SAINT LOUIS BILLIKEN VOLLEYBALL

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1 20 09 B il l ike n Volle y ba l l Athletics Mission Statement The mission of the department of athletics is to provide a program of intercollegiate athletics that fosters and supports a positive educational and athletic experience, not only for student-athletes, but also for the entire Saint Louis University community. The athletics program is guided by the highest standards and ideals of integrity, sportspersonship, ethical conduct, equitable opportunities for all students and staff, including women and minorities, academic excellence and athletics achievement. The intercollegiate athletics program strives to develop the whole person (body, mind and spirit) in accord with the Jesuit, Catholic mission of Saint Louis University. Credits The 2009 Saint Louis University Volleyball Media Guide was compiled, written and edited by Heather Freehill, Media Relations Associate in the Billiken Media Relations office. Contributors include Brian Kunderman, Mickey Smith, Chuck Yahng and University Marketing and Publications staff. Cover designed by Eric Luchetti. Photography by Bill Barrett, Dave Preston and UK Media Relations. Any material may be reproduced with the permission of the editor. For more information, contact the Billiken Media Relations office at 314/ , write to 3330 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO or volleyball contact Heather Freehill at hfreehil@slu.edu. table of contents Media Information Chaifetz Pavilion Roster Preview Billikens Whitney Behrens 6 Bridget Fonke 7 Sammi McCloud 8 Whitney Roth 9 Sally Warning 10 Megan Boken 11 Casey Chernin 12 Alyssa Deno 13 Katie Fleming 14 Ashley Gaillot 15 Amelia Karges 16 Lydia Blaha 17 Andrea Bolt 17 Carly Marcum 17 Carly Schumacher 17 Coaching Staff Head Coach Anne Kordes Assistant Coach Kyle Walton 20 Assistant Coach Angela Powers 20 Volunteer Assistant Corey Arbini 20 Director of Operations Andy Halaz 20 Opponents 2009 Opponents in Review 2008 Recap 2008 Results 2008 Overall Statistics 2008 Atlantic 10 Statistics 2008 Match Highs Match-By-Match Leaders Individual Honors 29 Atlantic 10 Conference Atlantic 10 Honors A-10 Statistical Leaders Atlantic 10 Championship 32 Visit for the latest scores, stats, highlights, coach and player blogs and video of matches on Billiken Volleyball and Saint Louis 17 other sports. History & Records Letterwinners 33 Billiken Hall of Fame 34 Billiken Honor Roll 35 1,000-Kill Club 36 1,000-Dig Club 37 Triple-Doubles Club 38 Annual Leaders 39 Career Records 40 Individual Season Records 41 Team Season Records 42 Miscellaneous Records 43 Season Records By Class 43 Match Records 43 NCAA Tournament History 44 Year-By-Year Results Billikens vs. Ranked Foes 51 Series Records 52 Coaching Ledger 53 The University Saint Louis University University Leaders 56 Director of Athletics Chris May 57 Athletics Directory 58 Academic Services 59 Strength & Conditioning 60 Sports Medicine 61 City of St. Louis NCAA Guidelines 64 1

2 C h a i fe t z Pa v ilion Top 10 On-Campus volleyball Crowds Chaifetz Arena, which opened in April 2008, is an on-campus multipurpose facility that is home to SLU men s and women s basketball and women s volleyball and hosts a myriad of other events. In addition to the Arena, the facility includes Chaifetz Pavilion, a two-court basketball and volleyball practice facility which is home to the Billiken volleyball team. The complex also features a three-story administrative building for the athletics department, locker rooms for Billiken athletic teams, a strength and conditioning area and a state-of-the-art sports medicine facility. Chaifetz Arena is named in honor of University alum Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz (SHAY-fetz), who made a $12 million naming gift to Saint Louis University. Chaifetz, a 1975 graduate of SLU, is a licensed neuropsychologist and is founder, chairman and CEO of Chicago-based ComPsych Corporation, the world s largest provider of employee assistance programs. SLU successfully defended its home court at Chaifetz Pavilion by posting an 11-0 mark during its first year in the facility in The Bills went 13-1 in the Chaifetz complex, which also includes Chaifetz Arena, with their lone defeat coming against No. 19 Illinois in the Arena on Sept. 5. The Pavilion s first major event was the 2008 Atlantic 10 Conference Volleyball Championship. This season, SLU will host the annual Billiken Invitational in the Pavilion Sept and the Active Ankle Challenge in Chaifetz Arena Aug Rank Att. Opponent Date 1. 