Bowers, Richards Named to All-Tournament Team

GAINESVILLE -- In a battle for the tournament championship it was the host, No. 3 Florida, that prevailed over BYU 3-0 (30-24, 30-19, 30-21) Friday in the finals of the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational.

The Cougars (2-1) kept it a close match at the beginning, but were unable to sustain a consistent attack against the Gators (4-1).

"We were things going in the first game, but couldn't keep it going," BYU coach Karen Lamb said. "Overall, though, this was a great team for us to play. It was a good measure for our team and gave us a good idea of what we need to do to improve."

BYU scored three consecutive points to start the match with a kill by Carrie Bowers and two by Lindsey Metcalf. The Gators would take the lead 5-4, but the Cougars fought back with a 4-0 run. After Florida tied the game at 13-13, the teams would trade sideouts, until the Gators took the lead for good at 17-16.

In the second game, the Cougars fell behind early as the Gators used a quick 7-0 run to take a 7-1 lead. Florida then reeled off another 7-0 run to extend its lead to 22-9. BYU was unable to sustain any run of its own, as it couldn't run off more than three consecutive points.

The third game followed the same storyline as the second, as the Gators used a 6-0 run to start. Aury Cruz led Florida's opening barrage with three kills. Bowers led the Cougar charge with five kills in the game, but the opening cushion established by Florida proved too much for BYU to handle.

"Our offense isn't in sync yet, and Florida had a leg up on us because they played last week," Lamb said. "They seemed to be in their system all day, so holding them to a .222 team attack percentage is something that I'm encouraged by."

For the match, the Cougars hit .052 and were even with the Gators with 10 team blocks each.

The Cougars were led by Bowers for the third consecutive match, as she put down a team-high 13 kills while hitting .243 (13-4-37). She also picked up three digs, and two blocks. Kim Wilson came off the bench to spark the offense with nine kills, hitting .240 and also picking up seven digs.

Lauren Richards posted her second double-double in three matches, as she had 23 assists to go with 10 digs. She also had two blocks and BYU's lone service ace.

The Gators were led by All-American and tournament MVP Cruz who had a match-high 16 kills with a .227 attack percentage.

For the tournament, Bowers led the team by recording 50 kills (5.00 kills per game), with a .443 attack percentage, 17 digs (1.70 dpg) and seven blocks (0.70 bpg). Richards tallied 106 assists (10.60 apg), 16 kills (1.60 kpg), 25 digs (2.50 dpg), five aces (0.50 sapg) and five blocks (0.50 bpg).

"Carrie really had a tremendous tournament," Lamb said. "She is an extremely competitive player and her play is great for the team."

BYU will return home for the start of school next week before departing for Springfield, Mo., on Thursday, where it will take part in the Southwest Missouri State Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational. The Cougars will play Arkansas and North Texas on Friday, and Saint Louis and SMS on Saturday.

The Cougars will make their home debut Sept. 12 against No. 18 Ohio State in the BYU Mizuno Classic.

