Nov. 16, 2011

GAME NOTES

FOR STARTERS
The UTEP volleyball team (19-11, 9-8) will look to continue their winning ways as they take on  SMU (13-16, 9-8) on Friday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. MT. The Miners will take to the court again on Sunday, Nov. 20 to face Conference USA champion Tulsa (25-5, 16-1) at 12 p.m. for the second time this season.

The Miners are coming out of a successful weekend with a pair of victories against ECU and Marshall. Leading the Miners attack this past weekend is Xitlali Herrera and Jeane Horton with 25 and 30 kills, respectively. Herrera recorded a match-high .542 hitting percentage with only one error against the Thundering Herd. The squad posted a .368 hitting efficiency aginst Marshall and registered a .531 hitting percentage in the second frame.  

MINERS ON THE INTERNET
Both match-ups will be broadcast live via gametracker at www.utepathletics.com. Fans can also access live video through UTEP’s All-Access channel for a small fee.

LOOKING AHEAD
UTEP will face UCF on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. (MT) in Memorial Gym as the Miners take the court for the final time this season. Seniors Stephanie Figueroa and Marie-Therese Joyce will play their final match in a UTEP uniform.

SMU SCOUTING REPORT
Series: SMU holds a big advantage with their 18-7 record against the Miners since their first meeting in 1996. The last time both squads meet UTEP defeated SMU 3-2.

LAST TIME
Sophomores Jeane Horton and Jacqueline Cason registered career-highs of 17 and 14 kills, respectively as the UTEP volleyball team claimed its first Conference USA victory of the season over SMU on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011 at Memorial Gym. The Miners outlasted the Mustangs in five sets (20-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-27, 15-6).

Sophomore Xitlali Herrera matched her career-high kills total hammering 18 against the Ponies and added a career-best 12 blocks (2s/10a) in the triumph.

Junior Bridget Logan added 14 kills and sophomore Malia Patterson recorded a career-high 55 assists. Senior Stephanie Figueroa tallied a match-high 28 digs, while Marie-Therese Joyce was also in double figures with 13.

MUSTANG NOTABLES
Courtney Manning recorded a match-high 10 block assists against Houston leading the Mustangs to a 3-1 victory. The junior has posted 167 blocks (20s/147a)and ranks first in the league.

Sidney Stewart became the first Mustang and fourth player in Conference USA history to record 2,000 digs in her career. The senior has tallied 574 digs this season and ranks third in C-USA in digs with 4.99 per set.

TULSA SCOUTING REPORT
Series: UTEP leads the series 27-21, but the Golden Hurricane hold the advantage on their home court, 14-6. UTEP’s last victory at Tulsa came on Oct. 18, 2001 with a 3-0 sweep of the Hurricane. The Miners won five-straight in hostile territory starting with a 3-0 sweep over Tulsa on Sept. 30, 1988 and concluding with a 3-1 triumph on Oct. 10, 1996.

LAST TIME
Tulsa Golden Hurricane blew past the UTEP volleyball team with scores of 16-25, 17-25, 17-25 on Friday, Sept. 23, 2011 in Memorial Gym.

Xitlali Herrera continues to lead UTEP’s offense, recording a team-best eight kills and hit .353 for the match.

Stephanie Figueroa recorded a team-best eight digs, while Malie Patterson posted a match-high 21 assists.

GOLDEN HURRICANE NOTABLES
Diana Silva and Tyler Henderson combined for 41 kills to lead Tulsa to a 3-1 win over Rice this past weekend. The Golden Hurricane claimed its second straight Conference USA Championship.

Henderson leads the squad with 503 kills and  ranks first in C-USA in kills with 4.84 per set. The junior has posted a .347 hitting percentage and ranks fourth in the league.

Silva has compiled 320 kills, 317 digs and 22 service aces. The junior ranks sixth in conference in kills with 3.37 per set.  

Pacing Tulsa’s defense is Jessica Adams with  505 digs and has added 27 aces. The junior is ranked fourth in C-USA for digs with 4.86 per set.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
UTEP holds national top-100 statistical rankings in kills per set (80th, 13.38), assists per set (81st, 12.41) hitting percentage (74th, 0.231), blocks per set (76th, 2.32) and match W-L Percentage (97th, 0.633).

