UAH Chargers - Volleyball

Huntsville, AL

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Volleyball

Two former Lady Chargers named to GSC Fall All-Decade team

Written by Antoine Bell
Monday, 12 July 2010
LaFiore Birmingham, AL — The Gulf South Conference officially closed the door on another exciting decade of collegiate athletics with the release of the GSC Fall Sports All-Decade Teams (2000-09). Two former Lady Charger volleyball players, Ellen LaFiore and Emily Miller, were named to the team. LaFiore made the first team, while Miller landed a spot on the second team. The six-sport team is the first of three such squads to be released during the summer, including the Men’s and Women’s Basketball All-Decade Teams in mid-July and the Spring Sports All-Decade Teams (excluding women’s golf) later in the month. The initiative marks the first time that the Conference has compiled an All-Decade list for sports other than football. Previously, the GSC has recognized football all-star teams from the 1980’s, the first Quarter Century (1971-1975) and the 1990’s. LaFiore was a four-time All-GSC and Academic All-GSC selection during her career from 1998-2001. She was a member of the GSC Elite Eight (2001, 2002) and GSC All-Tournament (1999, 2000, 2001). The former Lady Charger outside hitter was named GSC East Freshman of the Year in 1998 and GSC East Player of the Year in 1999. In 2000, LaFiore was third team Verizon Academic All-America, first team AVCA All-South Central Region, third team Daktronics All-America and AVCA National Player of the Week. She was also first team Daktronics All-South Central Region (1999, 2000, 2001). LaFiore played in 521 games during her UAH career. She had 2,528 kills (4.85 KPG), 1,258 digs (2.41 DPG) and 222 aces. She is the UAH record holder in total kills and attack percentage and ranked second all-time in aces with 222 and third in blocks with 39. LaFiore holds the GSC records for kills in a match with 42 and matches with 20+ kills in a career. She is ranked sixth and seventh in kills in a season, second in career kills, ninth and 10th in kills per game in a season, fifth in highest hitting percentage in a season, and third in career hitting percentage. In addition, she is second in matches with double figure kills in a career (139), eighth and ninth in matches with 20+ kills in a season, ninth in matches with 20+ kills and 20+ digs in a season and 10th in matches with 20+ kills and 20+ digs in a career. Miller was also a four-time All-GSC pick and a two-time member of the GSC All-Academic team (2004-05). In 2002, she earned GSC Freshman of the Year honors. She also was a member of the GSC All-tournament team in 2003 and 2004. Miller was second team Daktronics All-South Central Region in and AVCA South Central Region Honorable Mention in 2004. Miller played in 488 games during her career from 2002 to 2005. She had 1,929 kills (3.95 KPG), 1,593 digs (3.26 DPG) and 417 blocks. She is ranked third in career kills and attack percentage (.291) at UAH. She is also ranked second in career digs. In the GSC, Miller is ranked fifth in career digs, fourth in matches with double-figure kills (114), eighth in matches with 20+ kills and 20+ digs (3) in a season and fifth in matches with 20+ kills and 20+ digs (6). Players could only be nominated for the All-Decade Team if they competed in at least two seasons during the decade and were also named to the All-GSC First Team at least once. Each squad was broken up into First and Second Teams and Players and Coaches of the Decade were selected. Honorable Mentions were also recognized in special circumstances; for example, those student-athletes that competed in just one season and were an All-GSC First Team member during the past decade. The league office decided to designate the men’s and women’s soccer squads as “All-Time Teams” because the GSC has only sponsored the sport since 1996. The Conference also recognized the best Teams of the Decade using a formula based on how a school’s team finished in the All-Sports Trophy standings the past 10 years. Harding University Sports Information Director Scott Goode spearheaded the computation of each school’s team-point-total based on the simple formula of All-Sports points earned divided by All-Sports points possible during the decade. The resulting score is the percentage of All-Sports points earned during the decade per sport. The formula included only the seasons that each school sponsored the respective sport. A score of 100 indicates that the team earned the maximum number of points (i.e. - won the conference championship) in each season in the decade.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 July 2010 )

