- PIONEERS SIGN TEAMMATES
- AREA STANDOUT SIGNS WITH PIONEER NETTERS
- FALL ATHLETES HONORED AT RECEPTION
- CLARK AND LEWIS NAMED SCHOLAR ATHLETES
- SEASON ENDS FOR PIONEERS
- PIONEERS READY FOR REGION VI TOURNEY
- PIONEERS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
- VOLLEYBALL TEAM GOES 1-1 IN SAC TOURNEY
- PIONEERS CLOSE OUT REGULAR SEASON WITH WINS
- TEAM LOSES FINAL SAC MATCH
- PIONEERS MOVE INTO SECOND WITH DOUBLEHEADER WIN
- VOLLEYBALLTEAM TIES RECORD IN SWEEP
- PIONEERS VICTORIOUS OVER CSW
- OK CITY TAKES DOWN PIONEERS
- ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO FOR PIONEER NETTERS
- VOLLEYBALL TEAM FALLS TO UTPB
- NETTERS MAKE IT TWO IN A ROW ON THE ROAD
- PIONEERS SWEEP BY PANHANDLE STATE
- VOLLEYBALL TEAM STRUGGLES AGAINST TWU
- PIONEERS TAKE LCU TO FIVE GAMES
- PIONEERS LOSE A CLOSE ONE AT JOHN BROWN
- VOLLEYBALL TEAM STORMS PAST ST. GREGORY'S
- PIONEERS HOLD ON FOR SECOND SAC VICTORY
- ESTRADA NAMED CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- NETTERS FALL IN FIVE GAMES TO OCU
- PIONEERS WIN FIRST CONFERENCE MATCH
- VOIGT NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- NETTERS GO 2-2 IN CLASSIC
- VOLLEYBALL TEAM BATTLES IN LOSSES
- PIONEERS FALL TO MIDWESTERN STATE
- VOLLEYBALL TEAM WINS FOUR STRAIGHT AT COKE CLASSIC
- NETTERS WIN THREE OUT OF FOUR IN OKLAHOMA TOURNAMENT
- PIONEER SCHEDULE RELEASED
- GIACOMAZZI TAKES OVER PIONEERS
PIONEERS SIGN TEAMMATES
Randall High teammates Sabrina Davis and Katie Malleck recently signed letters of intent to play volleyball for Coach Jim Giacomazzi and the Wayland Baptist University Pioneers.
Davis, a 5’10 middle for the RHS state semi-finalist team, was a 2007 second team All-District 3-4A selection and a member of the Amarillo Globe News Honorable Mention Super Team. She was among the Lady Raider leaders in kills and blocks in 2007.
“Sabrina is an experienced middle that has worked very hard and likes to win,” said Giacomazzi. “I believe that she understands that it will take hard work to continue to win at the college level.”
“This past year was a great time to play in the best 4A conference in the state. That conference saw some of the best teams play great volleyball every Tuesday and Saturday. Sabrina had to bring her "A" game every time she hit the court. We are very pleased to have a talented young lady with her skills.”
Davis was also an Academic All-State honoree her senior season. She was a Randall High Superintendent Scholar her sophomore and junior years, and the recipient of the 2007 RHS Fighting Heart Award.
A 5’8 outside hitter and defensive specialist, Malleck was also a key contributor to the Lady Raiders’ first-ever state playoff appearance. She was named to the 2006 All-District 3-4A honorable mention team. Off the court, she is a two-year member of the National Honor Society.
Giacomazzi says that Malleck is a consistent player that will be a nice addition to the Pioneer program.
“Katie is a very nice athlete. She has a very good jump and plays a lot higher than her stature. She will be competing for a position on the outside and will be able to compete as a defensive specialist too.
“She is a good reader of the other team’s offense and anticipates the other hitters well. I have seen many teams underestimate her offensively. Any time you can get a player that has championship experience and knows what it takes to win that is great.”
AREA STANDOUT SIGNS WITH PIONEER NETTERS
Kimberli Harger, a 5-10 outside hitter from Lubbock’s Cooper High School, has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Wayland Baptist University beginning in the fall. The District 4-3A Most Valuable Player in 2007, Harger helped lead Cooper High to Class AAA Area Championships in both 2006 and 2007.
“Kimberli is a fantastic addition to our program,” said WBU head volleyball coach Jim Giacomazzi. “She is a pleasant person to be around, an over-achiever, who has been described by her high school coach as hard-working and dedicated.”
Harger played three years for coach Tami Gunset at Cooper High. She was a first team All-District 2-3A selection in 2005, was the 2006 District 4-3A Offensive Player of the Year, and was 2nd team All-City in 2006.
In 2007 Harger was the All-City Player of the Year, the MVP of WBU’s Pioneer/Coca-Cola Classic, a TGCA All-State selection, and a TGCA All-Star. She also earned All-State basketball honors and is a three-time regional qualifier in the high jump.
“To be named as a TGCA All-Star is an honor few get,” continued Giacomazzi. “Kimberli is a proven success both athletically and academically based on the awards that she has earned, and the transcripts that she has provided us.”
FALL ATHLETES HONORED AT RECEPTION
Eleven Pioneer athletes were presented awards at the Wayland Baptist University Fall Athletic Awards Reception on Tuesday evening at McClung Center.
Analicia Estrada, a junior from El Paso, and freshman Ashleah Richards of Portales were named the Offensive and Defensive Volleyball Players of the Year. Freshman Anika Voigt of Potsdam, Germany, was the named the Newcomer of the Year, and Hailey Clark, a junior from Lubbock, was honored as Comeback Player of the Year.
Cross Country awards were given to freshman Caroline Karunde of Kenya as Female Athlete of the Year. Timmy McCune, a junior from Denver City, was named Male Athlete of the Year. Freshman Rosa Galvan of Dallas earned Newcomer of the Year honors, and sophomore Kirby Dunn was of Bowie was presented as the Most Improved Athlete.
The Pioneer soccer team received three awards. Senior Tessa Rogers of Lubbock and Pampa freshman Jeneé Rogers were named Most Valuable Players. Rogers was also awarded as the Defensive Player of the Year, and freshman Najuka Anderson of Lubbock earned Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Also recognized at the awards banquet were Daktronics/NAIA All-American Scholar Athletes Kristen Raines from the women’s cross country team and volleyball players Clark and Bethany Lewis.
CLARK AND LEWIS NAMED SCHOLAR ATHLETES
Wayland Baptist University Pioneer volleyball players Hailey Clark and Bethany Lewis have been named as 2007 Daktronics-NAIA Volleyball All-America Scholar Athletes.
Clark, a junior outside hitter from Lubbock, was an honorable mention All-Sooner Athletic Conference selection in 2007. A graduate of Monterey High School and a three-year starter for the Pioneers, Clark was second on the team in kills and blocks, averaging just over two kills and .5 blocks, and was fifth in the SAC in kill percentage (.239) this past season. She is an Interdisciplinary Studies major with a 3.93 grade point average.
A junior defensive specialist from Borger majoring in biology, Lewis has a perfect 4.0 GPA during her three years at Wayland. She tied a school record for digs in a match during the 2007 season with 35 against Texas Wesleyan in September. For the year, she recorded 407 digs and had a passing percentage of .925.
The 2007 Pioneers had their most successful season in nine years, closing out the season with a 23-17 record and advancing to the NAIA Region VI Tournament for the first time in four years.
All-American Scholar Athletes must be nominated by their head coach, be a junior or above in academic standing, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, and meet certain statistical criteria.