Individually, senior Stephanie Figueroa is 59th in aces per set (0.38) and 68th in digs per set (4.8); sophomore Herrera is 69th in blocks per set (1.15) and 72nd in hitting percentage (0.338); sophomore  Malia Patterson is 73rd in assists per set (10.45).

GETTING IT DONE
The Miners have been successful this season with a 19-11 overall record. This marks the best record in the Ken Murphy era. The last time the Miners accomplished the feat came in 2005 when they were 21-10 under former head coach Scott Swanson. The squad has compiled an impressive 1,472 kills, 1,365 assists and 140 service aces this season. The Miners have already left their mark in the UTEP recordbooks ranking fourth in season block assists with 418 and counting. The squad is on the verge of leaving their mark in  the UTEP recordbooks for season total kills.

SEASON TOTAL KILLS
   1,937    16.01    2000
    1,698    13.80    2006
    1,683    15.16    2005
    1,608    15.03    1996
    1,506    14.91    1997

On the verge    
    1,472    13.38    2011   

FIVE-SET VICTORY  
The Miners have shown resilience in 2011, having played seven five-set matches this campaign. Most recently, the Miners bounced back from a 2-1 set deficit to capture the final two frames in UTEP’s win against Houston a week ago. The squad is 5-2 overall when pushing the match to five sets. The Miners are 1-2 versus non-conference opponents (W-Jacksonville, L- Baylor and Mississippi State) and are a perfect 4-0 against league opponents. The last time the Miners have been successful in five-set matches was in 1997 when the team went 5-1 in five-set matchups under former head coach Norm Brandl.

THE X-FACTOR
Xitlali Herrera has become the “net factor” in blocks for the Miners. UTEP has always been a force at the net, ranking in the top-75 nationally over the past three seasons. However, Herrera has proven herself, ranking first on the team, fifth in Conference USA and 69th nationally in blocks per set, averaging 1.15. The sophomore transfer posted a career-high 12 blocks (2s/10a) against SMU (9/25). Herrera has already put up 126 total blocks (11s/115a) this season. Herrera is the only Miner to average over one block per set.

THE MEXI-CAN
Xitlali Herrera has left a mark on UTEP’s season assists block charts and countinues to climb up the leaderboard in hopes of claiming the top spot. The sophomore ranks third among UTEP’s all-time block assists leaders with 115 and counting. Herrera surpassed Cynthia Rueles-Macias record of 111 that has been held since 1996. Macias holds the top-two spots with a season-best of 122 in 1993 and 1997.

SEASON BLOCK ASSIST
122    Cynthia Ruelas-Macias    1997
           Cynthia Ruelas-Macias    1993
115    Xitlali Herrera                    2011
111    Cynthia Ruelas-Macias    1996
109    Cynthia Ruelas-Macias    1994
103    Jacqui Nosan                     2000

“X” MARKS THE SPOT
Herrera posted a career-high 20 kills against Houston (10/30) and registered a .432 hitting percentage. Herrera’s performance against Tulane (10/23)  earned her a spot on the UTEP recordbooks with a .478 hitting efficiency (12-1-23). The sophomore ranks fifth in program history in hitting percentage in five sets. The Mexican native continues to climb the leagues leaderboard ranking eighth in kills with 3.29 per set and holds the top spot for the Miners with a total of 337 kills this season. Herrera has jumped in the nation leaderboard to rank 72nd and fifth in C-USA for attack percentage with .338.

MORE ON HERRERA
The sophomore not only is good at defending the net, but she can also defend the backcourt. Herrera combined for 12 digs over the weekend. She has registered 11th double-doubles this season. Herrera ranks second on the team with 272 digs while averaging 2.47 digs per set.

FIGUEROA BACK IN ACTION
Stephanie Figueroa continues to make her move on the leaderboard leading the Miners with a total of 528 digs and has only had 10 serve recieve errors out of 615 total attempts registering a .984 percentage this season. Figueroa is averaging 4.80 digs per set besting her 2010 campaign of 4.29 digs per set. The senior has had 27 matches in double-digit figures out of 30 matches this season. Figueroa tallied a match-high 20 digs against East Carolina this past weekend, marking her eighth 20 or more dig performance of the season. The Miners are ranked seventh in C-USA averaging 15.40 digs per set.