2,152 #3 Stanford 9/6/ ,137 TCU 11/13/ ,016 #19 Illinois 9/5/ LSU 9/2/ Louisville 11/1/ Marquette 11/12/ Dayton 10/24/ Xavier 11/22/ #20 Notre Dame 10/24/ Southern Miss 10/13/01 Bold indicates matches in Chaifetz Pavilion or Arena Italics indicate matches during Anne Kordes tenure * 3,944 fans took in SLU s Sept. 25, 1994, match against Missouri at the Scottrade Center, which was considered a home match. Longest home winning streak: 15 from 9/3/88 to 9/2/89 Longest home losing streak: 7 from 10/3/03 to 11/15/03 Best home record: 12-0 in 1988 Chaifetz Pavilion Records individual Highs Kills Attack Attempts Attack Percentage* Assists Service Aces Digs Block Solos Block Assists Total Blocks *Min. 15 attempts team Highs Kills Attack Attempts Attack Percentage Assists Service Aces Digs Block Solos Block Assists Total Blocks 2 SLU High 20, Bridget Fonke vs. Charlotte, 9/26 40, Bridget Fonke vs. Charlotte, 9/26.600, Sammi McCloud vs. Duquesne, 10/16 50, Whitney Roth vs. Temple, 10/5 5, Bridget Fonke vs. La Salle, 10/3 18, two players 2, Megan Boken vs. Xavier, 10/26 7, Sammi McCloud vs. George Washington, 9/ 7, Sammi McCloud vs. George Washington, 9/ Facility High 20, twice, last by Yun Yi Zhang (Temple) vs. Xavier, 11/21 48 by Yun Yi Zhang (Temple) vs. Xavier, 11/21 24 by Carly Romberg (Charlotte), 9/26 2, three times, last by Jolanda Gunning-Snowden (Fordham) vs. George Washington, 11/21 9 by Jacqueline Cowden (Temple) vs. Xavier, 11/21 9 by Jacqueline Cowden (Temple) vs. Xavier, 11/21 SLU High 57 vs. Temple, 10/5 137 vs. Temple, 10/5.427 vs. Xavier, 11/22 53 vs. Temple, 10/5 10, twice, vs. SIUE, 10/29 and vs. URI, 11/9 60 vs. La Salle, 10/3 4, twice, vs. SIUE, 10/29 and vs. Xavier, 11/22 24 vs. George Washington, 9/ 14.0 vs. George Washington, 9/ Facility High 62 by Xavier (vs. Temple), 11/ by Xavier (vs. Temple), 11/21 53, three times, last by Xavier and Temple, 11/21 60, twice, last by Xavier (vs. Temple), 11/21 5 by Fordham (vs. George Washington), 11/21

3 2009 Roster Breakdown 2009 Numerical Roster No. Name Class Pos. Ht. Hometown / Previous School 1 Whitney Roth Sr. S 5-9 Louisville, Ky. / Assumption 2 Amelia Karges So. S 5-9 Joliet, Ill. / Joliet Catholic 3 Katie Fleming So. DS/L 5-3 San Antonio, Texas / Incarnate Word 4 Bridget Fonke Sr. OH 6-1 St. Louis, Mo. / St. Joseph s 5 Whitney Behrens Sr. L 5-4 St. Louis, Mo. / Incarnate Word 6 Ashley Gaillot So. DS/L 5-9 Denver, Colo. / Waldorf 7 Andrea Bolt Fr. DS/L 5-3 Smithton, Ill. / Freeburg 10 Sammi McCloud Sr. OH 6-2 Columbia, Ill. / Columbia 11 Alyssa Deno So. OH 6-1 Fenton, Mo. / Ursuline 13 Sally Warning Sr. MB 6-3 Appleton, Wis. / Kimberly 14 Carly Marcum Fr. MB 6-2 Belleville, Ill. / Althoff Catholic 15 Casey Chernin So. OH 6-2 Wildwood, Mo. / Lafayette 17 Carly Schumacher Fr. MB 6-3 Clinton, Ill. / University 20 Megan Boken Jr. OH 5-11 Wheaton, Ill. / St. Francis 21 Lydia Blaha So.-TR MB 6-0 Colorado Springs, Colo. / Boise State Head Coach: Anne Kordes (Sixth Season) Assistant Coaches: Kyle Walton (Second Season) and Angela Powers (First Season) Volunteer Assistant: Corey Arbini (Eighth Season) Director of Operations: Andy Halaz (First Season) Pronunciations Whitney Behrens bear-enz Lydia Blaha blah-ha Megan Boken BO-ken Alyssa Deno DEE-no Bridget Fonke FOHN-kee Ashley Gaillot GUY-oh Amelia Karges uh-me-lia KAR-jiss Anne Kordes KOR-diss Carly Schumacher shoe-mah-ker 2009 Alphabetical Roster No. Name Class Pos. 5 Whitney Behrens Sr. L 21 Lydia Blaha So.-TR MB 20 Megan Boken Jr. OH 7 Andrea Bolt Fr. DS/L 15 Casey Chernin So. OH 11 Alyssa Deno So. OH 3 Katie Fleming So. DS/L 4 Bridget Fonke Sr. OH 6 Ashley Gaillot So. DS/L 2 Amelia Karges So. S 14 Carly Marcum Fr. MB 10 Sammi McCloud Sr. OH 1 Whitney Roth Sr. S 17 Carly Schumacher Fr. MB 13 Sally Warning Sr. MB Roster Breakdown By Class Seniors (5) Whitney Behrens, Bridget Fonke, Sammi McCloud, Whitney Roth, Sally Warning Juniors (1) Megan Boken Sophomores (6) Lydia Blaha, Casey Chernin, Alyssa Deno, Katie Fleming, Ashley Gaillot, Amelia Karges Freshmen (3) Andrea Bolt, Carly Marcum, Carly Schumacher By State Colorado (2) Lydia Blaha, Ashley Gaillot Illinois (6) Megan Boken, Andrea Bolt, Amelia Karges, Carly Marcum, Sammi McCloud, Carly Schumacher Kentucky (1) Whitney Roth Missouri (4) Whitney Behrens, Casey Chernin, Alyssa Deno, Bridget Fonke Texas (1) Katie Fleming Wisconsin (1) Sally Warning 3