SEASON ENDS FOR PIONEERS
Lubbock, Tex---The 2007 volleyball season came to an end Friday evening when the Pioneers fell to Texas Wesleyan University, 3-2, in the first round of the NAIA Region VI Volleyball Tournament.
The WBU women rebounded from a 30-23 loss in game one of the match against the third-seeded Lady Rams to take games two and three by scores of 30-23 and 30-26.
The Pioneers couldn't sustain the momentum, however, and TWU came back in the final two games, winning 30-20 and 15-8. The two teams also played close matches in two other meetings this fall with the Ft. Worth school taking both contests, 3-2 in a match played at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and 3-1 at Hutcherson Center.
Analicia Estrada, who was named to the All-Region VI first team earlier in the day, led the Pioneers with 16 kills. The junior from El Paso also recorded 11 digs and two blocks. Junior Hailey Clark put down 13 kills and had four block assists, while freshmen Desiree Luevano contributed 11 kills and 22 digs.
Staci Wilt dished out 47 assists and posted 18 digs, Ashleah Richards was credited with 35 digs, and Vanessa Treat added 22 digs. Wilt, Richards and Treat are also freshmen.
Coach Jim Giacomazzi will lose only one senior off this 2007 team which finished 23-17, the first time since 1998 that a Pioneer team has finished a season with a winning record.
PIONEERS READY FOR REGION VI TOURNEY
The Pioneers are gearing up for the 2007 NAIA Region VI Volleyball Tournament, which will take place this Friday and Saturday at Rip Griffin Center on the campus of Lubbock Christian University.
The WBU women are headed to the eight-team tournament as the sixth seed with a 23-16 overall record. They will take on third-seeded Texas Wesleyan University of the Red River Athletic Conference on Friday at 6:30 pm.
This 2007 Pioneer squad, under the direction of Coach Jim Giacomazzi in his first year as WBU head coach, is the first Wayland volleyball team to reach the 20-win plateau since 1998, and the first to qualify for the regional tourney since 2003.
Giacomazzi has put together a team with a good mix of youth and experience, although the emphasis is on the youth with seven freshmen contributing heavily to his team’s success.
First team All-Conference honoree Analicia Estrada (3.57 kills/game) and honorable mention selection Hailey Clark (2.11 kills/game), both juniors, are the hitting leaders for WBU this year. Two freshmen, Jennifer Wyatt and Desiree Luevano are third and fourth with 1.91 and 1.79 kills per game, respectively. Luevano was named to the All-Tournament team following her performance at the SAC tourney last weekend.
Junior Audrey Hemminger, who earned second team All-SAC honors, is third in the conference in hitting percentage (.273), while Clark is fifth (.241). Hemminger also leads the Pioneers in total blocks.
Second team All-Sooner Athletic Conference setter Anika Voigt leads the team in assists and is third in the conference with 8.6 per game. The 5’7 freshman from Potsdam, Germany is also the team leader in digs with almost four per game.
WBU freshman Vanessa Treat, an honorable mention All-SAC selection, leads the conference in service aces with .5 per game. She is third on the team in digs per game (3.48).
The Pioneer leader in overall digs is another freshman, Ashleah Richards, with 467 (3.86/game). The team’s leading passer is freshman Staci Wilt, who makes good on 94 percent of her service receptions. The 5’6 graduate of Hereford High is also the back-up setter. She has dished out 599 assists in 2007.
As a team, Wayland leads the conference in service aces (2.32), and is second in hitting percentage (.195) and digs per game (21.3) and is third in blocks (2.01).
If WBU defeats Texas Wesleyan on Friday, they will meet the winner of the Lubbock Christian (#2) vs. Southern Nazarene (#7) match at 1:30 on Saturday. The championship match of the regional tournament is set for 7:00 Saturday evening.
The complete tournament schedule is as follows:
Friday November 16th
11:00 am #1 UT – Brownsville vs #8 John Brown University
1:30 pm #4 Oklahoma City University vs #5 SW Assemblies of God
Presentation of All Region Awards
4:00 pm #2 Lubbock Christian vs. #7 Southern Nazarene
6:30 pm #3 Texas Wesleyan vs. #6 Wayland Baptist
Saturday November 17th
11:00 am Winner of #1 / #8 vs. Winner of #4 / # 5
1:30 pm Winner of #2 / #7 vs. Winner of #3 / #6
7:00 pm Finals
PIONEERS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Five Wayland Baptist University Pioneers were named to the Sooner Athletic Conference's 2007 All-Conference volleyball team and another earned SAC All-Tournament team honors during awards ceremonies held over the weekend.
Junior Analicia Estrada was a first team All-Conference selection, while freshman setter Anika Voigt and Audrey Hemminger, a junior middle, captured second team honors. Named to the honorable mention squad were junior hitter Hailey Clark and freshman defensive specialist Vanessa Treat.
Following the tournament on Saturday afternoon, which was won by Lubbock Christian, freshman Desiree Luevano was named to the All-Tournament team.
A 5’11 outside hitter from El Paso, Estrada ranks third in the conference and first on the Pioneers in kills with 482 for an average of 3.6 per game. She is also second on the team in service aces (59) and third in total blocks (62).
Voigt, who is from Potsdam, Germany, is the WBU assist leader with 843. She is also fourth on the team in digs. Voigt has missed the Pioneer’s last four matches due to an ankle injury.
A 6’0 graduate of Melrose (NM) High School, Hemminger is third in conference hitting percentage at .273. She also leads the Pioneers in that category, as well as in total blocks (87).
Clark, a native of Lubbock and a graduate of Monterey High, is second on the team in kills (274), hitting percentage (.241) and total blocks (65).
A native of Albuquerque, Treat is the SAC leader in service aces with 0.5 per game. She is third on the team in digs with a 3.48 per game average.
Luevano, a 5’9 hitter from El Paso, put down 22 kills in the Pioneer’s two matches during the tournament. She recorded a double-double in Friday’s semi-final match against Oklahoma City with 14 kills and 12 digs, and had a season high four solo blocks.
VOLLEBYALL TEAM GOES 1-1 IN SAC TOURNEY
The Pioneers won its first match of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament against Mid-America Christian, 3-0, to advance to the semi-final round against second-seeded Oklahoma City Friday evening at Hutcherson Center.
WBU came out firing against the SAC newcomer MACU. The Pioneers took the first game 30-27, and then had no problem in the final two, winning 30-18 and 30-19.
Analicia Estrada proved to be the unstoppable force for the WBU women against the Lady Evangels, posting 18 kills in 33 attempts. Defensively, freshman Vanessa Treat recorded 16 digs and Ashleah Richards was credited with 12. Freshman setter Staci Wilt dished out 41 assists.
The match against Oklahoma City was as close as it could get. OCU took games one and two 32-30 and 31-29. Neither team could get more than a two point advantage in the first two games. The Pioneers came back to win the next two, 30-24 and 30-21, to force the fifth game.
The girls up front made the difference for the Stars in the deciding game, with three of the first five points coming off blocks. OCU never trailed in the deciding game, winning 15-9, and advanced to Saturday afternoon's championship against Lubbock Christian.
Four Pioneers hit the double-digit mark in kills, led by junior Hailey Clark and freshman Jennifer Wyatt with 15 a piece. Estrada and Desiree Luevano, another of Wayland's talented freshmen, each recorded a double-double in the match. Estrada had 14 kills and 13 digs, while Luevano was credited with 14 kills and 12 digs. Wilt put up a season-high 53 assists.
