August 2005
Lady Bulldogs Down Diggers
Wednesday, August 31 2005
The Lady Bulldogs raised their record to 4-1 with a 3-1 non-conference win over Montana Tech.
Western won the first two games 30-23 and 30-27. Tech came back and won the fourth 26-30 and looked to have control of the fourth game. The Lady Bulldogs then found life and roared back from seven points down to win the deciding game 30-28.
Twin Bridges senior Kendall Bradley led the charge with 19 kills followed by Great Falls senior Katherine Sunwall with 14. Bradley also led the team in digs with 14.
Western travels to Great Falls Friday and Saturday for the University of Great Falls Invitational. On Friday, they play matches against Haskel Indian Nations College and the University of Great Falls. On Saturday, they face Valley City State University and Presentation College.
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Lady Bulldog Volleyball Off To Great Start
Monday, August 29 2005
The Lady Bulldogs traveled to South Dakota for the Black Hills State Invitational to open the 2005 season. Western finished the tourney with a 3-1 record.
Western fell to host Black Hills 1-3 in the opening match of the tourney. Senior Katherine Sunwall led Western with 20 kills followed by senior Kendall Bradley with 15. Junior Jenny Finlay led the Lady Bulldog defense with 18 digs followed by Bradley with 16. Senior Shannon O 'Keefe one solo block and six assisted blocks.
In their second match, the Lady Bulldogs lost the first game to Mount Marty College and then won three straight to win their first match of the season 3-1. Sunwall led the attack with 18 kills followed by Bradley and Finlay with 13 apiece. Defensively, senior Lindsey Scott and Finlay had 18 digs apiece. Bradley had 14 and senior s Casey Barry and Jeni Ramondelli eachh had 14. Sunwall had one solo block and six assisted.
The Lady Bulldogs made it two in a row with a 3-1 come-from behind victory over Dakota Wesleyan. Western dropped the opening game 16-30 and then won three straight games. Sunwall set a school record for kills in a single game as she pounded down 27. O'Keefe added 10. Bradley led in digs with 17 followed by Ramondelli with 15. Sunwall dominated the net too as she had two solo blocks and eight assisted blocks.
In their final match of the tournament, Western won the first two games before South Dakota Tech came back to win the third. The Lady Bulldogs sealed their third straight win with a 30-24 victory in the final game. In a balanced attack, Sunwall was the only Lady Bulldog to score double digit kills with 19. Finlay led Western in digs with 17 followed by Scott with 13 and Barry with 11. Sunwall had two solo blocks and four assisted while O'Keefe had four assisted blocks.
Western, now 3-1, travels to Butte on Tuesday, August 30 for a non-conference match at Montana Tech.
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Lady Bulldogs Open 2005 Season
Thursday, August 25 2005
The Lady Bulldogs open their 2005 season on the road competing at the Black Hills State Invitational Friday, August 26 and Saturday, August 27. The Lady Bulldogs open the tourney Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. against the host Lady Yellowjackets.
Western finished the 2004 season with a 12-15 overall record and a 7-7 Frontier Conference season.
“Last year was disappointing from a win-loss perspective,” said Western coach Jenny Peterson. “But when I look back, it was truly a year of rebuilding. We didn't have any seniors on the team and we struggled a bit with team chemistry. The team gained the experience needed to be successful, and they learned it the hard way. With six seniors, there will be no excuse for lack of leadership and experience this year.”
Peterson builds her 2005 squad around six seniors led by All- Conference performers Katherine Sunwall, a 6-1, middle blocker from Great Falls and Lindsey Scott, a 5-6 setter from Dillon. Rounding out the Lady Bulldog seniors are Casey Barry, a 5-7 defensive specialist from Helena; Kendall Bradley, a 5-9 outside hitter from Twin Bridges; Shannon O'Keefe, a 5-9 middle blocker from Missoula and Jeni Ramondelli , a 5-7 defensive specialist from Troy, Montana.
“Everyone of our returning players played a lot last year!” noted Peterson. “The experience we lacked last year, we have for this season. Last year, we were in every match, we just couldn't finish. Finishing comes with experience. We need to be more competitive this year and that starts in practice. When you practice hard, it carries over into the match.”
Sunwall earned 1st Team All-Conference honors as she won the league blocking title and finished second in kills and third in hitting percentage. Scott earned second team honors and finished fourth in the league in assists.
Also returning from last season is 5-11 junior outside hitter Jenny Finlay from Riverton, Utah and 5-9 sophomore outside hitter and middle blocker Nicole Clark of Kalispell.
Peterson will also look to 5-11 freshmen middle blocker Arron Fjeld of Hinsdale and 5-9 freshman right side hitter Lindsey Nicholls of Twin Bridges.
After the Black Hills Tournament, Western travels to Butte for a non-conference match against Frontier Conference rival Montana Tech on Tuesday, August 30 followed by the University of Great Falls Tournament. September 2 and 3. The Lady Bulldogs first appearance at home is their Western Invitational on September 9 and 10.
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Lady Bulldogs Receive National Academic Award
Wednesday, August 24 2005
The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced 274 schools have achieved the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2004-2005 season.
The University of Montana-Western Lady Bulldog volleyball team is ranked third in the NAIA with a team GPA of 3.59. MSU-Northern was the only other Frontier Conference school to receive the award.
The 274 schools receiving the honor is the second most in the program's history only to the 2003-2004 academic year when 305 schools achieved the award. All but one division category in the program either produced the most or second most schools receiving the honor in the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award history.
The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year. Nominating head coaches must be AVCA members.
“The Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award embodies the true meaning of the student-athlete concept, and the AVCA is honored to recognize these schools for excellence in the classroom,” Katherine McConnell, AVCA executive director said. “We congratulate the student-athletes, as well as the coaches and school administrations, for maintaining balance between academics and athletics.”
Western will receive a plaque, and each player a certificate commemorating the designation.
“It is a great honor for our team,” said Western coach Jenny Peterson. “Competing in athletics on the collegiate level requires a great commitment from a student athlete. Our players know they are students first.”
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