4 20 09 S ea s on O utlook The foundation for the success of the 2009 Billiken volleyball team was laid three years ago when a youthful SLU squad Setters won its first Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season and championship crowns en route to its first appearance in the NCAA The player with arguably the largest role in the Billikens Tournament. The Bills went from a sub-.500 team to one that won the most matches (22) since success is senior Whitney Roth. For the fourth straight The five seniors on the 2009 squad were just freshmen in 2006 but still played key roles on that team and have been season, the 2008 AVCA All-America honorable mention pick instrumental in the resurgence of the Billiken volleyball program. SLU head coach Anne Kordes hopes this will be the seniors and two-time A-10 Setter of the Year will earn the starting nod best year yet. at setter. Roth, Saint Louis career These seniors are the first recruiting class that can be tabbed with changing the program, assists leader, will be charged with Kordes said. Our goal is to send them out on a strong note. I love these players and I couldn t maintaining balance on offense by be more thankful to them for what they ve done for SLU volleyball, the St. Louis volleyball distributing the ball to a variety of community and SLU as a whole. They have transformed this program, and I want to see them targets to keep all of SLU s hitters go out with the biggest bang possible. involved and to keep the team The year we had in 2008 is what I thought we we were capable of this year (in 2009), across the net off-kilter. Kordes said. Last year heading into the NCAA Tournament, I believed we were a Sweet 16 There aren t many programs team. I believe that again, and I wouldn t put it past this team to have the ability to get to the Elite that can boast that they ve had the Eight. We re going to have to compete against the best teams right off the bat, and that will test same setter for four years, and I our maturity and confidence. couldn t be more proud of the job Like last year when it finished No. 8 in the Women s Volleyball RPI, SLU will battle some she s done on and off the floor, of the top teams in the country during its nonconference schedule. The Bills host two-time Kordes said. Because of her hard defending national champion Penn State in the Active Ankle Challenge at Chaifetz Arena the work, quickness and the ability to first weekend of play. One week later, Saint Louis heads to Honolulu, Hawai i, where it will take always keep us in system, she is on Texas, California and Hawai i, which finished No. 4, 6 and 7, respectively, in the final 2008 one of the best setters in country. AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll. Then the Billikens return to the mainland for a tournament hosted Whitney has worked as hard as by Illinois, which finished the 2008 season at No. 11 nationally. any player I ve ever had and has My philosophy all along has been that you don t become the best without competing against cared more about this team and the best, whether that s in your conference, in your region or in the country, Kordes said. We where we re going than any player sally warning finished No. 1 in the conference and the region last year, and we re looking to repeat that I ve ever had. She allows us to get success. I think we re doing all we need to do, which is continuing to challenge ourselves every one of our players in the against strong competition. Our ultimate goal is a national championship, that s what comes offense at different times, and it next. That will always be our goal. becomes harder to stop us and makes us more of a threat. With five starters and its libero returning in 2009, the core of which is Kordes first recruiting class (the five seniors), Saint Returning to the Billikens reserve setter role in Louis looks to have the inside track on another memmmorable season due in large part to experience. That experience 2009 is sophomore Amelia Karges. She underwent an will grant Kordes the luxury of switching her lineup to get some court time for her younger players. This year s sophomores appendectomy last season that kept her out of training for a gained a wealth of experience in the spring that will only add to SLU s depth this season. while and limited her