Volleyball Opens MAC Schedule at Central Michigan
9/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Complete Release (PDF Format)With the non-conference schedule in the books, the Kent State volleyball team (3-4) dives into Mid-American Conference (MAC) action Friday, Sept. 25, as the Golden Flashes take on Central Michigan University (3-7). Match time is slated for 7 p.m. at Rose Arena in Mount Pleasant, Mich.In the all-time series between Kent State and Central Michigan, the Chippewas are 27-12-1 against the Flashes. Last season, the Flashes took a 3-1 win over the Chippewas in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Central Michigan finished 1-2 at the Purdue Invitational. In the 3-2 win over East Tennessee State, Meghan Moore had 18 kills while setter Courtney Kersten tallied 54 assists. On the season, Emily Lovejoy is third in the conference, averaging 4.92 kills per game. Erik Olson (Wisconsin-Milwaukee 97) is in his first season as head coach at Central Michigan.Kent State sandwiched a win between two losses at the TIS Bookstore Invitational hosted by Indiana The Flashes opened with a 23-30, 27-30, 29-31 loss to the University of Pittsburgh Sept. 17. In the match, Kent State was plagued by a - 0.70 hitting percentage in the opening set, however the squad but fought back to improve to a .378 and .317 clip in the second and third games to finish with a .198 hitting percentage for the match. Junior Danielle Holt (Galion, Ohio/Galion) led Kent State with 15 kills and senior Michelle Corniffe (Ajax, Ontario/Ajax) totaled nine kills. Junior Anne Butts (Bloomington, Ind./University) recorded 34 assists. On the defensive end, freshman Laura Jensen (Apple Valley, Minn./Burnsville) finished with 12 digs while sophomore Sarah Wilber (Huron, Ohio/Huron) registered a match-best six blocks.Kent State endured its longest five-game battle of the season against the Hoosiers Sept. 18 but came away victorious with scores of 28-30, 27-30, 39-37, 30-28, 17-15.Kent States balance on both sides of the ball were key in the victory as five Golden Flashes recorded 10 or more kills, led by freshman Anne Zakelj (Willoughby, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), who recorded a season-best 20 kills on .483 hitting. Holt and senior Ruth Ladurner-Schnitzer (Lana, Italy/Franz Kafka) each had 17 kills while Corniffe and Wilber registered 14 kills apiece.KSUs defense notched 15 blocks, led by Wilbers career-best nine. Holt and Zakelj each had six while Ladurner-Schnitzer chipped in four. Jensen compiled a season-best 22 digs, which was a match-high. The Flashes then wrapped the tournament with a 25-30, 28-30, 30-28, 30-32 loss at the hands of the University of Alabama.The team hit .312 for the match, their second-highest percentage of the season, on the strength of three Kent State players hitting .375 or better. Ladurner-Schnitzer led KSU with 17 kills on .375 hitting, Zakelj tallied 14 kills for a .455 hitting clip and Corniffe hit .375 with 11 kills. Holt also had 16 kills in the match. Jensen registered a match-best 14 digs while Wilber compiled a career-best five aces.Freshman middle blocker Anne Zakelj (Willoughby, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) earned TIS Bookstore Invitational All-Tournament Team honors after a stellar performance during the two-day tournament. She led Kent State to a 3-2 win over host Indiana with a season-best 20 kills, hitting .483 percent (20-6-29), six blocks and garnered a season-high 23 points. In the 3-1 loss to Alabama, Zakelj recorded 14 kills on .455 hitting (14-4-22) and picked up two blocks.For the tournament, she averaged 3.33 kills, 3.75 points per game, registered a .446 hitting clip and picked up 10 blocks. The solid reputation that Kent State volleyball has built in the past seven seasons can be credited to head coach Mora Kanim. After becoming the programs all-time wins leader in 2002, she notched her 100th victory with a 3-2 win over Northern Illinois Oct. 4, 2003 to become the first volleyball coach at Kent State to reach the century plateau. She now holds a 109-108 career coaching record (.505).The Flashes also hold a rich academic tradition as the volleyball squad just completed its 18th consecutive semester with at least a 3.0 GPA.Five Kent State volleyball players rank among the MACs active career records list as of Sept. 20. Junior Danielle Holt (Galion, Ohio/Galion) ranks fifth in kills (1,124) and 15th in digs (744). Senior Kara Warnke (Aurora, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit [Lock Haven]) is seventh in kills with 834 (664 at Lock Haven) and is 12th with 770 digs (708 at Lock Haven). Senior Ruth Ladurner-Schnitzer (Lana, Italy/Franz