Sak Named AVCA All-American

Wayne State University sophomore middle blocker Katarzyna Sak (Warren, Mich./Cousino) capped off her successful 2010 season by being selected as an Honorable Mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, the organization announced Monday evening.

Already the recipient of two All-Midwest Region honors, Sak was also a First Team All-GLIAC selection this fall.  She is the fourth volleyball All-American in school history, joining Sarha Gosselin (2008), Elisa Joris (2005) and Rachel Parham (1987).

Sak finished the season with 401 kills and became the first WSU player since 1992 to finish with over 400 kills and a hitting percentage above .330. Her 59 service aces were also the most since 1992.

She was a key contributor to Wayne State finishing in second place (15-12, 13-6 GLIAC) in the South Division and ending the regular season on a six-match winning streak. The Warriors qualified for the postseason for the third straight year and earned home-court advantage for the first round.

Sak Earns Two All-Region Awards

DETROIT - Wayne State University sophomore middle blocker Katarzyna Sak (Warren, Mich./Cousino) was selected to two All-Midwest Region teams which were announced Wednesday.

She was voted to the Daktronics, Inc. All-Midwest Region Second Team in a vote by the region's sports information directors, and to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region team as voted upon by the head coaches in the region.

Sak ranks fourth in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a .333 hitting percentage. She is also the conference leader in overall service aces (0.59 per set) and ranks fourth in kills (4.01), fourth in blocks (1.15) and second in points (5.26).

A First Team All-GLIAC selection, Sak was also a three-time GLIAC South Division Player of the Week recipient in 2010.  She finished the season with 401 kills and became the first WSU player since 1992 to finish with over 400 kills and a hitting percentage above .330. Her 59 service aces were also the most since 1992.

Sak was a key contributor to Wayne State finishing in second place (15-12, 13-6 GLIAC) in the South Division and ending the regular season on a six-match winning streak. The Warriors qualified for the postseason for the third straight year and earned home-court advantage for the first round.

Volleyball Hosts Ferris State Thursday In GLIAC Quarterfinal

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GLIAC TOURNAMENT
The fourth-seeded Wayne State Warriors will host the fifth-seeded Ferris State Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Matthaei.

Wayne State finished the regular season in second place in the GLIAC South Division.  Ferris State placed third in the North Division and, with both teams posting a 13-6 conference record, WSU earned the right to host FSU by way of a head-to-head tiebreaker.


WEEK IN REVIEW
Wayne State ended the regular season on a six-match winning streak. The Warriors defeated Findlay in five sets last Tuesday before shutting out Michigan Tech on Friday and earning a monumental 3-1 triumph Saturday over #19 Northern Michigan. Wayne State, which had lost 26 consecutive meetings to NMU, defeated the Wildcats for the first time since September 1990.

Katarzyna Sak was named GLIAC South Division Player of the Week for the third time this season. She averaged five kills per set and exceeded the 20-kill mark twice, matching her career-high with 23 against the Oilers and totaling 21 versus the Wildcats. Sak hit .609 on Saturday against Michigan Tech and .410 for the week, and racked up 15 service aces as well as nine blocks in the three victories. She had six aces Saturday, most by a Warrior since 2004.

Cydney Biessel averaged 11.50 assists, Lindsey Graciak amassed 62 digs, and Maureen MacDonald had 30 kills as well as 27 digs.

WSU’s 13 conference wins are the most since the 1998 squad went 15-4.


SCOUTING FERRIS STATE
Wayne State battled to a five-set victory on Sept. 25 at the Matthaei to defeat Ferris State for the first time since 1998. Since that meeting, the Bulldogs are 11-4 and come in - much like Wayne State - riding the momentum of a six-match winning streak.

Three of FSU’s last four victories have been shutouts, including last Wednesday against Saginaw Valley State and Friday versus Lake Superior State.

Senior middle hitter Arielle Goodson, who had 20 kills and hit .452 Friday against the Lakers, ranks second in the GLIAC in kills (4.13 per set). Sophomore setter Samantha Fordyce and junior libero Lisa Tobiczyk respectively average 10.17 assists and 4.38 digs, both figures ranking fourth in the conference.


POSTSEASON HISTORY
Wayne State is playing in its third consecutive GLIAC Tournament, having qualified in every year of head coach Phil Nickel’s tenure. Thursday will be the second time in three years that WSU has hosted the first round, as the Warriors defeated Hillsdale at the Matthaei in the opening round in 2008. Last season, Wayne State was ousted by Ashland, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. In total, WSU has qualified for the GLIAC Volleyball Tournament seven times prior to 2010. Wayne State made four straight trips from 1996-99 and another in 2005.

The last time Wayne State and Ferris State met in postseason play resulted in a 3-2 victory for the Bulldogs at the 1987 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional in Big Rapids.


