Sept. 8, 2010

This Week: Saint Louis volleyball returns to the road this week for the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational in Springfield, Mo. Host Missouri State awaits the Billikens in their first contest Friday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. Saturday, SLU battles Oklahoma, which participated in the NCAA Tournament last season, at 10 a.m. and closes the tournament with a 5:30 p.m. match against Utah.

Following the Action: All Billiken home matches this season will be video streamed live on the Internet via Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. All home matches will be available free of charge on GameTracker. Live stats for this weekend's matches will be available at MissouriStateBears.com. Go to the upper right-hand corner of the page and click on Live Stats. Then click on the View link, which will be available shortly before the start of each match.

About the Billikens: Saint Louis (2-4) defeated Wake Forest 3-1 but fell to Creighton 3-0 and Iowa 3-2 at its own Marcia E. Hamilton Active Ankle Challenge last weekend. The 2010 Bills, who are one of the youngest Division I volleyball teams in the country with eight freshmen on their roster, have been picked to finish second in the A-10 by the league's head coaches. SLU returns just two starters from last season's NCAA Tournament club. Junior outside hitter Alyssa Deno, who was named to the All-Tournament team last weekend, paces SLU with 3.92 kills and 0.36 service aces per set. Senior outside hitter Megan Boken is second on the club with 2.92 kills, 3.52 digs and 0.64 blocks per set. Freshman setter Hannah Kvitle directs the offense with 10.28 assists per set. Freshman libero Grace Bonoma, who earned the starting job vs. Wake Forest, is the Billikens' top back-row defender with 3.58 digs per set, while redshirt freshman Carly Schumacher is SLU's top net-minder with 0.96 blocks per set.

Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her seventh season at Saint Louis with a 129-66 (.662) ledger. The 1998 Louisville graduate guided the Billikens to the program's first Atlantic 10 Conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006. SLU also achieved A-10 regular-season titles and NCAA Tournament berths in 2008 and 2009. A three-time A-10 Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2009), Kordes helped her 2008 squad become the first team since 1997 to complete the league slate with an unblemished record. That same season, she earned CVU.com (Collegiate Volleyball Update) National Coach of the Year honors and was named AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year. Kordes is the first coach in program history to lead her teams to four consecutive 20-win campaigns. She is joined on the sideline by assistant coaches Kyle Walton and Angela Powers and volunteer assistant Jeannette Abbott.

A Near Miss: Freshman Hannah Kvitle came four kills shy of her first collegiate triple-double vs. Wake Forest. She finished with 47 assists, 10 digs and six kills in the win over the Demon Deacons. Kvitle has recorded a team-high-tying four double-doubles this season. Sammi McCloud is the last Billiken to compile a triple-double. She posted 11 kills, 10 assists and 10 digs in a match against Southeast Missouri State Oct. 25, 2006.

Bring On Bonoma: After serving as a defensive specialist in just two matches prior to last weekend's Marcia E. Hamilton Active Ankle Challenge, freshman Grace Bonoma led the Billikens in digs in her first two matches as SLU's libero. The rookie turned in a match-high 18 digs in the win over Wake Forest and later that day recorded another match high with 23 digs against Iowa. Bonoma finished the weekend with a team-high 5.12 digs per set.

About the Bears: Missouri State (6-1) suffered its first loss of the season last weekend, a 3-1 decision against Ohio, in its own JQH Invitational. The Bears, who were off to their best start since the 1977 campaign, return four starters and their libero from the 2009 squad. They have been picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, while two-time All-Conference first-team selection Calli Norman and 2009 MVC Libero/Defensive Player of the Year Cara Hackmann were named to the preseason All-Conference squad. Norman, a junior middle blocker who earned All-Tournament honors last weekend, posts a team-best 3.16 kills per set and is second on the club with 1.16 blocks per set. Senior Melissa Gmur paces the squad with 7.45 assists per set, while freshman Carly Thomas adds 6.70 assists per set. Sophomore libero Abby Padlock boasts a team-best 4.72 digs per set, while senior middle blocker Shayla Patrick, who also was named to the JQH All-Tournament team, leads the Bears' defense at the net with 1.18 blocks per set. Head coach Melissa Stokes is 320-146 in her 15th career season at Missouri State. The Bears hold a 19-2 advantage in the series with the Billikens' last win occurring in 1999.

Catholic Connection: SLU sophomore Carly Marcum and Missouri State's Carly Thomas and Kelley Michnowicz were teammates at Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville, Ill.