FIGUEROA ON TRACK
The senior has registered a season total of 528 digs and has broken her mark set a year ago. Elsa Reyes holds the top spot on the chart with a season-best of 632 digs set in 2006. Figueroa holds the third and fourth highest season mark.

SEASON TOTAL DIGS
632    Elsa Reyes                    2006
540    Brittany Stowers         2005
528    Stephanie Figueroa    2011
476    Stephanie Figueroa    2010

ACE OF A PLAYER
Not only is Figueroa protecting the backcourt, but the libero knows how to serve up some points for the Miners too. Figueroa leads UTEP in aces with 42 through 30 matches played. The feat ranks 59th nationally, first on the team and first in Conference USA standings with .38 aces per set. The mark also surpasses her total career aces at UTEP, having only mastered 15 aces in 2010. The Puerto Rican native needs one ace to rank in the Miners’ recordbooks, a goal she can reach with three matches still to play.

Season Total Service Aces
51    Catherine Porter    1996
49    Chris Brandl            1989
46    Amy Sanders           2007
44    Amy Sanders           2008
        Jaymie Swift            2005
        Catherine Porter    1997
43    Kari Stacy                2005
        Chris Brandl            1988

On the verge
42    Stephanie Figueroa    2011

HORTON BACK ON TOP
Sophomore Jeane Horton saw significant action a season ago, blasting 198 kills and posting a team-best 102 total blocks (7s/95a). Horton averaged 1.04 blocks per set and was named a Conference USA All-Freshman selection. The sophomore had a stellar performance against Houston (10/31) hammering a career-high 25 kills and averaging a .316 hitting percentage. The Fresno, Calif. native has surpassed her season record from last year compiling 354 kills and is ranked second on team for kills. Horton continues to move up the charts ranking 11th in C-USA in kills with 3.22 per set. The sophomore has posted three 20 or more kill performance this season.

SOPHOMORES IN CONTROL
Sophomores Jeane Horton and Xitlali Herrera have proven to be a threat on the court. The pair has left their mark in the UTEP recordbooks for their performances against Tulane (10/23). Horton recorded a team-best 22 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Teammate Herrera also had a outstanding performance with a double-double posting 12 kills with only one error earning her a spot in the recordbooks with a .478 hitting percentage. Herrera leads the Miners in kills with 362 and Horton is closely behind her with 354 kills.

Five Sets (Minimum 10 kills)
Pct.        K-E-A           Player          Opponent        Date
.556    22-2-36    Jacqui Nosan         Rice             2000
.526    12-2-19    Irma Blanco          Tulsa             2009
.500    22-3-38    Jeane Horton      Tulane            2011
.483    16-2-29    Xitlali Herrera     Memphis       2011
.478    12-1-23    Xitlali Herrera     Tulane            2011
.462    18-0-39    Xitlali Herrera    Jacksonville    2011

SETTING THE COURT STRAIGHT
Sophomore setter, Malia Patterson recorded her 11th double-double of the season with a match-high 41 assists and 10 digs against Marshall. The Hawaiian native has totaled 1,150 assists and ranks sixth in conference and has moved up to rank 73rd nationally averaging 10.45 assists per set. Patterson holds the third spot in the UTEP recordbooks for season total assists. Katie Smith (2006) holds the top spot with 1,356 assists and Chris Brandl has the second highest mark with 1,282 total assits set in 1991.  

Season Total Assists
1,356    Katie Smith                2006
1,282    Chris Brandl               1991
1,150    Malia Patterson        2011
1,145    Veronica Acosta        1997
1,112    Patty Jarmoc              2008
1,111    Krista Gronert            1999

PATTERSON IN THE LEADERBOARD
Patterson has surpassed her 2010 season record of 310 assists posting 1,150 this season. After 30 matches the Miners have broken last year’s assists season record of 1,214 having tallying 1,365 assists this season. The Miners average 12.41 assists per set besting last seasons average of 10.94 assists per set.

30-DIG CLUB
Senior libero Stephanie Figueroa, registered a career-high 31 digs against Baylor earning her a spot in UTEP’s 30-dig club. She became just the ninth Miner since 2009 to register 30 or more digs in a match. Nancy Woo holds the top spot with 37 digs against NMSU on Sept. 21, 1993. The Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico native dominates defensively averaging 4.80 digs per set.