playing time to just seven sets. You cannot put a price on the fact that we have three players that have started three years and five who played together We are excited to have Amelia back this season, she was for two years, Kordes said. We ve had a lot of consistency in our lineup, and because of that, we have strong chemistry on a fantastic team player for us last year, Kordes said. I was the floor, which equates to a competitive team. We ve had so many players on the floor together that I m hoping that will help impressed with her training in the spring, and we are looking our maturity. I m also looking for what we accomplished last season to help our confidence coming into this year. forward to her coming back and applying what she learned to her sophomore season. What she brings to the team with her personality and energy is just as important as what she 2009 QUICK FACTS contributes on the court. Name of School Saint Louis University COACHING STAFF Location St. Louis, Mo. Head Coach Anne Kordes Middle Blockers Founded 1818 Alma Mater, Year Louisville, 1998 The only player not returning from 2008 is middle blocker, Enrollment 12,733 Record at School (yrs) (5) and four-year starter, Lauren Christman. Kordes and her staff Nickname Billikens Career Record (yrs) same will immediately look to fill that void with the best combination Colors Royal Blue & White Volleyball Office Phone (314) of their four middle blockers. The Billikens faced this dilemma Facility Chaifetz Pavilion Assistant Coaches Kyle Walton, Angela Powers just one year ago when they had to replace four-year starter Capacity 800 Volunteer Assistant Corey Arbini Sutton Lasater, and they found a suitable successor in current Affiliation NCAA Division I Director of Operations Andy Halaz senior Sally Warning. She took over the position, which she Conference Atlantic 10 had not played since high school, and re-learned it in record President Rev. Lawrence Biondi, S.J. PROGRAM HISTORY time. Warning became a force offensively and defensively, Director of Athletics Chris May First Year of Volleyball 1975 earning AVCA All-Region honorable mention accolades as Senior Woman Administrator Janet Oberle Program Record well as A-10 first team recognition. Athletic Dept. Phone (314) NCAA Tourney Appearances / Last 2 / 2008 Sally had the biggest challenge of anyone last year by Ticket Office Phone (314) 977-4SLU Last Postseason Opponent Michigan, NCAA 2nd Rd. stepping into the middle, Kordes said. For her to take on Result L, 2-3 the challenge of playing a new position on such a good team TEAM INFORMATION and maybe having the pressure to not be the weak link was 2008 Overall Record 29-5 MEDIA RELATIONS incredibly courageous. She worked so hard and played at Home 13-1 Volleyball SID Heather Freehill such a high level that I don t think any of our opponents Road 10-2 Office Phone (314) realized it was a new position for her. It was heart-warming Neutral 6-2 Cell Phone (309) to see a player who worked so hard be able to accomplish Conference Record / Finish 13-0 / 1st West hfreehil@slu.edu what she did. We are ecstatic to have her back because she Final AVCA National Ranking 21 SID Fax (314) is positive and just a fun person to play with. Starters Returning / Lost 5 + libero / 1 Press Row Phone NA Sophomore transfer Lydia Blaha will be looking for court Letterwinners Returning / Lost 11 / 1 SID Mailing Address 3330 Laclede Avenue time this season after transferring from Boise State prior to Newcomers 4 St. Louis, MO the 2009 spring semester. Blaha, who played with the Bills Web Site during the spring season, ranked third in the Western Athletic 4

5 20 09 S ea s on O utlook Conference and 44th in the nation in blocks per set (1.17) in She led the Broncos with 111 blocks and played in 95 of 103 sets during her first collegiate season. We are grateful that Lydia was able to come in during the spring because we had that extra time to work with her, Kordes said. She was already an aggressive and strong blocker, but offensively we ve been able to put her in a position to be a threat anytime she s in the front row. Lydia is extremely fast and explosive, Kordes said. Hitters think they are going to be able to get up over her, but once she jumps and they contact the block, they realize how strong she is and how hard it s going to be to get around her. Lydia has so much potential. She is going to get better every day. Freshmen