Sept. 23, 2002
2002 Gonzaga Volleyball Notes (Week 5)
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2002 Gonzaga Volleyball Statistics
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THURSDAY - September 26
Gonzaga at Boise State, 6 p.m.
On Tap
October 4 -- at No. 14 Pepperdine
October 5 -- at Loyola Marymount
THIS WEEK'S ACTION: In a battle of struggling teams Gonzaga travels to Boise State for the Bulldogs lone match of the week. Gonzaga enters the contest on a six match losing skid and stands at 1-11 on the season. Boise State has not fared much better as the Broncos ride a seven match losing streak and post a 1-9 overall record. Gonzaga will take off the weekend after Thursday's trip to Boise State and prepare for the West Coast Conference action which opens with a trip to the Los Angeles area next weekend.
BULLDOGS HIT WEEKEND BUZZ SAW: Gonzaga fell to 1-11 on the season as the Bulldogs lost four matches last week including a three-match sweep at the Coors Classic. On Wednesday Gonzaga dropped its 11th straight match to Eastern Washington as the No. 23 ranked Eagles won 3-0. Cincinnati held the Bulldogs to their lowest game total of the season at 11 points in a game one win as the Bearcats triumphed 3-0. Host No. 25 Colorado State claimed its only victory at the Coors Classic over the Bulldogs 3-0 before Nevada rolled over GU 3-0 in the tournament final. In three of the four matches Gonzaga got off to slow starts being held to 20 or less points including the 11 point effort against Cincinnati.
YOSHIMURA RETURNS TO LEAD BULLDOGS: Kip Yoshimura enters his first season as the head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs after serving as an assistant coach during the 1992 season. Prior to taking over as head coach, Yoshimura spent nine seasons at Lewis-Clark State College guiding the Warriors to a 251-72 record with nine post-season appearances. A 1990 graduate of Long Beach State University, Yoshimura started his coaching career as a student assistant at LBSU, the 49ers' winning the NCAA Division I National Championship in 1989.
PERRY CRACKS CAREER TOP 10: Freshman setter Missy Perry cracked the Gonzaga career Top 10 in assists over the weekend as she moved into tenth place with 236 career assists. She is now four assists behind Momi Bowles for ninth place on the career chart. Gonzaga's career leader in assists is Tracy McKinney who recorded 4,904 assists during her career. The Bulldogs also have three other setters with over 3,000 career assists. Emilie Heggli, Katerina Chroustovka and Jessie Holly also appear on the career list as each player served as the Bulldogs setter for one year during their careers.
BOISE STATE BRONCOS (1-9): Gonzaga travels for its lone match of the week against regional foe Boise State. The Bulldogs and Broncos are both struggling this season as Boise State has posted a 1-9 record on the year including a 0-5 home record. BSU leads the all-time series 9-5 but Gonzaga knocked off BSU last season in the opening match of the Washington State Cougar Classic. Megan Tranter leads the Broncos with 3.16 kills per game. Scott Sandel is in his first season as the Boise State head coach.
CULLEN STEPS FORWARD AGAINST BIG TEAMS: Abby Cullen continues to step forward as the Bulldogs leader with her inspired play on the floor. The team's defensive leader with 1.23 blocks per game, Cullen is also becoming an offensive force as she ranks second on the team with 3.18 kills per game. Her play against ranked teams is also up as she led Gonzaga with 10 kills against No. 23 Eastern Washington and was second on the team with 12 kills against No. 25 Colorado State.
SIGNOR AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS: Heather Signor continues to lead the Bulldogs team in digs for the third consecutive season, however this year she also appears among the West Coast Conference leaders. Signor currently ranks second in the WCC with 3.90 digs per game. Portland's Carlie Price is the WCC leader at 5.22 digs per game and Pepperdine's Christina Hinds is third with 3.70 digs per game.
DAVIS IN TOP 10 AGAIN: Sophomore Christina Davis is once again among the West Coast Conference leaders in kills per game as the outside hitter ranks seventh with 3.59 kills per game. Last season Davis ranked in the end of season Top 10 with 3.13 kills per game and has increased her production this year. On Saturday she led Gonzaga with a 15 kill performance against No. 25 Colorado State. Junior Abby Cullen has also creeped into the WCC Top 10 standings in tenth place with 3.18 kills per game.
BULLDOGS IN RACE FOR TEAM BLOCK TITLE: Gonzaga is in the team blocks race as schools prepare for their final weekend prior to West Coast Conference action. The Bulldogs rank fourth in the league with 2.23 blocks per game. Loyola Marymount leads the WCC with 2.59 blocks per game as six teams are over the 2.00 blocks per game mark. Last season Gonzaga finished second in the WCC in blocks with a 2.25 blocks per game average. San Francisco won the blocks title last season with a 2.34 blocks average. While blocks have been a bright spot this season, Gonzaga ranks last in the WCC in every other major statistical category with the exception of a sixth place ranking in team digs.
