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Oct. 9, 2007
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HOMECOMING WEEKEND: After important Mid-American Conference East Division wins over Akron and Buffalo, the RedHawks begin their MAC West portion of the schedule as Miami hosts Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12, and Central Michigan at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, for homecoming weekend. Both Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan head into Oxford with a 3-3 conference record, which ties for second place in the MAC West.
HALFWAY POINT: After starting out 3-7, Miami has rebounded with a five-match winning streak, including a win over then-No. 17 Ohio, to move above .500 (8-7) for the first time this season. More importantly, Miami's five consecutive wins have come against MAC opponents, giving the RedHawks a 5-1 MAC record. The 5-1 start is the best conference start since the 1999 RedHawk squad started 5-1.
PIAZZA NOTES: Since the Sept. 28, match versus Ohio, junior libero Cristina Piazza has seen increased playing time, including making her first two starts of the year at libero last weekend. Piazza collected a career-high 16 digs in Miami's win over Buffalo and put three service aces to the floor. Piazza averaged 4.60 dpg over the weekend.
WEEKEND IN REVIEW: Strong play from senior middle hitter Carli Reihman and sophomore middle hitter Megan Griffin guided the RedHawks to wins over Akron and Buffalo, extending Miami's winning streak to five matches. In Friday's match versus Buffalo, Griffin and Reihman led Miami with 11 kills apiece, while junior libero Cristina Piazza set career-highs with 16 digs and three service aces. Junior outside hitter Alex Ratcliff also collected a career-high three service aces in the win over the Bulls.
The RedHawks continued their strong play on Saturday as Miami completed a three-game sweep (30-25, 30-21, 30-17) over Akron. Reihman led the Miami offensive attack for the second consecutive match as she tallied 16 kills, while hitting at a .652 clip. Griffin added 14 kills and hit .519 for the match. Miami's win over Akron marked the third consecutive three-game win for Miami.
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DEJA VU: Before Sept. 28, 2007, No. 17 Ohio had won 52 consecutive Mid-American Conference regular-season matches, 64 consecutive MAC matches including the MAC Tournament and 47 consecutive home matches dating back to Sept. 28, 2002. Five years to the date of Ohio's last home loss, Miami snapped all of those streaks with a four-game win over the Bobcats. The win marked the first time the RedHawks defeated a Top 20 team in program history.
STAUN REACHES CAREER MILESTONE: With seven kills in Miami's win over Kent State on Saturday, Sept. 29, senior outside hitter Jeanna Staun became the 16th Miami player to reach 1,000 kills for her career.
MIAMI EARNS VOTES IN AVCA POLL: In the Oct. 8 release of the AVCA Coaches Poll, Miami found itself receiving three total points in the poll, making its second appearance on the poll this season. Miami has played three teams who are nationally ranked this season (No. 15 Michigan, No. 21 Ohio and No. 23 Colorado State), and the RedHawks host No. 21 Ohio on Nov. 3 and No. 14 Dayton on Nov. 24.
FRESH STARTS: Three of Miami's newcomers have seen significant playing time in their first collegiate season. Freshman middle hitter Michele Metzler has played in all 15 matches for the RedHawks this season, starting 11 of those matches. Metzler averages 2.05 kpg, and currently ranks fourth in the MAC in hitting percentage (.298). After playing in just one game before the Hilton Classic in Fort Collins, Colo., freshman setter Michelle Mangia earned her first start versus Winthrop on Sept. 8 and started the next two matches versus Colorado and Morehead State. Mangia had a season-high 45 assists against Winthrop and added six kills, eight digs and two block assists. Freshman libero Jillian Johns earned the first start of her career at Morehead State on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Johns has played in seven matches this season and averages 0.79 dpg.
MAC-ing it: Through Oct. 8, Miami has five players who rank among Mid-American Conference statistical leaders in overall matches played and conference matches. As a team, the RedHawks rank in the top five in four MAC statistical categories:
MIAMI:
Hitting Percentage-- .245/.281 (2nd/2nd MAC)
Assists-- 13.52/14.30 (5th/4th MAC)
Kills-- 14.88/15.74 (5th/4th MAC)
Service Aces-- 1.52 (5th)
MIAMI PLAYERS:
Andrea Atteberry -- Assists; 11.23/12.23 (5th/4th MAC)
Michele Metzler -- Hitting Percentage; .298 (4th)
Megan Griffin -- Hitting Percentage; .356 (5th MAC)
Melissa Zenz -- Digs; 4.14/4.40 (10th/8th MAC)
Carli Reihman -- Hitting Percentage; .287/.331 (8th/9th MAC )
Service Aces; 0.38/0.65 (9th/2nd MAC)
ABOUT THE EAGLES: Eastern Michigan heads into the weekend with an overall mark of 13-8 and a Mid-American Conference record of 3-3. Last weekend, the Eagles went 1-1, as they defeated Central Michigan in five games (30-27, 28-30, 30-21, 28-30, 15-12) on Thursday before dropping a three-game match versus No. 21 Ohio. Becky and Abby Reenders lead the Eagles averaging 3.41 kpg and 3.11 kpg, respectively, while Kim Jarznka leads EMU averaging 4.59 dpg.
THE SERIES WITH EASTERN MICHIGAN: Despite splitting the last four matches with the Eagles, Miami holds a 30-12 all-time lead in the series. Miami and Eastern Michigan played one time last year resulting in a three-game win for Miami. When playing in Millett Hall, the RedHawks hold a 14-5 record over the Eagles.
ABOUT THE CHIPPEWAS: Central Michigan comes to Oxford with a 13-6 record and a 3-3 MAC mark. The Chippewas finished last week with a 1-2 record after dropping a five-game match to Central Michigan and a three-game match to Kent State, before rounding up a three-game win over North Dakota State in non-conference action. Kate Fissel averages an impressive 4.75 kpg, ranking first in the MAC. Whitney Evers has put together a solid all-around season to this point as she averages 3.31 kpg, 1.11 dpg and 1.16 bpg. Defensively, Alexis Lonneman anchors the Chippewa back row, averaging 4.44 dpg.
THE SERIES WITH CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Miami leads the series 25-21-1 over Central Michigan. Miami has won five of the last six meetings versus the Chippewas, with the last Central Michigan win coming on Nov. 8, 2003. The RedHawks own a 12-7 record over CMU at home and the Red and White have won eight of the last nine home matches over the Chippewas.
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