Complete Release | PDF // Tournament of Champions Web Site
SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster College women's volleyball team will open the 2013 season by playing host to the Westminster Tournament of Champions on August 23-24 in the Behnken Field House. The Tournament will feature five matches each day with Cornerstone (Mich.), Dixie State (Utah), Hope International (Calif.) and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) making the trip.
The Griffins will face Hope International at 4 p.m. on Friday and then Olivet Nazarene at 8 p.m. that night. They return for Saturday matches with Cornerstone at 2 p.m. and Dixie State at 6 p.m. Every match of the tournament will have live stats available and be carried live on Griffins TV. Complete coverage of the tournament including stats, schedules, links to live stats and video are all available at WestminsterGriffins.com/toc.
GRIFFIN NOTEBOOK
Westminster enters the 2013 season coming off a 14-13 finish in 2012 for the first winning season since the 2007 campaign. The Griffins return 13 players from that squad, including four starters and the libero as they look to improve from a 7-8 record in Frontier Conference play a year ago.
With so many players back for the upcoming season, the Griffins are returning most of the statistical output from 2012. The 13 returning players accounted for 834 of the team's 1,299 kills (64.9%) last season. They also bring back 62.4 percent of service aces, 74.5 percent of digs, 67.6 percent of blocks and an astonishing 96.7 percent of all assists.
The Griffins claimed nine of their 14 wins in the Behnken Field House in 2012. The nine home wins were the most for the team since picking up 10 wins at home in 2007 and are the third-most in team history. They also were a perfect 9-0 on the season when winning the first two sets of a match and 9-3 when taking a 2-1 set advantage.
AGAINST THE OPPOSITION
Westminster has faced all four of this week's opponents once each. They have gone 2-2 in those four matches, claiming wins over Hope International and Dixie State. The most recent match against one of the four teams was a 3-0 loss to Cornerstone in 2009.
ALL ABOUT ATKINSON
Senior All-American candidate Emily Atkinson is the key to the Griffins offense this season. The Griffins setter is coming off a career-best 1,026 assists in 2012 that earned her second team All-Frontier Conference honors. She enters the season with 2,736 career assists and needs just 74 dimes to become the all-time leader.
Atkinson also led the team with 13 double-doubles last season and she averaged 2.71 digs per set as a junior. She was the team-leader in digs during three matches and twice recorded at least 20 digs in a match. For good measure, Atkinson also led the team in blocks on three occasions in 2012.
DIGGING WITH KORDAKIS
Senor libero Kyndall Kordakis totaled a career-high 497 digs last season which was the third-highest total in school history. She ranked third in the Frontier with an average of 4.83 digs per set while leading the team in digs 19 times. Kordakis recorded 22 matches with a double-digit dig total and she had at least 20 digs in 11 matches.
Kordakis enters the 2013 season with 1,300 career digs to sit second in school history. She needs 413 digs to pass Bree Riet for the school record. At her current career average, Kordakis would need 24 matches to set the record.
CATCHING UP WITH AALONA
Outside hitter Alexis Aalona returns after finishing second on the team with 241 kills last season. The junior racked up nine matches as the team-leader in kills and 10 times went for double figures. She surpassed the 15 kills mark in three matches while hitting .174 for the season.
Aalona also picked up 204 digs during the year with nine double figure dig matches and once reaching 20 digs in a match. She led the team in digs one time and finished with six double-doubles. Aalona also claimed 16 service aces and 48 blocks as a sophomore.
REJECTED BY VANCE
Senior Katie Vance has her sights set on the Westminster career block record entering the season. The middle blocker is coming off a 64-block season in 2012 and she has 192 rejections in her Griffin career. Vance would need a career-best 85 blocks this season to pass Angie Johnson for the all-time mark.
Last season, Vance led the team in blocks on 10 occasions and had at least five blocks during four matches. She hit .187 for the season which placed second on the team while picking up 69 kills. Vance was also strong at the service line where she totaled 21 service aces.
NORMAN NEARING 150
Head Coach Kim Norman enters her 10th season as the head coach of the women's volleyball team at Westminster in 2013. During that time, Norman has guided the Griffins to a 135-128 overall record and a .513 winning percentage. The team has four winning seasons and has gone 75-52 (.591) in Frontier Conference play while winning regular season titles in 2005 and 2006.
FRONTIER PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The Griffins have been picked to finish fifth in the Frontier Conference this season according to a poll of the league's coaches. Carroll (Mont.) was selected as the favorite to win the 2013 title after receiving five first-place votes and 60 points. Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) was picked second with 57 points and three first-place votes. Rocky Mountain (Mont.) took one first-place vote to earn 48 points to be selected third with Montana State-Northern coming in fourth with 41 points. Great Falls (Mont.), Montana Tech and Montana Western were selected sixth, seventh and eight respectively. Dickinson State (N.D.) was selected ninth.
WESTMINSTER SPORTS REPORT
The 2013-14 season will mark the debut of the Westminster Sports Report on Griffins TV. The Sports Report will air twice a month on the Griffins internet channel and feature a look inside all of your favorite Westminster teams. The premier episode will air on Wednesday, August 21 and feature season previews for women's volleyball along with men's and women's soccer.
FOLLOWING THE GRIFFINS
To keep up with all of the latest news and information about the Westminster women's volleyball team, fans are encouraged to "Like" the Griffins on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. And as always, make sure to visit WestminsterGriffins.com for all things Griffins during the 2013 season.