Richards posted a season-high 27 digs and Treat had 18. Wyatt also posted a season-high with a block solo and seven block assists. Luevano had four block solos.
The Pioneers, 23-16, now wait for the seeding for next week's NAIA Region VI Tournament to be hosted by LCU.
PIONEERS CLOSE OUT REGULAR SEASON WITH WINS
The Pioneers got three wins to close out the 2007 regular season and improve to 22-15 on the year. The 22 wins is the most by a WBU volleyball team since the 1996 team won 30 games on the way to a 30-2 record. It has been nine years since a Wayland team has won as many as 20 games.
Friday night the Pioneers took a 30-19, 30-20, 30-28 decision over Huston Tillotson. Jennifer Wyatt had a team high 11, Analicia Estrada recorded eight kills and recorded 17 digs, and Audrey Hemminger was credited with three blocks.
Freshman Vanessa Treat also had 16 digs.
The Pioneers lost freshman setter Anika Voigt for the remainder of the weekend after she rolled her ankle early in game one against HTC.
On Saturday, it took four games for the WBU netters to take care of Loyola University, 32-30, 30-25, 28-30, 30-20.. Estrada had a game-high 16 kills, while Destiny Luevano got 24 digs. She was joined in the 20 dig club by Ashlee Richards with 21.
Hemminger and Brittany Banning had six blocks each and Staci Wilt got 38 assists.
Our Lady of the Lake University took the Pioneers to five games, after WBU blew a ten point lead in game two and a 13 point lead in game three. The scores were 30-18, 29-31, 29-31, 32-30 and 15-13.
Wilt had a season-high 61 assists in the match and assisted on five blocks. Estrada put down 15 kills and Hailey Clark contributed 14. Luevano had 26 digs.
The Pioneers will be the third seed in next weekend's Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament which will be held at Hutcherson Center. WBU will play at 2 p.m. against the sixth seed, which is yet to be determined.
TEAM LOSES FINAL SAC MATCH
The Pioneers lost their final conference match of the season on Thursday evening, falling to Lubbock Christian in three games, 30-16, 30-17, 30-17.
The Lady Chaps finished SAC play with an unblemished record (12-0), while the WBU women fell to 7-5 and lost the chance to be the second seed in next weekend's conference tournament.
Analicia Estrada and Hailey Clark had seven kills each to lead the Pioneers. Vanessa Treat had 12 digs and three service aces, while Ashleah Richards contributed 11 digs.
LCU libero Courtney Yonke, who recorded 16 digs in the match, broke the Lady Chap record for digs in a season with 843.
The visitors had a hitting percentage of .367 in the three games. Kelsey Odel and Elissa Loynes put down 14 kills a piece and Rachel Stuyvesant handed out 48 assists. LCU also recorded eight blocks and had ten service aces.
WBU (19-15) travels to Austin on Friday for three matches beginning with a contest against Huston-Tillotson at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Wayland takes on Loyola University at 11 a.m., and then wraps up their regular season with a 3:30 match-up with Our Lady of the Lake University. All three matches will be played at Huston-Tillotson.
PIONEERS MOVE INTO SECOND PLACE WITH DOUBLEHEADER WIN
The Pioneers moved into second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with a doubleheader sweep of John Brown and Mid-America Christian Saturday afternoon at Hutcherson Center.
In Saturday’s first match, the WBU netters got revenge on John Brown University with a four-game victory, 30-27, 30-25, 21-30, and 31-29, and then an hour later, the Pioneers took care of Mid-America Christian University in three games, 30-21, 30-16, and 30-25.
Wayland is now 19-13 overall and 7-4 in the conference, half a game up on idle Oklahoma City (6-4) with one SAC match remaining. That match takes place Thursday night at Hutcherson Center against first place Lubbock Christian.
Last month at John Brown, the Pioneers blew a ten point lead in the first game and proceeded to fall to the Golden Eagles in five games. That match has stuck in the craw of WBU coach Jim Giacomazzi, and he was determined to rectify things at home.
“I don’t want to call it a revenge match, because it really wasn’t, but we had a chance at their place to win in three, and instead we lost in five. So it feels really good to come home and take care of things in four.
“It was a fun match for us. We got down early (5-0) in the first game, but we didn’t panic. Everyone still looked confident and we knew we could still take care of business, and we did, which shows a maturity that we didn’t have earlier in the season.”
Estrada and Wyatt hit the double figure mark in kills with 12 and 11. Voigt dished out 42 assists and had a game high 19 digs, while Estrada nailed down four service aces.
After the big win against John Brown (13-15, 5-4), the first by WBU since 2003, the Pioneers could easily have let down against the Lady Evangels of Mid-America Christian (9-16, 3-7), but the momentum carried over and the WBU women were never really pressured until the match’s final game when they fell behind 18-13.
“Things were a little rough around the edges in that final game,” said Giacomazzi. “We allowed the rallies to last too long after a freeball, but we rebounded nicely and finished out with a three-game win and everyone got some playing time.”
Estrada recorded 14 kills and three block solos in the finale, with Banning and Wyatt contributing eight kills each. Voigt (14), Richards (12) and Treat (11) all reached double digits in digs, and Voigt was also credited with three block assists.
Before Thursday night’s final conference match against LCU, the Pioneers travel up the road to Canyon to face nationally-ranked West Texas A&M on Tuesday at 7 p.m. WBU has never defeated the Lady Buffaloes.
“Maybe these three wins will give us some momentum going into next week’s matches. Those first two are against top-notch opponents, and we’ll see where we measure up in those matches.”
The Pioneers finish out the regular season in Austin on Friday and Saturday with games against Huston Tillotson, Loyola University and Our Lady of the Lake University.
VOLLEYBALL TIES RECORD IN SWEEP
On a night when the Pioneers honored their only senior, it was the play of the freshmen that helped tie a school record over 15 years old and seal a three-game sweep over St. Gregory's University (30-12, 30-14, 30-19).
Freshmen Stevi Sharp and Vanessa Treat combined for 11 of the record-tying 18 service aces recorded by WBU. The last time a Pioneer team put down 18 aces was in 1992 against Midwestern State.
Treat and freshman libero Ashleah Richards were the team dig leaders against SGU with 11 and 10 respectively, while two more first-year players, Staci Wilt and Anika Voigt handed out 17 and 13 assists.
Junior Analicia Estrada was the only Pioneer to reach double-digits in kills with 10, but Jennifer Wyatt, yet another newcomer, had nine kills in 11 attempts without committing an error.
Brittany Banning, the WBU senior honored before the match, recorded five kills and had a team-high two block assists.
The Pioneers (17-13, 5-4) are now one game in back of second place John Brown University in the SAC standings. JBU (13-4, 5-3) fell to league-leading Lubbock Christian on Friday night in three games. WBU will take on JBU at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Hutcherson Center. That match will be followed at 3:30 by one with Mid-America Christian (9-14, 3-5).
PIONEERS VICTORIOUS OVER CSW
by Tony Eiderdam, Sports Editor, Plainview Daily Herald
Wayland head volleyball coach Jim Giacomazzi wants to see his team ride a wave of momentum as it heads into the final conference matches.
The Pioneers have Nov. 1 circled on their calendars, the day Lubbock Christian comes to Wayland in the Sooner Athletic Conference finale.
But first, the first-year coach wants to see his team build up some steam in three SAC matches and two non-conference affairs before the big home date. Step one of those five matches occurred Tuesday night at Hutcherson Center.