                              Volleyball Box Score
                       2003 BYU Women's Volleyball Stats
            BYU Cougars vs FLORIDA (Aug 30, 2003 at Gainesville, FL)
    BYU Cougars            |     ATTACK      |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF|  BLOCK |GEN
 ## Name                 GP|  K   E  TA   PCT|  A| SA  SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  VARNER, April.......  2|  2   3  19 -.053|  0|  0   0|  2|  3| 0  2  0|  0
 5  RICHARDS, Lauren....  3|  6   5  16  .062| 23|  1   1|  0| 10| 0  2  2|  1
 6  METCALF, Lindsey....  3|  4   7  23 -.130|  0|  0   1|  0| 11| 0  3  0|  0
 8  BOWERS, Carrie......  3| 13   4  37  .243|  4|  0   0|  0|  3| 0  2  0|  0
 14 HARTSOCK, Lindsy....  2|  1   1   5  .000|  0|  0   1|  0|  0| 0  5  0|  0
 18 NIELSEN, Laura......  3|  0   4   7 -.571|  0|  0   4|  0|  0| 0  4  1|  0
 4  TOGO, Melanie.......  2|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   0|  0|  2| 0  0  0|  0
 7  WILSON, Kim.........  2|  9   3  25  .240|  3|  0   1|  1|  7| 0  1  0|  0
 9  BROWN, Lexi.........  1|  0   1   1-1.000|  0|  0   0|  0|  0| 0  1  0|  0
 12 CRABBE, Uila........  3|  0   0   0  .000|  3|  0   0|  0| 11| 0  0  0|  0
 15 CASTILLO, Sahara....  1|  0   0   2  .000|  0|  0   0|  0|  0| 0  0  0|  0
    TEAM................   |                 |   |       |  1|   |        |
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..............  3| 35  28 135  .052| 33|  1   8|  4| 47| 0 20  3|  1
 TEAM ATTACK PER GAME                               TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 10.0
 Game  K  E  TA   Pct
   1  14 12  46  .043   GAME SCORES           1  2  3  TEAM RECORDS
   2  10  6  39  .103   BYU Cougars......... 24 19 21  2-1
   3  11 10  50  .020   FLORIDA............. 30 30 30  4-1
    FLORIDA                |     ATTACK      |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF|  BLOCK |GEN
 ## Name                 GP|  K   E  TA   PCT|  A| SA  SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  Sherri Williams.....  3| 12   3  21  .429|  0|  0   2|  0|  1| 1  3  0|  0
 8  Rachel Engel........  3|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   2|  0| 10| 0  0  0|  0
 9  Aury Cruz...........  3| 16   6  44  .227|  0|  2   2|  1| 12| 2  1  0|  0
 10 Benavia Jenkins.....  3| 10   3  25  .280|  0|  0   1|  0|  3| 1  1  0|  0
 23 Lauren Moscovic.....  3|  1   0   5  .200| 40|  0   0|  0|  3| 0  0  0|  0
 33 Jane Collymore......  3|  8   4  20  .200|  1|  2   1|  0| 14| 0  1  0|  0
 7  Michelle Chatman....  1|  1   0   2  .500|  0|  0   0|  0|  0| 0  0  0|  0
 13 Amber McCray........  3|  0   4   9 -.444|  2|  0   0|  0|  0| 2  2  0|  0
 15 Jen Mandes..........  3|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   0|  0| 17| 0  0  0|  0
 22 Taylor Williams.....  1|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   0|  0|  1| 0  0  0|  0
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..............  3| 48  20 126  .222| 43|  4   8|  1| 61| 6  8  0|  0
 TEAM ATTACK PER GAME                               TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 10.0
 Game  K  E  TA   Pct
   1  15  8  43  .163   Site: Gainesville, FL (O'Connell Center)
   2  17  5  39  .308   Date: Aug 30, 2003   Attend: 4297   Time: 1:31
   3  16  7  44  .205   Referees: Donna Carter, Leisa Jordan

BYU to Begin 35th Recorded Season

PROVO -- After an off-season which saw 11 newcomers added to its roster, the BYU women's volleyball team will open its 35th recorded season at the USA Campus Credit Union Invitational on the campus of the University of Florida.

Held in Gainesville, Fla., the Cougars will play two matches on Friday, against American at 10 a.m. and Rutgers at 3:30. BYU will conclude the tournament by facing No. 3 Florida on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. All times are Mountain Daylight Time.

With the off-season infusion of additional talent, the Cougars have been able to hold competitive and spirited summer practices, and are now ready for the season to begin.

"We're ready to play somebody other than ourselves," BYU coach Karen Lamb said. "We've had tremendous practices through the summer, and it really impressed me how hard the team worked."

With players seemingly evenly matched, the coaching staff waited until this week to announce the starting lineup.

Redshirt sophomore setter Lauren Richards will quarterback the attack and senior rightside hitter Carrie Bowers will play on the opposite side. Redshirt freshman Lindsy Lewis-Hartsock will be teamed with pre-season All-Mountain West Conference player, senior Laura Nielsen in the middle.

On the outside a pair of juniors, April Varner and Lindsey Metcalf have gotten the starting nod. Senior Uila Crabbe will be BYU's starting libero for the third consecutive year.

Two sophomores with starting experience, outside hitter Kim Wilson and middle blocker Lexi Brown are also expected to see significant court action.

"I feel extremely good about our level of competitiveness," Lamb said. "Defensively we will be solid, and the offense will progress as long as we serve and pass well."

Through the summer, BYU remained fairly healthy. Junior libero Lindsey Kearl has been slowed by an injured back, otherwise the Cougars escaped summer two-a-days relatively unscathed.

As Lamb prepares for her second season as the Cougars' head coach she believes that improvement is a continual process. While the team has made great strides, she expects BYU to be a markedly improved squad by mid-season.

