Women's Volleyball 11/19/2021 4:11:00 PM

Women's Volleyball Notes -- Week 13

WEEK 13
OUAZ will embark on its first appearance in the NAIA National Championship on Saturday when the Spirit host Embry-Riddle in the Opening Round. The first serve at Faith Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m.

The winner of Saturday's match will earn a trip to Sioux City, Iowa, for the final site. Pool play matches will begin on Tuesday, November 30, with the championship match on Saturday, December 4.

OUAZ enters the postseason with a 25-2 record and riding a program-record 13-match winning streak. The Spirit went 17-1 in GSAC play to win the program's first-ever conference title. They posted a 15-1 record at home this season and have won the last nine home matches.

OUAZ won both meetings against Embry-Riddle this season to move its all-time record against the Eagles to 2-5. The Spirit has gone 1-2 at home in the series and 1-0 in Faith Arena.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Saturday's match will be broadcast 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.

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 November 10. The team was awarded 301 points from the voters to climb to its highest ranking in program history.

The current winning streak of 13 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 25 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 an 8-1 record in matches that end in five sets. They are 12-1 in five-set matches over the past two seasons while winning 13 of the last 14 matches to go to a deciding set.

The Spirit is also 3-0 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 and at San Diego Christian on November 12. Entering the season, the Spirit had a 2-38 record when trailing a match 2-0.

At 12.76 kills per set, OUAZ currently leads the GSAC and ranks 37th in the NAIA. The Spirit has recorded more kills than its opponents in 24 matches this year. They have also had a higher percentage in 23 matches while hitting .203 overall to lead the conference.

The Spirit also leads the conference and is ranked 24th in the NAIA by averaging 2.04 service aces per set. The team is third in the conference, with an average of 17.51 digs per set, which is 41st nationally. Add in the 1.67 blocks per set, and OUAZ holds the opposition to .116 hitting.

Kate Pestova has tallied 454 kills on the season, and she leads the conference in both total kills and at 4.24 kills per set. Her kills per set average are 10th in the NAIA heading into the postseason.

Pestova has reached double figures in kills 26 times this season and in 42 of the 43 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 700. She has also set the single-season record this year.
She has recorded 12 double-doubles and has two matches this season – and three in her OUAZ career – with 20-plus kills and 20-plus digs.

Cristal Carrizoza was named the GSAC Player of the Year after running the OUAZ offense to its highest averages in program history.

She leads the GSAC with 1,069 total assists and averages 9.99 assists per set – 25th in the NAIA.
Carrizoza is the only player in program history to surpass 1,000 career assists, and she enters the weekend with 1,418 at OUAZ. She also became the single-season program leader in the win over Life Pacific on November 6.
Carrizoza has been an added weapon at the service line, where her 68 aces are the most in the NAIA this season, and she is 10th by posting 0.64 aces per set.
She holds the OUAZ career record with 103 career aces, and this season's 68 aces are the single-season record.

Valentina Trovato leads the Spirit with 455 digs – third-most in the GSAC – averaging 4.25 digs per set.

That average ranks third in the conference.
Trovato has reached double figures in digs 21 times this season and 33 times in her OUAZ career.
Her 456 digs this season are a new single-season school record, and she is second all-time with 798 career digs.

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 216 kills and eighth with 75 blocks.

Chelsea Taylor has recorded 85 blocks to rank second in the GSAC in the category. She has tallied at least three blocks in a match 18 times this season.

Her 0.86 blocks per set ranks sixth in the conference.
Taylor set the program record for blocks in a single season against Life Pacific on November 6.

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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