Carly Marcum and Carly Schumacher will also be vying for time in the middle. Both players come from outstanding high school and club programs, and once they begin training with SLU strength and conditioning coach Scott Charland, there is no telling how successful and effective they can be. Carly Schumacher probably has the longest wingspan of anyone I ve ever recruited, Kordes said. There is no doubt that she will be a powerful blocker, maybe one of the best in the conference. It may take some time working with our strength coach and adapting to the faster pace of the college game, but she will eventually be a huge force when she steps on the floor. Carly will be hard to stop because she s going to be able to hit over block,s and she ll be hard to hit around. Carly Marcum is fast and already does a lot of things that are high level, Kordes said. I m excited for her to train with our strength coach to add some muscle and strength to her agile and explosive frame. Carly will have an opportunity to be a strong blocker and the ability to step on the floor in that capacity her freshman year. I m excited about what her career is going to look like here at SLU. Outside Hitters Experience, strength and depth on the outside are Saint Louis biggest assets. Kordes has an arsenal of five players to choose from, including a pair of All-Americans. Senior, and four-year starter, Sammi McCloud will be the player to beat for starting nods on the right side. As a six-rotation player, she adds a versatility to the SLU lineup that cannot be duplicated. That flexibility is what allowed Kordes to move McCloud to the middle last season when Christman missed some time due to an injury. McCloud also filled in at setter for a few rotations during the Billikens NCAA Tournament match against Alabama A&M. With a dominant performance in SLU s win over No. 3 Stanford last season, McCloud helped put Billiken volleyball on the national radar and earned some individual acclaim by being selected as the AVCA National Player of the Week. She went on to become the first player in program annals to score a spot on one of the AVCA All-America squads when she was tabbed for the third team. McCloud also collected Under Armour Volleyball Magazine All-America honorable mention accolades. Sammi is one of the highest profile players in the country because she affects the game from our hitting and blocking, passing and defense, serving and setting, Kordes said. She has the ability to score a point for us at all times. Sammi will garner a lot of attention from blocks and defenses again this season. But she s elevated her game to a level where she can handle it. Sammi adds depth at every position, and because of her high level of play, she s a threat any time she s on the floor. I look forward to seeing what she does this fall because she s gotten even better since last season. Defensive Specialists/Liberos Kordes gives her team a one-two punch with senior One can t discuss how far the SLU volleyball program Bridget Fonke on the left side to complement McCloud on has come since 2005 without talking about senior Whitney the right. Fonke followed her breakout season in 2007 with Behrens. The 5-foot-4 dynamo has helped the Billikens another stellar effort in She led the A-10 with 47 service shore up their back line as the starting libero since aces and paced the Billikens with 3.56 kills per set. The 2008 Behrens, a 2008 AVCA All-America honorable mention, ranks A-10 first-team pick garnered Most Outstanding Player third on SLU s career digs list (1,344) and needs just 131 honors for her play in the A-10 Championship. She was also more to become the career leader. one of three Bills to achieve AVCA All-America honorable It s easy to describe Whitney as the rock of our team, status in Her best match of the season came in the not only because she s one of the strongest players but finale against No. 19 Michigan when she posted 26 kills and because she s also a three-year captain and the glue that 25 digs. holds us together, Kordes said. With the competitiveness Bridget s progression over the last three years has been and fire she brings to the court for all six rotations, we always unbelievable, Kordes said. To see where she was then have a chance to win. Whitney is going to help the players compared to now is one of the most exciting opportunities on this team believe they can accomplish their dreams. She s any