"We're aware of our opponents, and we're preparing for them," Lamb said. "At this point, though, we want to concentrate on ourselves and what we need to do to keep our focus and improve."

This Week's Opponents

American returns 10 letterwinners from last year's team that went 26-8 enroute to winning the Patriot League title with a perfect 14-0 conference mark. The Eagles have yet to play this year this is the first meeting between American and BYU.

Rutgers returns eight letterwinners and three starters from last year's 17-11 team. The Scarlet Knights will open their season by facing host Florida before playing the Cougars. BYU holds a 1-0 all-time edge over Rutgers with the win coming in 1998.

Florida is 1-1 on the season after losing to USC before defeating Kansas State at the State Farm Women's Volleyball Classic hosted by the University of Hawai'i last week. The Gators return 10 letterwinners and five starters on a team that went 34-3 in 2002 and advanced to the NCAA National Semifinals. Florida hold a slim 4-3 all-time series lead over BYU, and won its most recent meeting at last year's BYU Mizuno Classic.

This Week's Projected Starting Lineup

5 Lauren Richards 6-0 SO S

8 Carrie Bowers 6-2 SR RS

3 April Varner 6-0 JR OH

6 Lindsey Metcalf 6-0 JR OH

14 Lindsy Lewis-Hartsock 6-4 FR MB

18 Laura Nielsen 6-1 SR MB

12 Uila Crabbe 5-7 SR L

Hopping the Flight to Florida

The Cougars are taking 13 players on their season-opening trip to the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., hosted by the University of Florida.

Planned Redshirts for 2003

Of BYU's eight incoming true freshman, six are slated to redshirt the 2003 season. They are: Catherine Parker, Lindsey Evans, Stacie Powell, Amy Hulse, Annie Kemp and Kimberly Dabo.

Lott Traveling to Florida

True freshman Erica Lott, a Volleyball Magazine "Fab 50" recruit, will travel to Florida with the team. During summer two-a-days, she has been practicing as a middle blocker and an outside hitter. Lott played last year at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah.

Setter Staying

True freshman setter Jenna Judkins, who has served as the second-team setter will not be making the season-opening trip to Florida. She will stay behind to attend her sister's wedding.

Best and Worst Starts to a Season

The Cougars' best-ever start to a season is 23-0 in 1977, a year in which they finished 34-5. BYU's worst start to a season is 1979 when it started 0-2. The Cougars have never lost more than two matches in a row to start a season. In 2002, the Cougars won their season opener against Gonzaga before losing four in a row.

Outside Hitting Trio

Three players are expected to split time on the outside. Junior April Varner was outstanding in camp after sitting out most of the latter part of the 2002 season due to an ankle injury. Lindsey Metcalf and Kim Wilson also figure in the mix with each possessing distinct strengths. Metcalf set the Mountain West Conference single-match blocking record with 17 against UNLV last year. She has the universal ability to play anywhere on the court. Wilson came on as last season progressed and was BYU's main offensive force down the stretch. She is one of the Cougars' highest leapers and possesses a strong arm swing.

Injury Update

Lindsey Kearl has been bothered by recurring back pain, and has been practicing, but will not make the season-opening trip to Florida. Lexi Brown has also been bothered by back pain, but is able to play. Brown (knee), Carrie Bowers (feet) and April Varner (ankle) have recovered well from various serious injuries they suffered last season.

Roster of Champions

After an unprecedented year in which nine of the 16 players on the roster sustained injury, BYU made it a mandate to recruit additional talent. While at times last year the Cougars didn't have enough players to scrimmage, with the current 21 players on the roster, BYU is not only ensured of having enough players to practice, but the team's competitive level of play in practice has risen.

Young and Experienced

Of the Cougars' nine returning letterwinners, eight have starting experience. Of those eight, all eight have the potential to be All-MWC team selections with playing time.

Richards Ready to Rule

Sophomore setter Lauren Richards enters her first season as BYU's setter. Before redshirting last season, she played as an outside hitter in her true freshman season in 2001. Richards has extensive experience setting, however. In her experiences with the U.S. Girls Junior National team and U.S. A-2 Women's National teams (2001 and 2002), she played as a setter.

Blue/White Scrimmage

The Cougars held their annual Blue/White Scrimmage Saturday and all 21 players saw action. Five games were played in total and Kim Wilson led all players with 16 kills, while April Varner tallied 13. Carrie Bowers led the defensive side with nine blocks and Lindsy Lewis-Hartsock had seven.