SALT LAKE CITY - After playing host to the
Tournament of champions, the Westminster volleyball team is set to
embark on
its first road trip of the year. The Griffins
travel to Irvine, California to participate in the Asics/Crowne Plaza
Labor Day
Tournament hosted by Concordia (Calif.).
This is the fifth consecutive season that Westminster has participated
in the Labor Day Weekend event.
Westminster opens the tournament on Friday,
September 3 against top-ranked Fresno Pacific.
This is the fourth consecutive season that Westminster has faced the
three-time defending NAIA national champions.
In the second match on Friday, Westminster faces second ranked Concordia
(Calif.). The tournament continues on
Saturday, September 4 with matches against No. 6 Biola and Westmont College.
Westminster heads to California with a 2-2 overall
record after picking up wins over Daemen College and 16th-ranked College of
Idaho during last weekend's tournament.
The two losses came to No. 9 Azusa Pacific and to College of Idaho in
the second meeting.
The Griffins are 32nd nationally with 223 total
kills and 34th with an average of 12.1 kills per set. They are also 26th in the NAIA with an
average of 12 assist per set and their 204 total assists is the 33rd-best total
in the country. The 1.6 service aces
they average per set rank third in the Frontier Conference.
Clotile Harris leads the team with 81 kills and
ranks 19th nationally with that total.
Her 4.76 kills per set rank third in the NAIA and her .305 hitting
efficiency is seventh-best in the Frontier Conference. Emily Atkinson has posted 169 assists and averages
9.94 per set to rank 21st and 29th in the NAIA respectively. Her per set average in assists currently is
second in the Frontier.
Griffins
TV The Westminster Athletics Department recently
partnered with Penn Atlantic to provide fans the opportunity to watch home
athletic events live on the internet.
Griffins TV will broadcast select Westminster events for FREE for fans
to watch on their computers. For a
complete schedule visit WestminsterGriffins.com/GriffinsTV.
Live
Stats Live Stats will be available for the first three
matches the Griffins play at the tournament.
Visit WestminsterGriffins.com to access the stats.
First
Serve • After this tournament, Westminster will have faced
13 teams ranked in the top-10 since 2008.
• The Griffins didn't win its third match until the
11th match of the 2009 season.
• Westminster is 1-7 at the Labor Day Tournament the
past two seasons.
Scouting
No. 1 Fresno Pacific Fresno Pacific is the three-time defending NAIA
national champions and has started this season 4-0. They picked up wins over Montana Western,
Oregon Tech, Embry-Riddle (FL), and Southern Oregon. Embry-Riddle was the only team to take a set
from the Sunbirds when they pushed them to a five-setter.
Series
Record*: Fresno Pacific leads 4-0 Last Meeting: Fresno Pacific def. Westminster 3-0 (8/29/09)
Scouting
No. 2 Concordia (CA) Second-ranked Concordia opened the year with four
wins in four matches at the Point Loma Nazarene last weekend. They claimed 3-0 sweeps over Lindenwood,
Missouri Baptist, Robert Morris, and Baker.
The Eagles currently lead the NAIA is kills per set at 17.1 and assists
per set at 16.1.
Series
Record*: Concordia leads 3-0 Last Meeting: Concordia def. Westminster, 3-0 (8/22/09)
Scouting
No. 6 Biola Biola heads into the Labor Day event with a 4-2
record in 2010. After opening with three
straight wins, Biola has gone 1-2 in the last three matches. The Eagles dropped five-set decisions with
Northwestern (IA) and Lee University.
Biola has gone five sets in each of the last three matches after opening
the year with three consecutive 3-0 sweeps.
Series
Record*: Biola leads 3-1 Last Meeting: Biola def. Westminster 3-0 (8/21/09)
Scouting
Westmont Westmont enters Labor Day with a perfect 4-0 record
after wins over Savannah College of Art & Design, Huston-Tillotson,
Missouri Baptist, and Robert Morris.
They won all four matches in 3-0 sweeps and rank fourth nationally with
an average of 15 kills per set. They are
also 12th nationally with a .334 hitting efficiency.
Series Record*: Westmont leads 2-1 Last Meeting: Westmont def. Westminster 3-1 (8/30/08)
*Since 2005
Notable
Performance Clotile Harris was named Frontier Conference
volleyball player of the week. This is her first weekly award from the
conference and she becomes the first Griffin to claim the weekly honor this
season. Harris averaged 4.76 kills with
a .305 hitting percentage. She also averaged 1.41 digs and .59 assisted blocks.
She posted 20-plus kills in each of the final three matches, including 25 kills
against the College of Idaho on August 27.
Next
Week Westminster begins Frontier Conference action with a
road trip to Billings, Montana to face Rocky Mountain College on September
9. Westminster will then face Carroll
College in Helena on September 11 to complete the road trip.