Wayland stumbled initially in a 35-33 game one loss before coming back and taking the match with wins of 30-22, 30-20 and 30-23 over College of the Southwest in a non-conference match. The win raises the Pioneers’ overall mark to 16-13 and 4-4 in SAC action for fourth place. LCU leads the SAC with a perfect 8-0 mark.
WBU plays three SAC matches later this week, all at home. The first is at 7 p.m. Friday against St. Gregory’s before a pair of matches Saturday — at 1 p.m. against third-place John Brown followed immediately at approximately 3:30 p.m. against fifth-place Mid-America Christian.
“Our mission in our next five matches is to win all of the games,” Giacomazzi said. “That would put us in good position in the standings and give us momentum, and Lubbock Christian is the last of those five matches.
“We want to win all of these matches so the Lubbock Christian match means something.”
After suffering a defeat in the opening game against College of the Southwest (7-18), WBU got active at the net and stepped up its defense.
Hailey Clark led the Pioneers at the net with 16 kills, with Ana Estrada adding 13 stoppers.
“We started getting more blocks in games two, three and four,” Giacomazzi said. “But the reason we started dominating was we were passing better.
“Our defense was better as well. They outhustled us in the first game, and that was a little wake-up call for the girls.”
Setters Anika Voigt and Staci Wilt split time on the floor and combined for 45 assists. Voigt had 25 assists in the first two games before being replaced by Wilt in games three and four. The freshman from Hereford finished with 20 helpers.
“Anika was off just a little bit,” Giacomazzi said. “Her defense was off a little and the sets weren’t being delivered like I like them, so I put Staci in and she did a good job.”
Giacomazzi also was pleased with his squad’s net play.
“Jennifer Wyatt and Hailey each had a lot of kills,” he said. “Desiree Luevano also had some timely kills, and she is starting to come around.”
The Pioneers came out hot in the opener, taking an 11-3 lead. But the Lady Mustangs went on a 21-13 run to tie the contest, 24-24.
The game was tied seven times before CSW won consecutive points, the last capped by a kill from Priscila Sena of Brazil. Sena led the Lady Mustangs with 13 kills.
Estrada and Clark combined for 11 kills in game two as the Pioneers strolled to an easy win to square the match.
Perhaps the defining moment of the evening came late in the third game. With Wayland leading 23-17 and the contest still in doubt, the Pioneers’ front row made a statement. A back-row kill by Ashleah Richards followed by a pair of kills in the middle by Wyatt extended the hosts’ lead to 26-17.
On the next rally, Brittany Banning ripped a spike for another kill off a pinpoint set from Wilt. After a CSW return error, Clark served an ace for a 29-17 advantage. Four rallies later, Wyatt sent down a kill from the middle to clinch the game and give Wayland a 2-1 lead in games.
Game four saw the Pioneers wear down the Lady Mustangs. An ace by Estrada followed by a block from Luevano and a kill from Clark gave the hosts an 11-6 lead. With Wayland leading 20-17, a kill by Luevano followed by a CSW return error and a back-row kill by Clark gave WBU a 23-17 lead. Clark followed with an ace, and CSW never got back into the game.
Estrada’s match-high fifth ace sealed game four and the match for the Pioneers.
OK CITY TAKES DOWN PIONEERS
Oklahoma Ctiy, Okla.---Knowing they needed a win to assure themselves of a shot at the second seed in the SAC tournament in two weeks, the Pioneer volleyball team couldn't take care of business on Saturday falling to Oklahoma City University in four games, 30-27, 24-30, 23-30, 25-30.
"We just didn't come out with the same emotion and energy that we did last night," said Pioneer coach Jim Giacomazzi. "We had an off day, and they just played better than we did.
After taking game one, the WBU women were up 7-2 in the second game, but the Stars came back and tied it at 12. OCU took the lead for good at 15-14.
Oklahoma City never trailed in game three, but the Pioneers had a brief early lead in the final game.
Attack errors were a major problem for the Pioneers in the match on Saturday at Oklahoma City. Estrada was the lone Pioneer to hit the double figure mark in kills with 16, but four of the WBU women had a negative percentage in attacks.
Voigt was credited with 41 assists and four players had double digits in digs, led by Luevano and Lewis with 11 each and Voigt and Ashleah Richards with 10 each. The Pioneers had only three reception errors, but had trouble getting their serves down, putting up 12 service errors.
"We need to be better against play-off caliber teams, and that’s something that we are going to have to work hard on.”
WBU (15-13, 4-4) has four matches at home this week, starting on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. contest against College of the Southwest. The Pioneers return to conference action over the weekend with a Friday evening match against St. Gregory’s. On Saturday, the netters will play a SAC doubleheader beginning with second place John Brown at 1:00, and then followed by Mid-America Christian University at 3:30.
ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO FOR PIONEER NETTERS
Bethany, Okla.---With just two weeks to go in the regular season, the Pioneer volleyball team entered this weekend's final conference road trip needing to win both matches in order to have a shot at one of the top seeds in the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament to be held at Hutcherson Center the second weekend in November.
Half of that goal was accomplished Friday night when the WBU netters defeated Southern Nazarene University (11-19, 2-5) in four games. The 26-30, 30-27, 30-26, 30-18 win moved the Pioneers (15-12, 4-3) within a half game of third place Oklahoma City, their next opponent, and within one game of second place John Brown.
WBU coach Jim Giacomazzi acknowledged that success on this final trip into Oklahoma is key for his team's hopes of securing the conference's second seed.
"We came on this trip knowing that we needed to win both matches. We did our job tonight, now we have to take care of business tomorrow."
Analicia Estrada, Desiree Luevano and Anika Voigt had the big nights offensively for the Pioneers. Estrada nailed down 14 kills, while Luevano was credited with 12. Voigt handed out 45 assists and was responsible for seven kills herself. The freshman from Germany also had two service aces.
On the defensive side, Bethany Lewis recorded a team-high 26 digs, followed by Luevano with 23, Voigt with 22, and Vanessa Treat and Estrada had 18 digs each. The Pioneers also had nine blocks in the game, including six solos.
"Our passing tonight was better than it has been," added Giacomazzi. "We're starting to find our spots, and our freeball passing got much better about midway through the second game.
"I guess it shows how much we have improved our overall game in the last month when you realize that it took us five games to beat them on our home court, but we came into their place and were able to do it in four."
OCU (28-7, 5-3) lost Friday night to top-seeded Lubbock Christian (21-6, 7-0) in three games. The match on Saturday between the Stars and Pioneers is set to begin at 1 p.m. at Oklahoma City's Abe Lemons Arena.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM FALLS TO UTPB
Odessa, Tex.---A slow start in game one proved to be the downfall of the Pioneer volleyball team at
the University of Texas-Permian Basin as they lost to the Lady Falcons 3-1 Tuesday evening. The loss puts the WBU women at 14-12 on the season, while UTPB improves to 16-10.
The Pioneers started off the match with two straight reception errors. They eventually would have 17 on the night, a season high.
"We just weren't ready to move our feet," said Coach Jim Giacomazzi following his team's 19-30, 32-30, 30-32, 27-30 loss.
Analicia Estrada led the team with 18 kills, 26 digs and two blocks. Brittany Banning added 14 kills, Hailey Clark had 12, and Audrey Hemminger, who is second in the Sooner Athletic Conference in kill percentage, put down 10 with just one error in 25 attempts.
Anika Voigt put up 50 assists and had a team-high 28 digs, and Bethany Lewis recorded 18 digs.
