REPORT FOR November 5, 2001
VOLLEYBALL TEAM TO FACE CARNEGIE MELLIN IN NCAA FIRST ROUND
Calvin will open NCAA III Tournament play Thursday in Cincinnati, Ohio at the
College of Mount St. Joseph. The sixth-ranked Lions of Mount St. Joseph will
serve as the weekend host of a six-team regional that will include four
nationally ranked teams.
Fifth-seeded Calvin (22-11) will open the regional with a first round match
against 20th ranked and fourth-seeded Carnegie Mellon (25-6) at 5:00 pm Thursday
in a first round tournament match. Other teams in the regional field include
ninth-ranked Wittenberg (OH), 15th-ranked Ohio Northern and Johnson and Wales
College of Rhode Island. Sixth-seeded Johnson Wales will face third-seeded Ohio
Northern (26-8) in another first round match Thursday. The
Calvin/Carnegie-Mellon winner will meet second-seeded Wittenberg (26-8) in a
regional semifinal Friday while the Johnson and Wales/Ohio Northern winner will
meet top-seeded Mount St. Joseph in Friday's other semifinal. Friday's
semifinal winners will then meet Saturday night in the regional championship
match.
Calvin will be making its 13th appearance in the NCAA III Tournament on
Thursday. In 12 prior trips to the NCAA III Tournament, Calvin has recorded a
13-14 won-loss record including fourth place finishes in 1984 and 1992 and a
national runner-up finish in 1986.
Calvin and Carnegie-Mellon will be facing each other for the first time in NCAA
III Tournament play. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carnegie-Mellon is a
member of the rugged University Athletic Association which includes third-ranked
Washington of Missouri and 13th ranked Emory of Georgia. Carnegie-Mellon is
making its first-ever trip to the NCAA III Tournament.
Although Calvin and Carnegie Mellon have never met in NCAA III Tournament play,
they have met as recently as 1999 when Calvin defeated the Tartars 15-8, 12-15,
15-6, 15-13 at the John Carroll Invitational.
This fall, Carnegie Mellon earned a share of the UAA regular season title with
Washington University (MO), finishing with a 10-2 conference record. Carnegie
Mellon then reached the UAA Tournament final before falling to Washington in
three games.
Carnegie Mellon is led by University Athletic Association Player of the Year
Lauren Schmidt. A junior, Schmidt is a 5-8 outside hitter. Schmidt was named
to the All-UAA volleyball team along with senior teammate Sara Lechleitner.
Lechleitner is a 5-11 middle-hitter. Carnegie Mellon head coach Julie Webb is
in her fifth year at the helm of the Titars. This fall, she was named the UAA
Volleyball Coach of the Year for the second straight year.
"We're obviously playing in a very deep and talented regional field," said
Calvin volleyball coach Jerry Bergsma. "We start out right away with a
nationally-ranked team so we'll have our hands full."
Calvin will carry a five-match win streak into Thursday's match with
Carnegie-Mellon. "We've been successful at focusing on doing one thing at a
time and not looking ahead," said Bergsma. "We're going to continue that same
focus this week and see what happens."
AHRENHOLZ NAMED MIAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the third time in her career, Calvin senior setter Sara Ahrenholz has been
named MIAA Player of the Week in women's volleyball. A native of Prinsburg,
Minnesota and a graduate of Central Minnesota Christian High School, Ahrenholz
helped lead Calvin to the MIAA Tournament to the MIAA Tournament Championship
this past week as the Knights defeated Albion, Alma and Hope to advance to the
NCAA III Tournament for the 13th time in school history and for the fifth time
in the last seven years.
In a three-game first round victory over Albion Tuesday night, Ahrenholz picked
up 44 assists and 15 digs. In a 30-21, 30-25, 30-21 victory over MIAA regular
season co-champion Alma Friday night in the MIAA Tournament semifinals, she
amassed 33 assists and nine digs.
In a 30-21, 30-26, 30-22 win over Hope in the MIAA Tournament final Saturday,
Ahrenholz was again superb as she again dished out 33 assists and collected
seven digs.
Ahrenholz led the MIAA in assists-per-game average this year with an average of
11.64 assists-per-game in league play. Overall, she ranks among the nation's
leaders with an average of 11.90 assists-per-game.
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