Ranking: #2 USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll
#3 Volleyball Magazine
Conference: Big Ten
Record:
19-1 Big Ten (.950)
33-1 Overall (.971), as of 12/17
Have won 12 straight matches (last 11 in three games)
Only loss of the season 10/31 at Wisconsin, 1-3 (11-15, 7-15, 15-6, 5-15)
Swept opponents in three games 25 times in 33 wins this season.
36 match home winning streak - Nations longest (3rd longest in school history/11th in NCAA history)
Head-to-Head:
Penn State vs. Florida, 3-0 last played in 1989
Penn State vs. Stanford, 2-1 wins 8/23, 9/6/97, loss 1992 NCAA tourney
Penn State vs. Long Beach, 2-1 lost 1993 NCAA Championship Match 1-3 (13-15, 15-12, 11-15, 14-16)
Coach (alma mater, year):
Russ Rose (George Williams, 1975)
1997 Tachikara/AVCA National Coach of the Year
1997 Big Ten Co-coach of the Year
Career record: 616-118 (83.9) 19 years
Record at school: 616-118 (83.9) 19 years
1997 conference record, finish: 19-1, tied for first
How qualified: Automatic bid by winning Big Ten regular-season title
NCAA tournament appearances:
17th tournament appearance (every year since 1981)
Final Four: 1997
1994 (lost 3-2 to UCLA in the semifinals
15-3, 4-15, 9-15, 15-5, 11-5)
1993 (lost 3-2 to Long Beach State in the Final
15-3, 4-15, 9-15, 15-5, 11-15
def. 3-1 BYU in semifinals,
15-13, 6-15, 16-14, 15-12)
1997 tournament results:
Second round - def. Northern Illinois, 3-0 (15-8, 15-7, 15-4);
Regional semifinal - def. Ohio State, 3-0 (15-4, 15-4, 15-10);
Regional final - def. BYU, 3-0 (15-0, 15-12, 15-10)
Zemaitis 15 kills
Cacciamani 11 kills
Team .382, .586 game one
Best finish: National runner up in 1993
Record vs. teams in tournament: 14-1
Players to watch (key stats):
#5 Terri Zemaitis MB Sr. 6-2 Downers Grove, Ill (ZA-mite-us)
394 kills, .359% - 4th in Big Ten as of 12/16/97
3.68 kpg
2.06 dpg
1.74 Season Blocks/Game - #4 in Nation as of 11/23
0.32 service aces per game - 10th Big Ten as of 12/16/97
1997 AVCA 1st Team All-American
1997 Big Ten All-Conference Team
#3 Bonnie Bremner S So. 5-9 Lisle, Ill.
.387 Season Hitting Percentage - #11 Nation as of 11/23
192 kills, .394% - 1st in Big Ten as of 12/16/97
12.04 assists per game - 10th Big Ten as of 12/16/97
2.19 dpg
1997 AVCA 1st Team All-American
1997 Big Ten Player of the Year
#2 Lauren Cacciamani MB So. 6-2 Paramus, N.Y (KA-chia-MA-nee)
.393 Season Hitting Percentage - #9 Nation as of 11/23
342 kills as of 12/16
3.21 kills per game as of 12/16
1.84 Season Blocks/Game - #3 in Nation as of 11/23
1997 AVCA 2nd Team All-American
1997 Big Ten All-Conference Team
#11 Christy Cochran OH Jr. 5-10 Bethlehem, Pa. (COCK-run)
1997 Big Ten Honorable Mention
#8 Lindsay Anderson Sr.
2.99 digs per game - 10th Big Ten as of 12/16/97
Ranking: #8 USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll
#7 Volleyball Magazine
Conference:Southeastern
Record:
14-0 Conference (1.000)
34-3 Overall, as of 12/17
Head-to-Head:
Florida vs. Penn State, 0-3, last played in 1989
Florida vs. Long Beach, 1-1, including loss on 9/19, win on 9/20
Florida vs. Stanford, 1-10 including 0-1 in 1992 NCAA Tournament
Coach (alma mater, year):
Mary Wise (Purdue, 1981)
Career record: 314-87 (11 years)
Record at school: 233-24 (7 years)
1997 Conference record, finish: SEC regular season champs
How qualified: At-large selection
NCAA tournament appearances:
8th tournament appearance (1987-91-92-93-94-95-96-97)
Final Four: 1997
1996 (lost 0-3 to Hawaii, semifinal)
1993 (lost 0-3 to *Long Beach State, semifinal)
1992 (lost 0-3 to UCLA, semifinal)
1997 tournament results:
Second round - def. South Florida, 3-0 (15-12, 15-9, 15-5);
Regional semifinal - def. Washington State, 3-0 (15-10, 15-6, 15-8);
Regional final - def. Wisconsin, 3-2 (8-15, 14-16, 15-7, 15-11, 15-5)
Nina Foster 22 kills (.514%), 10 blocks, 3 aces
Aurymar Rodriguez 11 kills
Jenny Manz 10 kills, 25 digs
Jenni Keene 10 kills, 12 digs
Heather Wright 10 kills (.471), 8 blocks,
Sandra Reboucas 11 digs
Nikki Shade 54 assists, 7 digs, 5 blocks, 7 kills
Team - Florida .303 (70-23-155)
Wisconsin .150 (63-35-187)
Florida committed just eight hitting errors
in winning the final three games, including
no errors in game five, after recording 15 errors
in the first two games alone.
