Highlanders Host Tournament Beginning Friday

(Sept. 6, 2007) - Six matches in three days will highlight the UC Riverside Volleyball Tournament, beginning Friday, September 7th. Participating teams include Army, Idaho State, Robert Morris University and the host Highlanders. Play begins at 10 a.m. at the Physical Education Gymnasium.

Admission to the tournament is free. There is a parking fee to park on campus. Click here for a campus map.

About the Highlanders
The host UC Riverside Highlanders competed at the Colorado State Tournament in Greeley, hosted by the University of Northern Colorado, posting a 1-3 record. The Highlanders are led by sophomore outside hitter Dominique Cowling and her 3.36 kills per game average. Senior middle Angie Mitchell is hitting .351 this season and is the co-leader in blocks with 14. Setter Brittney Murrey is averaging 8.79 assists per game to go with her 1.36 kills per game. She is tied with Mitchell with 14 blocks on the season. Sophomore Kelley Quinn has been an early surprise for UCR, hitting .250 and averaging 2.21 kills per game and 0.79 blocks per game.

About the Opponents
Robert Morris is 3-3 on the season. The Colonials have a balanced attack with three solid hitting options. Amanda Graham leads the team in hitting percentage at .326 and is averaging 3.40 kills per game as well as 0.80 blocks per game. Emily Wolthuis has a team-high 87 kills, an average of 4.35 per game, while Jennifer Stambaugh has 65 kills, an average or 3.25 per game. The Colonials went 1-2 last weekend at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational, with their win coming in a 3-1 decision with Youngstown State. Robert Morris is located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.

The Army Golden Knights are 7-0 this season and have only lost one game in their seven matches. As a team, Army is hitting .291 as a team and averaging 15.77 kills per game, while limiting their opponents to 8.77 kills per game. Rachael Breinling is averaging a team best 3.65 kills per game and is hitting .336. Teammate Jamie Clark is hitting .348 and is averaging 2.05 kills per game. The top hitter is Lauren Teal at .376, with an average of 2.52 kills per game. Army puts up a strong block, averaging 2.05 blocks per game. Army, better known as the United States Military Academy, is located in West Point, New York.

The Idaho State University Bengals are 2-5 on the season and are coming off of losses at CS Bakersfield and against UC Davis. They have wins over Montana Western, 3-0, and Fresno State, 3-1. Charlee Kinghorn leads the team in kills with 3.22 per game, with Emily Waldron in second at 2.52 per game and Jessica Gurney third at 2.50 per game. Gurney is hitting a team-best .297. Idaho State is located in Pocatello, ID.