AT THE HELM
Nickel is in his third season as Wayne State’s head volleyball coach and has a record of 51-32. In his five-year career, which includes two seasons at Thomas More College, Nickel is 85-75. Tia Brandel-Wilhelm is in her 15th season at FSU with a record of 305-159, and is 423-179 overall in 18 years. She earned her 300th victory at Ferris State on Oct. 24 as the Bulldogs defeated Michigan Tech, 3-1.

Warriors Defeat NMU For First Time Since 1990

DETROIT - In its regular-season finale, the Wayne State University volleyball team (15-11, 13-6 GLIAC) snapped a 26-match losing streak against 19th-ranked Northern Michigan University (20-5, 14-4 GLIAC) with a 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Matthaei.

Scores were 25-22, 25-17, 26-28, 25-23 as Wayne State closed out the regular campaign on a six-match winning streak. The Warriors, who had not defeated NMU since September 1990, also clinched home-court advantage in the quarterfinals of the GLIAC Tournament on Thursday.

As Wayne State celebrated Senior Day, Maureen MacDonald (White Lake, Mich./Marian) totaled six kills and 12 digs, while Katy Westenberg (Milford, Mich.) racked up eight digs and a pair of service aces.

Katarzyna Sak (Warren, Mich./Cousino) led all players with 21 kills, her fourth 20-plus kill performance of the season. She also had three b locks and six service aces, two shy of the school record and the most by a Warrior since Kerri Royer had six aces on Sept. 17, 2004 against Gannon.

Madie Kent (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North) had 11 kills and eight digs, Cydney Biessel (Ruby, Mich./Yale) amassed 45 assists, and Lindsey Graciak (Westland, Mich./Livonia Churchill) posted 20 digs.

Northern Michigan jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the opening set, but Wayne State chipped away and tied it at 10-10. The Warriors took a 15-14 advantage and led the rest of the way to a 25-22 result.

After winning the second set, 25-17, the Warriors fought off three set points in the third before the Wildcats sealed it 28-26. Kent and Sak combined for 13 kills.

Wayne State led by as many as five early in the fourth until NMU tied it at 16-16. A battle ensued with WSU getting the edge, 25-23.

The Warriors will host Ferris State in the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

NOTES
Sak has 57 service aces this season, and became the first WSU player to exceed 50 aces in a season since Alison Soethe (52) in 1997 … Biessel is averaging 10.42 assists per set this season, fourth-best in school history … Wayne State’s 13 conference wins are the most since the 1998 squad went 15-4.

Volleyball Clinches Tourney Spot With 3-2 Win Over Findlay

DETROIT - The Wayne State University volleyball team (13-11, 11-6 GLIAC) clinched a berth in the conference tournament for the third straight season following Tuesday night’s 3-2 victory over the University of Findlay (12-14, 6-11 GLIAC) at the Matthaei.

The Warriors battled back from a 2-1 deficit (23-25, 25-10, 28-30) to take the final two sets (25-20, 15-11) and win their fourth straight match. Wayne State has won the last six meetings against Findlay, including three five-set results.

Katarzyna Sak (Warren, Mich./Cousino) finished with 23 kills, matching the career-high she established Oct. 22 against Tiffin. She hit .333, made three blocks and had four service aces.

Maureen MacDonald (White Lake, Mich./Marian) and Madie Kent (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North) each posted double-doubles, the fifth of the season for both Warriors. MacDonald collected 14 kills and 12 digs, while Kent racked up 13 kills and 13 digs. Kent also had two aces and a pair of blocks.

Cydney Biessel’s (Ruby, Mich./Yale) 61 assists were the most by a WSU player since Rebecca Hague had 61 at Lake Superior State on Oct. 10, 2003. Biessel also had five digs and three blocks.

In the opening set, the Oilers erased a 20-15 deficit with a 10-3 run. Findlay out-hit WSU, .345 to .200, and took a 1-0 lead.

The Warriors turned the tide in the second, hitting .364 to UF’s .000 mark. Sak had five kills as Wayne State cruised to a 25-10 win.

While the two sides were never separated by more than three points in the third set, Wayne State trailed for the majority of the set as Findlay served to take a 2-1 lead at 24-21. The Warriors fought back with a four-point run to pull ahead 25-24, but the Oilers were finally able to finish it off 30-28.

Wayne State led for the duration of the fourth, and in the fifth WSU clinched the match with a 15-11 triumph.

Others contributing up front were Amanda Wetherill (Forest, Ohio/Riverdale) who had nine kills, Nicole Arends (Ravenna, Mich.) who hit .556 with six kills and three blocks, and Kris Vulaj (Redford, Mich./Union) who finished with five kills. Defensively, Lindsey Graciak (Westland, Mich./Livonia Churchill) led all players with 25 digs.

Wayne State will close out the regular season this weekend, hosting Michigan Tech on Friday and Northern Michigan on Saturday.