The Pioneers return to conference action this weekend with matches on Friday and Saturday at Southern Nazarene University and Oklahoma City. WBU is currently in fourth place in the SAC at 3-3, one game behind OCU and John Brown who are tied for second. SNU is 2-4 and in fifth place.
NETTERS MAKE IT TWO IN A ROW ON THE ROAD
Hobbs, NM---The WBU volleyball team picked up its second straight victory on the road with a 30-21, 30-27, 30-19 win over NAIA Region VI opponent College of the Southwest here Thursday evening.
The Pioneers, who improved to 14-11 on the season, were led by junior hitter Analicia Estrada who had 16 kills and three blocks, and junior middle Audrey Hemminger, who nailed down eight kills in 15 attempts without an error.
Wayland coach Jim Giacomazzi praised his team for playing well on the road.
"The girls looked less road weary tonight than they did on Tuesday. We had a good night and everyone got a chance to contribute.
"This was one of those games where everybody has good numbers, but not really great ones because their just weren't any long, sustained rallies."
One area that Giacomazzi has been concentrating on in recent practices is blocking, and the Pioneers did their job at the net once again against CSW. Freshman setter Anika Voigt had a team-high four block assists and the WBU women recorded 10.5 blocks on the night.
Voigt also lead the team with 33 assists. Ashleigh Richards, the freshman libero, was the defensive leader, coming up with 19 digs. She was also credited with three of the team's six service aces.
The Pioneers have the weekend off before they return to the road on Monday with a trip to Odessa to take on the University of Texas-Permian Basin. UTPB, a former member of the NAIA's Red River Athletic Conference, now competes in the NCAA's Division II.
PIONEERS SWEEP BY PANHANDLE STATE
Goodwell, Okla.---Analicia Estrada and Hailey Clark combined for 25 kills and Staci Wilt handed out 35 assists in the Pioneers' three game sweep of Oklahoma Panhandle State here Tuesday evening. The Wayland women improved their record to 13-11 on the season with the 30-23, 30-23, 30-21 victory over the Lady Aggies.
Estrada nailed 13 kills on 30 attempts, while Clark put down 12 on 25 tries to lead the Pioneers. Junior middle Audrey Hemminger added eight kills.
"We really cut down on the errors tonight," said WBU coach Jim Giacomazzi. "Our level of play was consistent throughout the match. I was pleased that we were able to make the drive here and turn around and play at that level."
Defensively, freshmen Ashleigh Richards and Vanessa Treat had 13 and 11 digs respectively. The two also put up three services aces each.
"Our defense keeps on improving," Giacomazzi added. "I was also pleased with the way Staci came in and set. It has been at least ten matches since she has set, and she did a good job."
The Pioneers have two more similar road trips in the next week. On Thursday, they drive to Hobbs to take on College of the Southwest and then next Monday the WBU women take on UT-Permian Basin in Odessa.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM STRUGGLES AGAINST TWU
For the second time in less than a week, the Pioneer volleyball team faced an opponent with a top-five regional ranking when they played host to number four Texas Wesleyan University at Hutcherson Center on Friday evening. The WBU women took advantage of their home court in the first game with a 30-26 victory, but it was all TWU after that and the Lady Rams went on to win the next three games, 30-16, 36-34 and 30-26.
"I'm obviously disappointed," said Jim Giacomazzi, the Pioneer skipper, "but I was pleased with the fact that we didn't give up. After they beat up on us pretty badly in that second game, we fought back in games three and four. We got down by four or five early in the third one, but battled back and made a game out of it, and then made another comeback in the final game. In the end, they simply made the plays that beat us."
The most exciting action of the night occurred in the third game of the match. Down 19-15, Wayland took advantage of two errors by the Lady Rams, and then got a service ace by freshman Desiree Luevano and a kill by Jennifer Wyatt to tie it up at 19.
The score stayed close from that point with TWU gaining a one or two point margin, and the Pioneers finding a way to even things back up. Wayland managed to grab its first lead since early in the game at 31-30, but Sandra Ayala put down one of her 19 kills to knot it up once again. The Lady Rams finally took the set, 36-34.
The final game started out much like the preceding game ended. The two teams traded the lead back-and-forth until Texas Wesleyan grabbed a 15-11 advantage. WBU came back to tie the game at 18, and battled to stay close from that point, but the visitors eventually put it away, 30-26.
Analicia Estrada recorded another double-double with 22 kills and 10 digs. The El Paso junior was the only Pioneer to reach the double figure mark in kills. Freshman libero Ashleigh Richards had a team-high 26 digs, followed closely by Anika Voigt with 22.
The Pioneers return to the road next week with a game on Tuesday in Goodwell, Okla. against Oklahoma Panhandle State. On Thursday, the Wayland women travel to Hobbs, NM for a match-up with College of the Southwest.
PIONEERS TAKE LCU TO FIVE GAMES
LUBBOCK, TX - The Wayland Baptist Pioneer volleyball team won a game against Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock for the first time in 10 years on Tuesday evening. In fact, the Pioneers won two games. Unfortunately, the Lady Chaps of LCU took the other three to remain perfect in conference play with a 6-0 record. The WBU women fall to 3-3 and are 12-10 on the season.
Game one was evenly played for the first 20 points, but LCU went on a 10-5 run to close it out, 30-20.
The two teams were also evenly matched during the second game and were even tied once again at 20. This time, however, it was the Pioneers who made the stretch run, scoring the final three points for the 30-27 victory.
The Lady Chaps jumped out early in game three before WBU came back to tie it up at 16. LCU slowly regained the advantage and eventually came away with the 30-26 decision.
The fourth game was much like the second. Neither team could get a substantial lead until freshman setter Anika Voigt took the serve with the home team up by one at 20-19. Voigt held the serve for the next five points, giving the Pioneers a 24-20 lead. WBU would extend the lead to 27-21 before finally taking the game, 30-25.
In the deciding game, LCU went on a 5-0 run to break a 2-2 tie, and never looked back, winning the match 15-10.
The Pioneer's lone senior, Brittany Banning recorded 16 kills in the match and had three blocks. Audrey Hemminger added 12 kills and had five blocks, while Anika Voigt handed out 41 assists. Voigt was also credited with a team-high 31 digs. Freshman middle Jennifer Wyatt returned to the lineup for the first time in two weeks and contributed eight kills and five blocks.
For the match, four Lady Chaps reached double digits in kills, paced by Suzanne Childress' 21, though Katie McGuire had 18, Brittany Hix had 13, and Kelsey Odell had 10.
The Pioneers return home on Friday for a rematch against Texas Wesleyan University at 7 p.m. TWU won the first meeting between the two schools, 3-2, on Sept. 13 in Waxahachie, Tex.
PIONEERS LOSE A CLOSE ONE AT JOHN BROWN
The Pioneer volleyball team lost a heartbreaking five-game set in Arkansas against John Brown University on Saturday afternoon. A win against the Golden Eagles would have put the Pioneers into the position of playing for first place in Lubbock on Tuesday.
The Wayland women started out the match with fire in their eyes, but failed to hold onto a 9-1 advantage in the first game, losing 30-24.
They recovered nicely, though, winning the next two games, 30-27 and 30-20. The fourth game was a back-and-forth affair with neither team gaining too much of an advantage. JBU eventually prevailed, tying the match at two games a piece with a 30-27 win.
According to WBU coach Jim Giacomazzi, his team lost their focus somewhat in the final game, falling 15-9.
