in digs per set, the same position she held nationally at the completion of the 2012 season. Junior outside hitter Vanecia Spencer, also named All-SCAC Second Team, is ninth in the SCAC in kills per set (2.77) and senior setter Manda Martin is sixth in assists (692).

Austin College (5-9 SCAC / 20-19 overall) is the fifth seed for this year's event. Shelby Eaves outside hitter, a First Team All-SCAC selection, is the engine that drives the 'Roos offense and the senior leads the SCAC in both kills (653) and kills per set (4.57). Her 653 kills are already the second-highest single-season total in conference history and her career total of 1,891 kills is the fourth-most in league history. Head coach Ed Garza will also count on sophomore setter Kelsey Klingler, who leads the SCAC in assists (1132), and sophomore libero Rachel Fusselman, who is second in digs (602).

Schreiner University (4-10 SCAC / 9-19 overall) enters its first SCAC tournament as the No. 6 seed. Mountaineers' head coach Howard Wallace will look for big contributions from senior middle blocker Veronica Castillo, who is third in the SCAC in hitting percentage (.260), junior outside hitter Callie Du Perier, who is ninth in the SCAC in kills (285) and senior libero Jamie Burns, who is ninth in digs (425).

University of Dallas (4-10 SCAC / 20-18 overall) will be the No. 7 seed at this year's tournament. First-year head coach Amy Byfield has one of the top players in the league in junior middle blocker/right side Emily Caples, and the three-time All-SCAC performer is currently third in the league in kills (368), fourth in total blocks (102) and ninth in hitting percentage (.241).  Crusaders' senior setter C.J. Broadbent is fourth in the SCAC in assists (835), and first-year libero Jessie Koster is fifth in digs (507).

Another first-year head coach, Caley Carter-Knudsen, leads Centenary College (1-13 SCAC / 5-25 overall) into the program's second-ever SCAC tournament. The Ladies are led by junior outside hitter Brooke Bahlinger, who led the team in digs (323) and was second in kills (184). Fellow junior and outside hitter Sarah Sumner was the team's leader in kills (276) and senior setter Beth Nuttall led the Ladies in assists (699).

Tournament action gets underway on Friday with action on two courts beginning at 11 a.m. CT. The entire tournament schedule is listed below.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH
SCAC Volleyball Championship Tournament - hosted by Trinity University

Match A No. 1 Trinity vs. No. 8 Centenary - 11 a.m.
Match B No. 4 Texas Lutheran vs. No. 5 Austin College - 11 a.m.
Match C No. 2 Colorado College vs. No. 7 Univ. of Dallas - 1:30 p.m.
Match D No. 3 Southwestern vs. No. 6 Schreiner - 1:30 p.m.

Match E Match A Winner vs. Match B Winner - 4:30 p.m.
Match F Match A Loser vs. Match B Loser - 4:30 p.m.
Match G Match C Winner vs. Match D Winner - 7 p.m.
Match H Match C Loser vs. Match D Loser - 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH
SCAC Volleyball Championship Tournament - hosted by Trinity University

Match I Match F Loser vs. Match H Loser (7th/8th Place) - 11 a.m.
Match J Match F Winner vs. Match H Winner (5th/6th Place) - 1:30 p.m.
Match K Match E Loser vs. Match G Loser (3rd/4th Place) - 4 p.m.
Match L Match E Winner vs. Match G Winner (Championship) - 7 p.m.

STATS AND FACTS

Total SCAC Tournament Titles:
Trinity University – 8
Colorado College – 3
Southwestern University – 3

*Tournament Titles Won by Seeds:
#1 Seed - 6
#2 Seed – 3

Highest seed to ever make the championship match:
Trinity played in the championship match in 2011 as a #5 Seed (lost to Colorado College)

*Tournament seeding began in 1997.

Number of sets in championship match:
3 sets – 7 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2008, 2012)
4 sets – 4 (1996, 2009, 2010, 2011)
5 sets – 3 (1995, 1998, 2007)

Records when:
Teams that win the 1^st set are 204-37 all time in SCAC tournament matches.
Teams that win the 1^st and 2^nd set are 238-3 all time in SCAC tournament matches.

PAST SCAC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS