Nov. 7, 2007
REDHAWKS FINISH REGULAR SEASON ON THE ROAD: Heading into its final weekend of the regular season, Miami sits at 11-3 in the Mid-American Conference. The RedHawks travel to Akron for a 7 p.m. tilt on Friday, Nov. 9, before finishing out their regular season with a 7 p.m. game at Buffalo on Saturday, Nov. 10. If the RedHawks defeat the Zips and Bulls, Miami will be the No. 3 seed in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, which begins on Nov. 13 and continues Nov. 16-18.
COMEBACK KID: After being sidelined with an abdominal injury for most of the MAC season, junior outside hitter Emily Schroeder has bounced back and performed at a high level since being inserted back into the Miami rotation. Schroeder was sidelined after the Western Michigan match on Sept. 22 and returned to the floor on Oct. 24 against Bowling Green. Since returning, Schroeder has put down double-digit kills in every game, including a season-high 22 kills at Northern Illinois on Oct. 27. It was in that match that Schroeder also became the 17th Miami player to reach 1,000 kills for her career.
HISTORY LESSON: When the RedHawks dropped their first MAC game of the season to Bowling Green, it marked the fourth consecutive year that the RedHawks have dropped their conference opener. In previous years, Miami finished with a 7-9 conference record and two 9-7 conference marks. This season, the RedHawks rebounded by winning nine consecutive matches, including a match against No. 17 Ohio in Athens, which was the team's first win over a Top 20 team in program history. The RedHawks are currently sitting at 11-3 in the MAC and one more win would give Miami its most conference wins since the 1998 MAC Championship Miami team went 15-3 and it would also be the most conference wins since the MAC went to a 16 match schedule in 2003.
TOP TEN FOR NUMBER THREE: Since she set foot on Miami's campus four years ago, senior middle hitter Carli Reihman has been the model for consistency for the RedHawk program. As a senior, Reihman is making her way onto several career charts. Currently, Reihman is tied for first in block assists (362), ranks fifth in career kills (1285), sixth in hitting percentage (.295), seventh in total attempts (3,078), is tied for eighth in blocks per game (0.91) and sits ninth in kills per game (3.00).
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SCHROEDER REACHES CAREER MILESTONE: After becoming Miami's single-season leader in kills per game in 2006, junior outside hitter Emily Schroeder achieved another milestone during Miami's match against Northern Illinois on Oct. 27. In the second game, Schroeder put down her sixth kill of the match, becoming the 17th Miami player to reach 1,000 kills for her career. Schroeder becomes the second RedHawk to reach 1,000 kills this season and she is one of three players on Miami's roster that has over 1,000 kills for their careers.
MAC ATTACK: Miami heads into its final weekend of conference action with an 11-3 Mid-American Conference record. Miami's 11 wins are its most conference victories since the 2001 Miami team went 11-7. While Miami's success has been a team effort, there have been a few RedHawk players that have stepped up this season. Senior middle hitter Carli Reihman averages 3.09 kpg during conference play, while hitting an impressive .319. Reihman also averages 2.46 dpg and 0.89 bpg. Sophomore Megan Griffin has provided a lift offensively as she averages 3.20 kpg and has recorded double-digit kills in 10 of 14 MAC matches. Freshman Michele Metzler leads the RedHawk defense averaging a team-best 1.04 bpg in MAC play, while also contributing 2.36 kpg. Sophomore Andrea Atteberry has been the catalyst to Miami's offense as she averages 12.66 apg, while also chipping in on the defensive end with 2.88 dpg.
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.
MAC-ing it: Through Nov. 4, Miami has four 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 - .242/.253 (3rd/2nd MAC)
Assists - 13.97/14.61 (4th/3rd MAC)
Service Aces - 1.53/1.59 (5th/5th MAC)
Kills - 15.41/16.13 (5th/4th MAC)
MIAMI PLAYERS:
Andrea Atteberry -- Assists; 11.82/12.66 (4th/2nd MAC)
Michele Metzler -- Hitting Percentage; .306/.294 (4th/10th MAC) Blocks; 1.04 (8th MAC)
Melissa Zenz -- Digs; 4.24/4.39 (10th/8th MAC)
Carli Reihman -- Hitting Percentage; .296/..319 (7th/8th MAC ) Service Aces; 0.43 (7th MAC)
ABOUT THE ZIPS: Akron rounds out its Mid-American Conference schedule this weekend by hosting Miami and Bowling Green. Brionna Patterson has been the Zips go-to player this year as she averages 3.72 kpg and just under 2.00 dpg. After starting out 8-2 on the season, the Zips have lost 14 of their last 16 matches, but the Zips notched a win against Buffalo last weekend in Akron. Defensively, Jess Antosz leads the team averaging 1.10 bpg.
THE SERIES WITH AKRON: The RedHawks lead the all-time series against the Zips, 26-11. The RedHawks have won the last six meetings, dating back to Nov. 6, 2004. While posting a 16-4 record at home against Akron, Miami is only 7-7 on the road against the Zips. The last time Akron defeated Miami at home was on Oct. 18, 2003.
ABOUT THE BULLS: Buffalo heads into the final weekend of the regular season with a 2-28 record and a 1-13 MAC mark. Overall, the Bulls give up almost five more kills per game than their opponents and also dig two balls less per game than their opponents. Richelle Bigelow leads the Bulls averaging 2.79 kpg, while Lizaiha Garcia leads Buffalo averaging 4.02 dpg.
THE SERIES WITH BUFFALO: Miami owns a 15-2 record against the Bulls in the all-time series, with the last six ending in wins for the Red and White. The RedHawks are 7-1 when playing in Buffalo and their only loss in Buffalo was on Nov. 5, 2004.
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