"Overall, I am more pleased with the way we played in this loss than with what we did in the win on Thursday. We have really improved on the things that we have been working on in practice. Our service errors are way down. In fact, that is how we jumped out to that 9-1 lead in the first game. We were placing our serves just where we wanted them, and it was frustrating JBU.
John Brown is a good team, and we had a chance to beat them, but for some reason we just lost our focus and concentration at points in the match, especially in that fifth game. That is what we are going to have to work on next. the mental part of the game."
Analicia Estrada had another big match for the Pioneers, recording 18 kills, 23 digs and three blocks. Brittany Banning also reached the double digit mark in kills with 14, and Audrey Hemminger added 10.
Anika Voigt handed out 44 assists in the five games, and was also the team leader in digs with 26.
Freshman Vanessa Treat contributed 23 digs, as well, and put down five service aces, while Hailey Clark, Hemminger and Banning each had four blocks.
Next up for the Pioneers is a big SAC match-up against arch-rival Lubbock Christian University on Tuesday at Lubbock's Rip Griffin Center. Game time is 7 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM STORMS PAST ST. GREGORY'S
SHAWNEE, OKLA.---The Pioneer volleyball team made easy work out of St. Gregory's Friday evening with a quick three-game win over the Lady Cavaliers, 30-12, 30-15, and 30-19. The victory puts the WBU netters into a tie for second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 3-1 record, just one game behind leader Lubbock Christian.
Analicia Estrada and Anika Voigt recorded double-doubles in the contest. Estrada posted 11 kills and 13 digs, while Voigt put up 20 assists and had 10 digs.
Wayland jumped out to early leads of 12-3 in the first game and 15-5 in the second on the way to its 12th victory of the season.
Brittany Banning contributed nine kills and Jessica Weiss and Estrada each had two solo blocks.
The Pioneers next travel to Siloam Springs, Ark. for a key match-up with John Brown University (1-1 SAC) on Saturday afternoon.
PIONEERS HOLD ON FOR SECOND SAC VICTORY
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.---The Wayland Baptist Pioneer volleyball team jumped out to a quick start and then had to hold off the Evangels from Mid-America Christian University in a Sooner Athletic Conference match here last night. The Pioneers captured the five-game victory by scores of 30-21, 28-30, 33-31, 23-30, and 15-12.
"We came out good, winning the first game easily," said Jim Giacomazzi, the Pioneer's skipper, "then we had a let down. I don't know if it was the travel (the WBU women left Plainview at 10:30 Thursday morning), but we made some mistakes in the match that we haven't been making lately."
Wayland was down 8-6 and 12-9 in the final game of the match, but scored six straight to get its second SAC win of the season.
"We made some adjustments in our blocking that last game and had some timely blocks there at the end. We were trying to beat their right side, and during a timeout, I designed a play to set up Ana [Analicia Estrada] and she made a good approach and put down the kill to get that last point."
Estrada, the SAC's Player of the Week last week, led the Pioneers with 15 kills and four-and-a-half blocks. Freshman Desiree Luevano, who returned to action after a two-week layoff nursing a sore muscle in her back, put down 11 kills. Another freshman, setter Anika Voigt handed out 46 assists, and Hailey Clark and Brittany Banning each had three blocks.
The Pioneers (11-8, 2-1) continue their road trip tonight (Friday) with a conference match-up in Shawnee against St. Gregory's University and then travel to Siloam Springs, Ark. for a Saturday afternoon meeting with John Brown University.
ESTRADA NAMED CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Pioneer junior Analicia Estrada has been named the Sooner Athletic conference Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 17-23.
The 5-11 hitter from El Paso, Tex., recording 46 kills, four assists, 22 digs, nine aces and seven blocks in two matches – a 3-2 win over Southern Nazarene and a 3-2 loss to Oklahoma City.
NETTERS FALL IN FIVE GAMES TO OCU
After playing and defeating defending Sooner Athletic Conference tournament champion Southern Nazarene University in five games on Friday, the Pioneer volleyball team took on NAIA Region VI second-ranked Oklahoma City on Saturday. It took five more games to decide the outcome, and although it was just as exciting, it wasn't nearly as much fun afterwards as the Wayland women fell to their guests from OCU 28-30, 30-24, 30-24, 27-30, 13-15.
WBU coach Jim Giacomazzi was extremely pleased with his team's play in the two matches, although understandably disappointed at the outcome of contest versus Oklahoma City.
"That was a nice win against last year's conference champion, and the way we played today was disappointing only in that we had a chance to win it. The girls are beginning to see the fruits of all their hard labor. That deer-in-the-headlights look is gone and we're finally taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us. They are practicing with a purpose now, and are gaining maturity and experience every time out."
Giacomazzi was especially pleased with his team's blocking in the weekend's two matches.
"We've been working really hard for the past 10 days on our blocking, and we really saw the results. Today's 14 blocks means a lot against a team that is one of the leader's of the conference."
Juniors Hailey Clark and Analicia Estrada led the way on the blocks against the Stars. Clark recorded a team high seven blocks, while Estrada had six, including four solo blocks.
The Pioneers got some great play from their hitters in both matches, but especially on Saturday against a very strong Star team. After posting a career high 20 kills on Friday, Estrada put down another career mark against OCU with 26 kills.
Senior Brittany Banning, who had to move from the right side to the left due to the injury of Desiree Luevano, had 15 kills, and freshman setter Anika Voigt got credit for 10 kills, 17 digs, and four block assists, to go along with her 45 assists.
Freshman Ashleah Richards replaced the injured Bethany Lewis in the line-up as the libero and produced a team-high 22 digs.
While the Pioneers out-hit Oklahoma City, but it was the unforced errors that hurt Giacomazzi's team.
"Oklahoma City is one of the leaders of the conference, and to out-hit them shows that we can compete with the top teams. We're still making the unforced errors, but not as many as we did earlier. We had 13 service errors in the match, and lost the three games by a total of seven points. That is frustrating, but it is something that is correctable."
The Pioneers return to the road this week with three matches against conference opponents. On Thursday, WBU will take on SAC newcomer Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City. Friday, the team travels to Shawnee to play St. Gregory's University, and then on Saturday the Pioneers will face up against 2006 SAC regular season champion John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark.
Giacomazzi said after the match on Saturday that he is hopeful that Luevano will return this week, but the status of Jennifer Wyatt and Lewis are both up-in-the-air.
PIONEERS WIN FIRST CONFERENCE MATCH
The Wayland Baptist Pioneer volleyball team defeated Southern Nazarene University in an exciting five-game match Friday night at Hutcherson Center, 30-24, 27-30, 26-30, 30-26, 15-10. It was the first victory by the Pioneers over SNU since the 2003 season.
Coach Jim Giacomazzi was without two valuable members of his team for the important Sooner Athletic Conference match-up, the first of the season for the Pioneers. Starting left-side hitter Desiree Luevano and middle hitter Jennifer Wyatt, both freshmen, were out with back injuries, but other members of the team stepped up to the plate. Freshman Vanessa Treat, who started in place of Luevano, led WBU defensively with 20 digs. Starting middle hitter Audrey Hemminger recorded a season-high 15 kills and had two blocks, while Brittany Banning who moved from the right side to the left had ten kills and two blocks.
Junior Analicia Estrada had a game-high 20 kills for the Pioneers who improved their record to 10-7 on the year. Setter Anika Voigt, yet another freshman, had 11 kills, 44 assists and 15 digs.
The Pioneers must now get ready to face Oklahoma City University, who lost on Friday night at Lubbock Christian in four games, at noon on Saturday.
