Women's Volleyball 11/11/2021 1:13:00 PM

Women's Volleyball Notes -- Week 12

WEEK 12
The final week of the regular season sees No. 16 OUAZ travel to California for a pair of GSAC matches. The Spirit will begin the trip on Friday at San Diego Christian, where the match will start at 7 p.m (Arizona). They close the season on Saturday at Vanguard at 2 p.m. (Arizona).

OUAZ takes to the road at 23-2 on the season and riding an 11-match winning streak. The Spirit are 15-1 in GSAC matches, and they have clinched the program's first-ever conference title. The Spirit is 8-1 on the road this season.

OUAZ is undefeated in six all-time meetings with San Diego Christian, including a 3-1 win over the Hawks last month in Surprise. The Spirit has won all three road games in the series.

In the series against Vanguard, OUAZ is just 1-6 with the lone win their 3-1 decision last month at Faith Arena. The Spirit has yet to win at The Pit in three matchups.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Both matches this week will be available live on the OUAZ Digital Network and the GSAC Sports Network app. The OUAZ Network is available on your computer or mobile device at OUAZSpirit.com/watch. You can download the GSAC Network app on all Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku devices.

NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW
The NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship qualifiers and Opening Round pairings will be announced via the selection show hosted on the PlayNAIA Facebook page Monday, November 15, at 9 a.m. (Arizona).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
OUAZ moved up three spots to No. 16 in the final edition of the 2021 NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Wednesday. The team was awarded 301 points from the voters to climb to its highest ranking in program history.

The current winning streak of 11 straight matches is the longest in program history. The previous record was nine consecutive wins that they established earlier this season. Along with setting the program record for longest winning streak, the 23 wins overall is also a new program record. The previous record was 17 set during the 2018 season.

OUAZ has seen a wealth of success in matches that go the distance, recording a 7-1 record in matches that end in five sets. They are 11-1 in five-set matches over the past two seasons while winning 12 of the last 13 matches to go to a deciding set.

The Spirit is also 2-0 this season when they lose the first two sets of a match. They first rallied for a win after losing the first two sets to then-No. 12 Bellevue on September 10. OUAZ completed the comeback again at The Master's on October 30. Entering the season, the Spirit had a 2-38 record when trailing a match 2-0.

At 12.82 kills per set, OUAZ currently leads the GSAC and ranks 33rd in the NAIA. The Spirit has recorded more kills than its opponents in 22 matches this year. They have also had a higher hitting percentage in 21 matches while hitting .204 overall to lead the conference.

The Spirit also leads the conference and is ranked 21st in the NAIA by averaging 2.06 service aces per set. The team is third in the conference, with an average of 17.46 digs per set, which is 42nd nationally. Add in the 1.59 blocks per set, and OUAZ holds the opposition to .118 hitting.

Kate Pestova has tallied 417 kills on the season, and she leads the conference in both total kills and at 4.26 kills per set. Her kills per set average are 10th in the NAIA heading into the weekend.

Pestova has reached double figures in kills 24 times this season and in 40 of the 41 matches, she has played at OUAZ.
Pestova became the OUAZ career leader in kills in the win at Westmont on October 29, and her total is currently at 663. She has also set the single-season record this year.
She has recorded 11 double-doubles and has two matches this season – and three in her OUAZ career – with 20-plus kills and 20-plus digs.
Pestova also leads the conference and ranks 14 in the NAIA by averaging 4.7 points per set.

Cristal Carrizoza has been a critical factor in the success of the Spirit this season, running the offense to its highest averages in program history.

She leads the GSAC with 985 total assists and averages 10.05 assists per set – 26th in the NAIA.
Carrizoza is the only player in program history to surpass 1,000 career assists, and she enters the weekend with 1,334 at OUAZ. She also became the single-season program leader in the win over Life Pacific on November 6.
Carrizoza continues to lead the GSAC at 0.63 aces per set, while her 62 total aces also lead the conference and rank fifth nationally.
She holds the OUAZ career record with 97 career aces, and this season's 62 aces are the single-season record.
Carrizoza recorded the first 50-20 match in program history with 54 assists and 22 digs against Westmont on September 18.

Valentina Trovato leads the Spirit with 393 digs – third-most in the GSAC – averaging 4.01 digs per set.

That average ranks third in the conference.
Trovato has reached double figures in digs 19 times this season and 33 times in her OUAZ career.
She enters the weekend 36 digs shy of the single-season program record and 120 away from the career record.

Avie Butsko is hitting a team-best .263 to place second in the conference.

Butsko has been in double figures in kills ten times this season and 27 times at OUAZ.
She currently ranks 18th in the conference with 201 kills and 14th with 60 blocks.

Chelsea Taylor has recorded 79 blocks to rank third in the GSAC in the category. She has tallied at least three blocks in a match 17 times this season.

Her 0.88 blocks per set ranks fifth in the conference.
Taylor set the program record for blocks in a single season against Life Pacific on November 6.

LOOKING AHEAD
OUAZ will make its first appearance at the NAIA National Championship on Saturday, November 20, when they play in the Opening Round. The site and opponent will be announced on Monday.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#14 Avie Butsko: MB; 5' 11"; Senior

#17 Cristal Carrizoza: S; 5' 9"; Junior

#13 Kate Pestova: OH; 5' 10"; Senior

#18 Chelsea Taylor: MB/OPP; 5' 11"; Senior

#2 Valentina Trovato: L; 5' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#14 Avie Butsko
: 5' 11"; Senior
: MB

#17 Cristal Carrizoza
: 5' 9"; Junior
: S

#13 Kate Pestova
: 5' 10"; Senior
: OH

#18 Chelsea Taylor
: 5' 11"; Senior
: MB/OPP

#2 Valentina Trovato
: 5' 6"; Senior
: L