Florida led in blocks, 20-8, and digs, 73-54.
Best finish: Advanced to final four in 1992, '93 and '96
Record vs. teams in tournament: 12-3
Players to watch (key stats):
#23 Nina Foster MB Sr. 6-2 Mission Viejo, CA
2,181 Career Kills (Alabama and Florida)
.431 Season Hitting Percentage - #2 in the Nation as of 11/23
1.49 Season Blocks/Game - #16 in Nation as of 11/23
510 Season Kills
4.18 kpg, 1.55 bpg
1997 AVCA 1st Team All-American
1997 NCAA Central Region MVP
1997 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year
1995 World University Games
#10 Aurymar Rodriguez OH Sr. 6-1 Rio Piedras, PR
3.71 kpg
2.39 dpg
#16 Jenny Manz OH So. 6-0 Orange Park, FL
3.53 kpg
2.61 dpg
#2 Nikki Shade S Sr. 5-9 DeSoto, TX
13.35 Season Assists/Game - #18 in Nation as of 11/23
#14 Jenni Keene OH Jr. 5-11 Lodi, CA
Ranking: #1 USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll
#2 Volleyball Magazine
Conference:Big West
Record:
33-1 Overall (as of 12/17)
One season loss to Florida, 9/20, 2-3 (12-15, 15-10, 15-12, 11-15, 11-15)
Won 24 consecutive matches (22 sweeps)
Head-to-Head:
Long Beach vs. Stanford 1-10, including 0-1 in 1992 NCAA Tournament
Long Beach vs. Florida 1-1, including win on 9/19, loss on 9/20
Long Beach vs. Penn State 1-2, won 1992 NCAA Championship Match 3-1 (15-13, 12-15, 15-11, 16-14)
Coach (alma mater, year):
Brian Gimmillaro (Long Beach State, 1970)
Career record: 355-92 (13 years)
Record at school: 355-92 (13 years)
1997 Conference record, finish: 16-0, First
How qualified: Won Big West tournament
NCAA tournament appearances:
12th tournament appearance (1985-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97)
Final Four: Fifth time
1997
1993
1989
NCAA Champion - 1993 (defeated Penn State, 3-0 in the Final)
1989 (defeated Nebraska in the Final)
1997 tournament results:
Second round - def. Loyola Marymount, 3-0 (15-9, 15-5, 15-5);
Regional semifinal - def. Washington, 3-0 (15-4, 15-5, 15-12);
Regional final - def. Nebraska, 3-0 (15-9, 15-9, 15-3)
Best finish: National champion in 1989 and '93, runner-up in '92
Record vs. teams in tournament: 11-1
(1-0 vs. Northern Illinois, 1-0 vs. Villanova, 1-0 vs. BYU, 1-0 vs. Notre Dame,
1-1 vs. Florida, 1-0 vs. Hawaii, 2-0 vs. Pacific, 3-0 vs. Santa Barbara)
Players to watch (key stats):
Misty May S Jr. 5-9 Costa Mesa, Calif.