Kafka) stands 16th in kills (632) and 14th in digs (747). Junior Anne Butts (Bloomington, Ill./University) is fourth in assists (3,020) and 23rd in digs (596). Senior Michelle Corniffe (Ajax, Ontario/Ajax) is 12th with 646 kills.Kent States blocking has improved dramatically in the past year. KSU averages 2.26 blocks per game, nearly double the teams average through the non-conference portion of the season last year (1.15 b/g). The Flashes have 61 total blocks on the year compared to 39 through the non-conference schedule last season. KSU registered a season-best 16 blocks in the season opener at Cleveland State Sept. 1 and hauled in 15 blocks against Indiana Sept. 18. The Flashes have not had the best fortune winning the opening sets this season. In seven matches, Kent State is 2-5 in the first game. The Flashes have only won one match after falling in the first set.Sophomore middle blocker Sarah Wilber (Huron, Ohio/Huron) continues to come into her own as she enjoyed a career performance over the weekend. In Kent States 3-2 win over Indiana, Wilber compiled 14 kills and nine blocks, both career-highs. She also notched a season-best 20 points in the match. Later that evening against Alabama, she finished with a personal-best five aces. Wilber has started in all 27 games in 2004 and ranks sixth in blocks (1.26 b/g) and seventh in aces (0.44 sa/g) in the conference. Three freshmen have made immediate contributions to the Golden Flashes this season. Anne Zakelj (Willoughby, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), a middle blocker, has strengthened Kent States blocking and hitting at middle blocker. She has played in all 27 games and she ranks second in the league in hitting percentage (.383). She also ranks second on the squad in blocks (22), third in points (81.5) and tied for third in kills per game (2.56). Laura Jensen (Apple Valley, Minn./Burnsville) has filled jersey number five and the role of libero quite nicely with the graduation of Tarrin Pelton. Jensen has recorded 10 or more kills in all seven matches and had notched match-high digs in four matches and averages 4.12 digs per contest, which currently ranks ninth in the MAC. Against Indiana, Jensen recorded a season-best 22 digs.Anja Knabe-Paulsen (Schwarzenbek, Germany/Darlington School {Ga.}) has seen time in a two-setter rotation with junior veteran Anne Butts (Bloomington, Ill./University). Knabe-Paulsen has played in 12 games and recorded 14 assists against University of Maryland-Baltimore County.Junior setter Anne Butts (Bloomington, Ill./University) is steadily climbing up Kent States career record chart. With her 25th assist against Alabama Sept. 18, Butts recorded 3,000 career assists. She now has 3,020 this season, which places her third in the record books and fourth among the MACs active leaders. On the season, she ranks ninth in the conference with 10.30 assists per game.Senior right side hitter Ruth Ladurner-Schnitzer (Lana, Italy/Franz Kafka) cracked into the top 10 of another career category over the weekend. With her one service ace against Pittsburgh Sept. 17, she moved into 10th place in school history with 107 career aces. Ladurner-Schnitzer also ranks among the top 10 in hitting percentage (.281, second) In the MAC this year, she ranks 13th in kills (3.41 k/g) and 15th in points (4.04 p/g). Ladurner-Schnitzer also currently ranks 12th in career kills (593) and 12th in career digs (728) among the leagues active career list.The Kent State University volleyball team was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division Preseason Poll, the league announced Aug. 9. Ohio University, the 2003 MAC regular season and tournament champion, was tabbed to win the division while Ball State University was predicted to win the West Division. Voting was conducted by the conferences 13 head coaches with the MAC only announcing the top three picks in each division.The Flashes finally get to unpack their bags for awhile as the start a four-match homestand starting with KSUs home opener Tuesday, Sept. 28 against the University of Toledo. Kent State then will welcome Marshall University Friday, Oct. 1 before Northern Illinois University comes to the MAC Center Saturday, Oct. 2. Match times are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Series History:
Scouting the Chippewas:
Kent State Goes 1-2 at Indiana Invitational:
Zakelj Earns All-Tournament Honors:
Head Coach Mora Kanim:
Several Flashes Among MAC Active Leaders:
New Kids On the Block:
First-Game Misfortunes:
Watch Out for Wilber:
Fabulous Frosh:
Anne 3,000:
Ladurner-Schnitzer Adds Another Career Mark:
Kent State Picked Second in MAC Preseason Poll:
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