VOIGT NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Pioneer Anika Voigt has been named to the Wesleyan Hughes Classic All-Tournament team.
A 5'7 freshman from Germany, Voigt averaged ten assists and 3.8 digs per game during the two-day event. She recorded a season-high 42 assists and 17 digs in WBU's four-game loss to College of the Ozarks.
Voigt's totals for the classic included 130 assists, 50 digs, eight service aces, 12 kills and four blocks.
The Pioneers went 2-2 at the tournament hosted by Texas Wesleyan University, winning in five games over Lindsey Wilson College and in three over Sterling College. The team's other loss came in three games to Belhaven College in their final match.
NETTERS GO 2-2 IN CLASSIC
The Wayland Baptist volleyball team went 2-2 during the Hughes Wesleyan Classic at Texas Wesleyan University over the weekend. The Pioneers won their two matches during the tournament's opening day, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Lindsey Wilson College 3-2, then setting down Sterling College in three straight.
Things didn't turn out as well for the WBU netters on Saturday. The Pioneers couldn't sustain a quick start in their 9 a.m. match against College of the Ozarks, and fell 3-1, and then they were taken down by Belhaven College in the early afternoon, 3-0.
Analicia Estrada led the way for the Pioneers in Friday's 23-30, 25-30, 30-21, 30-26, 15-13 win over Lindsey Wilson. The junior hitter had 23 kills, seven digs and four blocks to help stop the team's three-game losing streak. Defensively, Bethany Lewis led the way with 23 kills. Freshman Desiree Luevano took over in the 30-19, 30-25, 30-21 late afternoon win over Sterling. Luevano recorded a team- high nine kills, had four service aces, and nine digs.
The Pioneers jumped out to an early lead against College of the Ozarks, but the team from Missouri came roaring back to take the first two games, 30-20 and 30-20. WBU got back into it with a 30-26 win in game three, but the team fell flat in the fourth game of the set, losing 30-12.
Although the offensive stats in the match were impressive, 55 kills and a .225 kill percentage, the Pioneers committed 11 service errors and the same amount of reception errors.
After playing five matches in three days on the road, the toll began to show on the WBU women in their final match of the tournament. Playing short-handed due to illness and injuries, the Pioneers were defeated 30-18, 30-14 and 32-30 by Belhaven, a NAIA school out of Mississippi. Lewis and Vanessa Treat were the team leaders in digs on Saturday. Lewis posted 51 digs, while Treat had 44 in the two matches. Offensively, Estrada had 31 kills and Anika Voigt handed out 74 assists against the final two opponents.
The Pioneers return home this week to open up Sooner Athletic Conference play. On Friday, WBU takes on Southern Nazarene University at 7 p.m., and then face up against Oklahoma City University at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM BATTLES IN LOSSES
WAXAHACHIE — The WBU volleyball team caught a tough break on the road in east Texas, playing back-to-back matches against two of the region's top teams here Thursday evening. The Pioneers battled hard, but the result was two losses, a 3-2 heartbreaker to #3 Texas Wesleyan, and a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the hosts from Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
"We're playing better," said Pioneer coach Jim Giacomazzi following his team's matches. "I was extremely disappointed in the result of the Texas Wesleyan match. It would have been a really big win for us, and we had a chance. We just gave them too many points in crucial situations.
"Correcting that just comes with experience, and you get that experience playing against good teams like we played against tonight."
The Pioneers were led in the TWU match by junior hitters Analicia Estrada and Hailey Clark. Estrada put down 14 kills and had three solo blocks, while Clark recorded 13 kills and three block assists. Senior Brittany Banning and freshman Desiree Luevano had 11 kills each and freshman setter Staci Wilt contributed 49 assists. Bethany Lewis had a match-high 35 digs with Wilt adding 28.
The WBU netters came out strong in the second match against SAGU, the region's fifth-ranked team, but fatigue began to set in, according to Giacomazzi.
"We fought hard, but just ran out of gas in that second match. Playing nine games in about a five hour time on the road is just tough. On the other hand, a lot of people got a lot of playing time and that's good."
The Pioneers, how 7-5 on the season, return to action this weekend at the Hughes-Wesleyan Tournament hosted by Texas Wesleyan University. WBU takes on Lindsey College and Sterling College at 1 and 5 p.m. on Friday, and then will play College of the Ozarks at 9 a.m. on Saturday, followed by a 1 p.m. contest against Belhaven College.
PIONEERS FALL TO MIDWESTERN STATE
WICHITA FALLS — Midwestern State took advantage of strong play at the net and numerous Pioneer errors to defeat WBU 30-20, 30-23, 30-21.
The loss drops the Pioneers to 7-3, while Midwestern raised its record to 6-2.
Midwestern recorded 46 kills for the match compared to 26 by the Wayland women. Freshman Desiree Luevano led the Pioneers with nine kills. Analicia Estrada added six and Audrey Hemminger put down four. Freshman setter Staci Wilt had 14 assists.
Defensively, Bethany Lewis led WBU with 12 digs. Estrada added eight digs and Luevano six.
Hailey Clark and Jennifer Wyatt each registered a solo block, with Wyatt leading the team in block assists with three.
The Pioneers have 10 days off before traveling to East Texas for two matches on Thursday at Southwestern Assemblies of God. On Friday, the WBU netters will play four matches in the Hughes-Wesleyan Tournament hosted by Texas Wesleyan University.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM WINS FOUR STRAIGHT AT COKE CLASSIC
The Wayland Baptist Pioneer volleyball team won their final four matches of the 2007 Coca-Cola Classic to improve to 7-2 on the season.
Coach Jim Giacomazzi was pleased with his team’s performance on Friday and Saturday.
>“Our goal this year has been to improve our passing and play better defense, and we did that this weekend,” said Giacomazzi.
The Pioneers did not lose a game on Friday, defeating the University of Mary Hardin Baylor 31-29, 30-17, 30-25 in the afternoon and then taking out the University of St. Thomas 30-25, 30-28, 30-24 in the evening match-up.
On Saturday, it took WBU four games to defeat Sul Ross State, 30-14, 30-13, 29-31, 30-20. The final game of the classic featured the Pioneers against Oklahoma Panhandle State, and the home team took care of business against the Lady Aggies, winning in convincing fashion by scores of 30-14, 30-19, 30-22.
The Wayland women finished the tournament with a 91.6 passing percentage, and averaged 15.5 digs and almost two blocks over the five matches.
Junior hitter Analicia Estrada had an impressive 56 kills, 11 aces, 54 digs and seven blocks. Freshman Desiree Luevano also played well with 40 kills, 57 digs, 10 aces and six blocks. Junior libero Bethany Lewis led the team in digs with 61.
“The front line did a good job, but without the passing and the defense the hitters can’t make plays. It’s like in football where the quarterback and running backs get all the glory, but the guys in the trenches are what make the game go. In volleyball if you don’t make the passes to the setter so that she can make a good set, the hitters can’t make the hits.
“We allowed our hitters to keep the ball in play and let the other team make the mistakes.”
The Pioneers return to action on Tuesday in Wichita Falls with a match against Midwestern State University.
NETTERS WIN THREE OUT OF FOUR IN OKLAHOMA TOURNAMENT
(Plainview Daily Herald)
OKLAHOMA CITY — Wayland Baptist head volleyball coach Jim Giacomazzi has stressed defense to his club since the first day of August workouts.
Friday and Saturday at the Oklahoma City University Invitational, the coach saw his team progress defensively.
