Oregon State
Western Ill
Volleyball Sweeps Western Illinois In Season Opener
September 01, 2000 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2000
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State volleyball team combined for a .417 hitting percentage en route to a three-game sweep (15-3, 15-0, 15-3) in the season opener against Western Illinois in the OSU Volleyball Showcase at Gill Coliseum on Friday night.
Gina Schmidt led the Beaver offense with seven kills and no errors in 14 tries to hit .500 on the night. Joscelyn Hannaford, Angie Shirley and Michele Solomon each added four kills.
The Beavers also dominated at the net, outblocking the Westerwinds 10-0. Shirley led OSU with six blocks, while Hannaford and Solomon added three apiece.
"Obviously our blocking was a huge factor in the match, but a lot of our blocking success was due to our tough serving," said coach Nancy Somera. "That's been our emphasis since last January, to serve more aggressively, pass better and play better defense."
OSU served eight aces to WIU's one. Lianne Dela Cruz topped the Beavers with three aces, while Hannaford had two. OSU also had just two service errors to the Westerwinds' seven.
The Beavers outdug WIU, 24-20, led by Nikki Neuburger's 10.
"It was nice to come out and meet the objectives we set, which were to get synchronized court flow and good team communication," Somera said. "We knew if we did those two things, we'd get the results we wanted."
OSU's 15-0 victory in game two marked the first time since 1996 that the Beavers held an opponent scoreless in a game. WIU's six points for the match also marked an OSU record for fewest points allowed in a three-game match. The Beavers allowed just two points in a match against Washington State in 1983, but that match consisted of only two games.
In the other Showcase match Friday evening, Boise State defeated Stetson in three games (15-4, 15-1, 15-1). Katy Shephard led the Broncos with eight kills.
The Showcase continues Saturday, with Western Illinois and Boise State meeting at 10 a.m. OSU plays Stetson at noon, and Western Illinois and Stetson play at 6 p.m. The Beavers and Boise State wrap things up with an 8 p.m. match. All four matches are free.
OSU Volleyball Showcase
Match 2 Western Illinois (0-1) 3 0 3 Oregon State (1-0) 15 15 15
Match 1 Stetson (0-1) 4 1 1 Boise State (1-0) 15 15 15
