September 19, 2007

Cougars down Wildcats in five games

Daily Herald

OGDEN -- In the first of four in-state matches this season, the No. 17 BYU women's volleyball proved its penchant for drama at Weber State on Tuesday night, recording its second straight five-game win (28-30, 30-25, 28-30, 30-15, 19-17) to improve to 8-3 on the year.

"I'm very proud of our team," said BYU head coach Jason Watson. "I'm proud of the resolve they showed playing in a difficult environment under difficult circumstances. We've proven time and again that we know how to handle ourselves in five-game situations. There are valuable lessons to learn now with the competitive nature of our remaining schedule."

Senior rightside hitter Erica Lott led the way for BYU with a season-best 23 kills while adding six blocks. Junior middle blocker Rachel Dyer also came up big for the Cougars with 17 kills and 11 blocks, her first double-double of the season and the most rejections posted by a Cougar this year. Bryn Porter also recorded double-digit winner with 13 while Amy Schlauder tallied her first double-double of the year with 62 assists and 11 digs. Annie Pinegar led the Cougar defense with 20 digs.

The Cougars will now return home for the first time since Sept. 1 to host the Colorado State Rams (7-3, 2-0 Mountain West Conference) on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse. Former players and coaches will be honored in a special ceremony between games two and three commemorating the program's 1,000th all-time victory.

BYU men's volleyball releases schedule: BYU men's volleyball coach Shawn Patchell has announced the schedule for the upcoming 2008 season.

For the first time since 2004, the Cougars will begin their regular season on the road, as the team will play five consecutive road games before hosting its home opener against Cal-Baptist on Jan. 25.

The 2008 season also features a road series against defending national champion UC Irvine on Feb. 15-16, a homestand beginning at the end of February and extending into early March that will pit BYU against Stanford, Pacific and Pepperdine, and a trip to Honolulu to face off against Hawaii on April 4-5.

In addition to these marquee matchups, Patchell said his squad has circled on its calendar a January trip to IPFW, a team that upset then-No. 1 ranked Pepperdine in the NCAA Final Four last year.

"The team is looking good and working very hard preparing for our arduous schedule," Patchell said. "Our goal is to play in Irvine at the NCAA Championships in May, which would be especially sweet for me, since it is my hometown."

Preseason play will include a BYU-hosted tournament in early November that will have the Cougars facing off against Cal State Northridge and UVSC. In December, BYU will participate in the Long Beach Pyramid Tournament in Long Beach, Calif.

For the 2008 men's volleyball schedule, see C7.

In-state sivalry rekindled: Having competed in six games without giving up a single goal this season, the No. 16 BYU women's soccer team will face in-state rival Weber State today at 3 p.m. in Ogden and try to keep the streak in tact.

The Cougars are 5-0-1 on the season and are lead offensively by Hermann Trophy candidate Katie Larkin, who has scored four goals on the year. On defense, fellow Hermann Trophy candidate Jessica Harmon-Carter has kept opponents from getting clear shots on goal the entire season. Together, Larkin and Harmon-Carter each received Mountain West Conference Player of the Week accolades this week for their performances.

Visit to Duke highlights 2007-08 UVSC women's basketball schedule: For the first time in the school's five-year NCAA history, UVSC women's basketball will travel into ACC country when the team plays at powerhouse Duke on Dec. 18.

The schedule also includes Seton Hall of the Big East, at home on Nov. 21, three Utah schools and the year-end Division I Independent Championship.

"Our schedule this year will be very challenging," said UVSC head coach Cathy Nixon. "We feel it is important in our vision for our program here at Utah Valley to play teams that are respected and successful on a national level. We are looking forward to the challenge and the chance to measure our progress against some of the best."

UVSC will play 13 out of 28 games at home, beginning on Nov. 9 against Mesa State and Nov. 10 against Cal State Fullerton.

"This season's schedule is by far the most difficult we've had in five years, especially in the way of name recognition," said UVSC Director of Athletics Mike Jacobsen. "I'm anxious to see the progress of our program and the opponents this year will certainly test that."

The Wolverines will travel Durham, N.C. on Dec. 18 for the game at Duke.

For the 2007-08 UVSC women's basketball schedule, see C7.

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This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C2.