Defense, the coach said, was the key to the Pioneers taking their last three matches at the guarantee four-match tournament.
After dropping their first outing to host OCU, the Pioneers defeated Huston-Tillotson, 30-20, 30-13, 30-20 Friday before on Saturday downing Dakota Wesleyan, 30-21, 28-30, 30-20, 30-28 and Oklahoma Wesleyan, 30-26, 20-30, 30-19, 30-25.
The Pioneers (3-1) will play next at 7 p.m. Thursday in their home opener at Hutherson Center.
Pioneer freshman setter Staci Wilt earned all-tournament honors, recording 21 digs for the tournament with 44 assists.
“Our defense is starting to come along,” Giacomazzi said. “We had 103 digs in four games, and that’s outstanding.
“We were much improved from our first match when we had that deer-in-the-headlights look,” he added. “We went from ‘Oh no,’ in our first match to ‘Oh yes,’ in the last match.
“But we still have a lot more work to do. Our blocking has to improve, and so does our offense. But, I feel both will come around soon.”
The Pioneers dominated at the net in their win over Dakota Wesleyan late Saturday afternoon.
Junior hitter Hailey Clark led WBU with 12 kills (.478 hitting percentage), with Audrey Hemminger and Ana Estrada each adding 11 stoppers.
The Pioneers also recorded 16 service aces in the match.
Saturday morning in WBU’s win over Dakota Wesleyan, Jessica Weiss had a team-high 15 kills to go along with three solo blocks.
Ashleah Richards and Estrada each added 13 stoppers, and Hemminger registered three solo blocks.
Giacomazzi was impressed with the Pioneers at the net.
“We had 10 team blocks, and that is the highest total of the year,” he said. “We did a good job of putting the ball in play, but at the same time we had too many service errors.
“But that is something we can fix in practice or with personnel (changes). As we gain more experience and collect more statistics, I will be able to determine who are the better servers, passers and blockers. The players are starting to separate themselves up front and on defense.
“As I have stressed before, we will be a good defensive team.”
Against Huston-Tillotson on Friday, 6-foot-3 middle hitter Jennifer Wyatt led the team with 12 kills.
PIONEER SCHEDULE RELEASED
The 2007 Pioneer volleyball schedule features 37 matches, including 14 contests in the friendly confines of Hutcherson Center. In addition, WBU will be the host of the 2007 Sooner Athletic Conference post-season tournament.
New coach Jim Giacomazzi and his troops open the season on August 24 at the Oklahoma City Invitational. The home opener for the Pioneers is August 30 when the annual Coca-Cola Classic gets underway. WBU will play five matches over the course of the three-day tournament.
The Pioneers have ten conference matches on the schedule this fall with the addition of Mid-America Christian University to the SAC. Giacomazzi's squad will also play non-conference home matches against Eastern New Mexico, Texas Wesleyan, and College of the Southwest.
Click here for the complete 2007 schedule.
GIACOMAZZI TAKES OVER PIONEERS
Jim Giacomazzi, winner of a national championship and long-time volleyball official has been named as head coach of the Pioneer volleyball program.
"Although we opened up our search nationally to fill this position, we ultimately found our best candidate very close to home," said Dr. Greg Feris, Director of Athletics at WBU.
"Even though he hasn't been part of a university program for many years, Jim Giacomazzi has stayed very close to the game with his highly successful club teams here in the area, and his many years as a top notch volleyball official. Jim also brings a wealth of knowledge to the recruiting process. University and high school coaches in the region know him well and recognize what he brings to the sport of volleyball.
Giacomazzi moved to the Panhandle area in 1991 to take over as head volleyball coach at West Texas A&M University. He led the Lady Buffs to a 36-2 record that year and a NCAA Division II National Championship. He followed that up with a 30-11 record and a third place finish in the NCAA Elite 8 Tournament in 1992.
The following year he founded the Crown of Texas Volleyball Club, a highly successful organization which remains active today and of which he is director. A resident of Canyon, Giacomazzi is a member of the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials and the Panhandle Area Board of Officials, as well as the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
A graduate of Azusa Pacific University, Giacomazzi has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Education and Biblical Education and a Master’s in Education from the California institution. He played professional baseball in the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres organizations from 1981 to 1983 before turning to coaching. He served as head volleyball coach at Oral Roberts University and at the University of Nevada-Reno, prior to moving to Canyon.
Giacomazzi, who has worked as a mortgage specialist at Preferred Mortgage Services in Amarillo since 1996, says he is excited about the opportunity to return to coaching at the collegiate level. “I’ve stayed close to the game with my work in the coaches association, the Olympic developmental program, and with the officiating. When we moved to the Panhandle we saw right off that this is where we wanted to raise our family. Now that the kids are practically grown, the timing is right to get back into coaching and this job at Wayland presents the perfect opportunity to do that and remain in the area.”
PIONEER SCHEDULE RELEASED
The 2007 Pioneer volleyball schedule features 37 matches, including 14 contests in the friendly confines of Hutcherson Center. In addition, WBU will be the host of the 2007 Sooner Athletic Conference post-season tournament.
New coach Jim Giacomazzi and his troops open the season on August 24 at the Oklahoma City Invitational. The home opener for the Pioneers is August 30 when the annual Coca-Cola Classic gets underway. WBU will play five matches over the course of the three-day tournament.
The Pioneers have ten conference matches on the schedule this fall with the addition of Mid-America Christian University to the SAC. Giacomazzi's squad will also play non-conference home matches against Eastern New Mexico, Texas Wesleyan, and College of the Southwest.
Click here for the complete 2007 schedule.
GIACOMAZZI TAKES OVER PIONEERS
Jim Giacomazzi, winner of a national championship and long-time volleyball official has been named as head coach of the Pioneer volleyball program.
"Although we opened up our search nationally to fill this position, we ultimately found our best candidate very close to home," said Dr. Greg Feris, Director of Athletics at WBU.
"Even though he hasn't been part of a university program for many years, Jim Giacomazzi has stayed very close to the game with his highly successful club teams here in the area, and his many years as a top notch volleyball official. Jim also brings a wealth of knowledge to the recruiting process. University and high school coaches in the region know him well and recognize what he brings to the sport of volleyball.
Giacomazzi moved to the Panhandle area in 1991 to take over as head volleyball coach at West Texas A&M University. He led the Lady Buffs to a 36-2 record that year and a NCAA Division II National Championship. He followed that up with a 30-11 record and a third place finish in the NCAA Elite 8 Tournament in 1992.
The following year he founded the Crown of Texas Volleyball Club, a highly successful organization which remains active today and of which he is director. A resident of Canyon, Giacomazzi is a member of the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials and the Panhandle Area Board of Officials, as well as the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
A graduate of Azusa Pacific University, Giacomazzi has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Education and Biblical Education and a Master’s in Education from the California institution. He played professional baseball in the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres organizations from 1981 to 1983 before turning to coaching. He served as head volleyball coach at Oral Roberts University and at the University of Nevada-Reno, prior to moving to Canyon.
Giacomazzi, who has worked as a mortgage specialist at Preferred Mortgage Services in Amarillo since 1996, says he is excited about the opportunity to return to coaching at the collegiate level. “I’ve stayed close to the game with my work in the coaches association, the Olympic developmental program, and with the officiating. When we moved to the Panhandle we saw right off that this is where we wanted to raise our family. Now that the kids are practically grown, the timing is right to get back into coaching and this job at Wayland presents the perfect opportunity to do that and remain in the area.”