coach would ever have. The sky is the limit for Bridget. going to make them believe that the goals we ve set for this She has put herself in position to be one of the best six- program are attainable. She s going to work hard and make rotation players in the country. She s lethal out of the back sure everyone else is working with her to attain those goals. row, the front row and from the serving position, and when It s like having a coach on the floor. she s in a zone she can be virtually unstoppable. While Behrens is the frontrunner to serve as SLU s Also returning to the left side is junior Megan Boken. After libero, sophomores Katie Fleming and Ashley Gaillot seeing limited action during her rookie season, she stepped and freshman Andrea Bolt will vie for one of the defensive in and played every set in Boken, another of Kordes specialist spots and a chance to enter matches as a serving six-rotation players, was a steadying influence for Saint substitution. Louis. She provided the Bills with 2.30 kills and 2.43 digs per Fleming saw limited action in 2008 as a defensive and set and 31 service aces. serving substitution before suffering a torn ACL, which Boken is an emotional player, and everyone likes being required surgery, prior to the A-10 Championship. She got on the floor with her, Kordes said. She has gained the ability her big break against New Hampshire filling in for Behrens to be an incredible offensive player by using a variety of at libero. Fleming collected a season-high 22 digs and two shots. She s elevated her game in the back row with defense service aces in that match. and passing, and because of her fire, personality and ability, We are so excited to have Katie back in the gym, Kordes she will be on the floor for us this fall. said. She is a spark plug, and she brings a competitive fire Kordes will also try to get sophomores Alyssa Deno and and enthusiasm to the team that we miss when she s not Casey Chernin into the mix on the outside. Both players there. Because she embraces defensive intensity the way saw limited action in the 2008 season. After gaining more that she does, I wouldn t count her out for any position. experience during the spring Like Fleming, Gaillot also saw and dedicating their entire limited time on the floor in summer to working with the But she enjoyed a great spring strength and conditioning season and will be called upon to coach, both players will be in help her team when needed in the contention for playing time on back row or at the service line. the outside. Ashley had one of the greatest Deno has improved leaps springs of anyone on our team, and bounds, Kordes said. It s Kordes said. She worked incredibly unbelievable what she s been hard on her defensive and passing able to do in a short amount techniques. If she can maintain of time. Everything that we ve the kind of defensive intensity in a asked her to change she can match that she has in practice, she adapt to, and she makes the will help us a lot this year. Ashley adjustment in such a short has emerged as a leader out of amount of time that it allows her class, she s competitive and her to progress faster than extremely hard-working. For those anybody out there. Deno is reasons alone, I d like to see her one of the best all-around get on the floor. players on the team. I couldn t Bolt, a two-time All-State pick, be more impressed with her. bridget fonke is coming off a state title in We ll be looking to utilize her She will be looking to make an in the lineup this fall as a siximpact on this team as a defensive rotation player. specialist and server during her rookie campaign. Casey is a physical player already, and getting herself in Andrea is ultra competitive and fits into the personality tip-top shape will allow her to elevate even higher, Kordes and style of this team, Kordes said. We like to go at a fast said. Her strongest asset is offense and hitting over, around pace and so does she. We like to go hard and focus a lot and through blocks. With the strength and quickness she on defense, and Andrea would run through a wall to get a added over the summer, she ll be hard to stop from the left ball up. With her ability, passion and enthusiasm, she will side. Casey has gained a lot of knowledge because she was definitely be pushing for an opportunity to play this year. on the floor so much in the spring, and I have no doubt she will be fighting for a spot. 5