12.14 assists per game
.372%, 2.07 kpg
3.12 dpg
1997 AVCA 1st Team All-American
1997 Big West Player of the Year
1996 Big West Player of the Year
Benishe Dillard MB Jr. 6-1 Kent, Wash
.408 Season Hitting Percentage - #5 in the Nation as of 11/23
240 Kills as of 11/23
1997 AVCA 2nd Team All-American
Jenn Snyder
3.32 kpg, 2.63 dpg
Nique Crump
.446 Season Hitting Percentage - #1 in the Nation as of 11/23
294 Season Kills as of 11/23
3.18 kpg, 1.10 bpg
Ranking: #3 USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll
#1 Volleyball Magazine
Conference:Pac-10
Record:
18-0 (1.000) Conference,
31-2 (.939) Overall as of 12/17
Won 26 straight matches (23 in three games)
School record is 27 straight wins (9/4/91-11/27/91)
Only losses of the season to Penn State, 8/23 and 9/6/97
8/23 - 0-3, (8-15, 13-15, 9-15) @ Stanford, State Farm/NACWAA Women's Classic
9/6 - 1-3, (16-14, 6-15, 12-15, 7-15) @ Storrs, Connecticut
Head-To-Head:
Stanford vs. Long Beach 10-1, including 1-0 in 1992 NCAA Tournament
3-1 (15-10, 15-12, 6-15, 15-9)
Stanford vs. Florida 1-0
Stanford vs. Penn State 1-2, losses 8/23, 9/6/97, won 1992 NCAA tourney
Coach (alma mater, year):
Don Shaw (UC Santa Barbara, 1977)
1997 PAC-10 Co-Coach of the Year
1991 National Coach of the Year
1992, 1994 Regional Coach of the Year
.851 Overall Winning Percentage - #1 among active DI coaches
Career record: 377-63 (14 years)
Record at school: 377-63 (14 years)
1997 conference record/ finish: 18-0/first
How qualified: Automatic bid by winning Pac-10 regular-season title
NCAA tournament appearances:
17th tournament appearance (every year since 1981)
Final Four: 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1992, 1987, 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982
NCAA Tourney Record: 44-14 (.759) - 44 tournament victories are NCAA Record
NCAA Champions: 1996 (defeated Hawaii, 3-0, 15-7, 15-3, 15-5)
1994 (defeated UCLA, 3-1, 15-10, 5-15, 16-14, 15-13)
1992 (defeated UCLA, 3-1, 15-8, 15-9, 6-15, 15-10)
1997 tournament results:
Second round - def. Oklahoma, 3-0 (15-2, 15-6, 15-7);
Regional semifinal - def. Colorado, 3-0 (15-7, 15-3, 15-1);
Regional final - def. UC Santa Barbara, 3-0 (15-12, 15-12, 15-3)
Best finish: NCAA champion in 1992, '94 and '96
Record vs. teams in tournament: 15-2
Players to watch (key stats):
#24 Kristin Folkl OH Sr. 6-2 St. Louis, MO (FOLK-l)
1,796 Career Kills - #1 in PAC-10, #2 all-time Stanford career
(Will be 8th PAC-10 Player to amass 1,800 career kills)
333 Career Blocks - #9 in PAC-10 as of 12/14
921 Career Digs - #10 in PAC-10 as of 12/14
568 Season Kills - Stanford Record as of 12/14
.372 Season Hitting Percentage as of 12/14
5.58 Season Kills Per Game - #6 in Nation as of 11/23
5.46 Season Kills Per Game as of 12/14
1997 AVCA 1st Team All-American
1997 All-PAC-10 Team Selection (4th Time)
1997 PAC-10 All-Academic Team, 3.46 Economics
#2 Lisa Sharpley S Sr. 6-0 Los Altos, Calif.
4,164 Career Assists - #2 in PAC-10 as of 12/14
322 Career Blocks - #10 in PAC-10 as of 12/14
1,026 Career Digs - #6 in PAC-10 as of 12/14
1,144 Season Assists as of 12/14
13.68 Season Assists Per Game - #12 in Nation as of 11/23
13.62 Season Assists Per Game as of 12/14
201 Season Digs
1997 AVCA 2nd Team All-American
1997 All-PAC-10 Team Selection (3rd Time)
1997 PAC-10 All-Academic Team, 3.72 Psychology
#9 Kerri Walsh OPP So. 6-2 Saratoga, Calif.
222 Season Kills
265 Season Digs, 3.01 Per Game as of 12/14
124 Season Blocks, 1.41 Per Game as of 12/14
1997 AVCA 1st Team All-American
1997 All-PAC-10 Team Selection (2nd Time)
#8 Barbara Ifejika MB Sr. 6-2 Brampton, Ontario, Canada (ih-FEDG-ih-kuh)
417 Career Blocks - #5 in PAC-10
33 Season Service Aces, 0.32 Per Game as of 12/14
1997 All-PAC-10 Team Selection
1997 PAC-10 All-Academic Team, 3.31 Political Science/African-American Studies
#7 Paula McNamee MB Sr. 6-0 Wheaton, MD
140 Season Blocks, 1.36 Per Game as of 12/14
#16 Jaimi Gregory OH So. 5-8 Westminster, Calif.
#12 Sarah Clark OH 6-0 So. Kamuela, HI
#32 Jennifer Detmer MB Fr. 6-3 Thousand Oaks, Calif.
1997 PAC-10 All-Freshman Team
| Category | Penn St. | Florida | Long Beach | Stanford |
| Hitting Pct. | .321/.324 | .283/.288 | .330/.324 | .315/.316 |
| Kills | /16.45 | /16.48 | /16.40 | /17.47 |
| Assists | /14.38 | /14.38 | /14.68 | /15.68 |
| Service Aces | /1.31 | /1.79 | /1.70 | /1.24 |
| Blocks | 3.86/3.79 | 3.06/3.17 | /2.73 | 3.60/3.61 |
| Digs | /15.17 | /15.61 | /15.37 | /16.34 |
| Win-Loss Pct. | .965/ | .938/ | .965/ | .933/ |
NOTE: Two numbers given indicate
After Regular Season / Just Prior to Final Four