About the Utes: Utah (4-2) defeated Mississippi and Northwestern to capture the title of last weekend's Northwestern Challenge. Senior right-side hitter Karolina Bartkowiak, the reigning Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, garnered tournament MVP honors. The Utes, who return four starters and their libero from last season, have been picked to finish second in the league. Bartkowiak and senior libero Keisha Fisher were named to the preseason All-Conference team. Freshman outside hitter Morgan Odale paces the club with 3.12 kills and 0.36 service aces per set, while junior outside hitter Sarah Collette adds 3.06 kills per set. Senior setter Stephanie Neeley contributes a team-high 6.96 assists per set. Fisher leads Utah with 4.19 digs per set, while the Utes' blocking leaders are junior middle blocker Danielle Killpack (1.12 per set) and freshman middle blocker Erin Redd (1.00 per set). Beth Launiere is 412-226 in her 21st career season as Utah's head coach. SLU fell to Utah 3-0 on the Utes' home court in the only meeting between the teams Sept. 13, 2008.

About the Sooners: Oklahoma (5-3), which pulled out a 3-2 win at Arkansas Tuesday, returns five starters and its libero from last season's NCAA Tournament squad. The Sooners have been picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference, while redshirt senior middle blocker Francie Ekwerekwu and junior setter Brianne Barker were named to the preseason All-Conference squad. Junior right-side hitter Suzy Boulavsky paces the squad with 3.48 kills per set, while senior middle blocker Sarah Freudenrich chips in 2.40 kills per set. Barker has dished out a team-best 9.65 assists per set in addition to her team-high 0.32 service aces per set. Sophomore libero Maria Fernanda, who is the only OU player to collect more than 2.20 digs per set, averages 4.00 digs per set. Freshman middle blocker Sallie McLaurin has put up a team-high 1.24 blocks per set. Santiago Restrepo, who was an assistant coach at Saint Louis from 1998-2000, is 104-86 in his seventh season as the Sooners' head coach, 231-158 in his 12th season overall. This is the first meeting between SLU and Oklahoma.

Boken Honored: After collecting three double-doubles and being named to the IPFW Invitational All-Tournament team Aug. 28, senior outside hitter Megan Boken picked up A-10 Defensive Player of the Week plaudits Aug. 31. It is the first weekly league honor of her career. Boken was a defensive stopper at the net and in the back row, posting 13 blocks (1.00 per set) and 47 digs (3.62). She led the Billikens with a .264 hitting percentage and ranked second on the squad with 3.77 kills per set.

Rookie Starts: When Andrea Beaty, Hannah Kvitle and Carly Schumacher were in the starting lineup for SLU's season opener, it was the first time since the 2006 season opener that a freshman had been in the starting lineup on opening day.

Betta' Blockers: In its first tournament of the season, SLU recorded higher single-match totals for team and individual blocks than it did all last season. The Bills kicked off the season with 10 blocks vs. Milwaukee, tying the 2009 season high. They improved on that figure with 14 blocks against IPFW. The last time SLU recorded at least 14.0 blocks was in 2008 against George Washington. Carly Schumacher's seven blocks against Milwaukee are one more than any Billiken recorded last season. Additionally, Alyssa Deno's 69 swings vs. IPFW are more than any player recorded in 2009.

Among the A-10: Saint Louis ranks among the top five teams in the conference in four statistical categories. The Bills are third with 2.00 blocks per set and 1.44 service aces per set, fourth with 16.36 digs per set and fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.184). Individually, Alyssa Deno and Megan Boken each rank among the league's top 10 in three categories. Deno is third with 3.92 kills and 4.42 points per set and seventh with 0.36 service aces per set. Boken is sixth in kills (2.92) and points (3.56) per set and eighth in digs per set (3.52). Hannah Kvitle leads all freshmen and ranks fourth in the A-10 with 10.28 assists per set.

Polling Place: Saint Louis, which is slated to play six NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, received 18 votes in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Bills have been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Poll 23 times since 2008. Two of SLU's opponents this season received votes in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll. Dayton came in at No. 20 with 388 points, while Missouri State (seven points) was listed among the other teams receiving votes.

Billiken Veterans: Six players return to the Billiken lineup in 2010. The only six-rotation player reappearing on the roster is senior outside hitter Megan Boken. SLU's junior class consists of outside hitter Alyssa Deno, defensive specialist/libero Ashley Gaillot and setter Amelia Karges. Defensive specialist/libero Andrea Bolt and middle blocker Carly Marcum comprise the Bills' sophomore class.

Fab Freshmen: Saint Louis has one of the largest freshman classes in the country in 2010. PrepVolleyball.com voted SLU's rookies as the No. 18 recruiting class in the nation. SLU's roster features seven true freshmen and one redshirt freshman. Middle blocker Carly Schumacher returns to the lineup after sitting out the 2009 campaign. The true freshmen are outside/right-side hitter Lauren Baumet, middle blocker/outside hitter Andrea Beaty, defensive specialist/libero Grace Bonoma, right-side hitter Emma Goldschmidt, setter/defensive specialist Sarah Knouse, setter Hannah Kvitle and middle blocker Kelsey Toebben.

Saint Louis Billikens Women's Volleyball

• VB: Billiken Invitational