Lady Charger volleyball boasts three signings

Written by Antoine Bell
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
UAH volleyball coach Laura Taube announced the signing of three players for the fall 2010 season, Alanna Smith , Shelby Vcelka , and Ashley Saunders. Vcelka Vcelka is a 5’8” setter from Chicago, IL. "Shelby is a terrific setter and will add a tremendous lift to our program," said Taube of Vcelka. "We have only had one setter the past two seasons which has been very difficult, so adding her to the mix with surely make our team more competitive. She is a very gifted student athlete having received numerous awards and honors." Among her accomplishments, Vcelka was a member of the 3-time Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Regional Championship team (2007, 2008, 2009) at Trinity High School. She was also a member of the IHSA Sectional Championship squad in 2007. Vcelka earned the Girl's Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC) Red Division All-Conference Award and GCAC All-Academic Team honors in 2009. Saunders Saunders is a 5’11” middle hitter from Olive Branch, MS. Taube says that she will add great quickness in the middle for the Lady Chargers. "She is a great athlete and jumps well and has a quick arm swing," said Taube. " She is capable of hitting all options at the net and will add more depth for us at middle. The intensity and competitiveness she will add will only help us improve." In 2008, Saunders was awarded first team All-State and All-Conference. As team captain for Center Hill High School, she helped lead her team to a North Half State Championship. She was was, Best of Preps 08, Commercial Appeal Player of the Week and team Offensive Player of the Year. Last season, Saunders was awarded first team All-State and All Conference, All Star Team, Team Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors. The team repeated as North Half State Champions. In addition, Saunders was Bank Plus Player of the Week, Best of Preps 09, Pop Star Award (top three best volleyball players in the state). Smith is a 6’1” middle hitter from Fyffe, AL and the sister of current Lady Charger Danyelle Smith. She is another middle hitter that coach Taube hopes that will give the team more depth and competitiveness. This past season Smith helped Geraldine High School with it’s 10th county championship in the last 11 years and return to the Elite Eight State Tournament for the first time since 2006. She made the All-County team and was named MVP and also won their Area Tournament. Smith helped her team to a second place finish in Sub-Region and was named to the All-Tournament team. Geraldine hosted and won sub state to advance to the Elite Eight and then the Final Four. Smith was named to the All State team as an Honorable Mention. During the season the Times Journal named her Athlete of the Week. "Alanna has a very heavy arm and attacks strong. She could play right side or middle," Taube commented. "Her physical presence at the net will be noticeable as she is a very strong blocker and transitions to attack well. Alanna is a very bright young lady and will fit in to our program and school very well." Smith is also an outstanding basketball player. Her team finished second in the county tournament and she was named to the All County Team. They hosted and won the Area tournament where she was again named to the All-Area Team. Her 11th grade year Smith was named to the All-County team. "All three players are welcome additions to our program," said Taube. "I look forward to this coming season."
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 May 2010 )

Game effort falls short for Lady Chargers in season finale

Written by Antoine Bell
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Normal - It had been 13 years since UAH and Alabama A&M hooked up on the volleyball court. On Tuesday night, the crosstown rivalry was renewed at T.M. Elmore Gym on the A&M campus. The Lady Chargers came in having won 13 straight matches against the Lady Bulldogs. When the dust settled the Division I Lady Bulldogs had stopped the UAH domination. Despite a gutsy effort, the Lady Chargers (8-28) fell in the season finale 3-2. In the opening set of the match, the lead seesawed back and forth early with neither team being able to gain a solid advantage. With the score tied at 19, A&M (17-11) opened up a little breathing room with three straight points to take a 22-19 lead. However, the Lady Chargers answered with back-to-back points to cut the lead to 22-21. But, the Lady Bulldogs never gave up the lead and went on to take the set 25-22. The Lady Chargers came roaring out of the gate in the second set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. UAH stretched their lead to 11-6 after a kill Laura Fry, forcing an A&M timeout. The Lady Chargers maintained a cushion and held a 17-13 advantage when A&M rallied with three unanswered points. Madinah Abdullah capped the run with a kill off UAH libero Kaeli McCaghren, making the score 17-16. Later, a cross-court kill by Lady Bulldog outside hitter Mariah Brown tied the score at 19-all. UAH would put together consecutive kills by Jessica Ruple to go up 21-19, But, A&M rallied for five straight to take a 24-21 lead. A ball handling error by A&M and a kill by Lauren Simmons pulled the Lady Chargers to within a point at 24-23. However, a service error by Ruple ended the second set with a 25-23 A&M win. Fighting for survival, the Lady Chargers took an early 8-1 lead in the third set. The UAH lead grew to 10 at 17-7 after back-to-back kills by Ruple. A&M tried to rally, cutting the deficit down to 18-12. Later, the Lady Bulldogs closed to within four at 22-18 after a service ace by Clarissa Moore. However, the Lady Chargers fought off the threat and took set three 25-19. The Lady Chargers grabbed the early 4-point lead in the fourth set. A smash by Fry gave UAH a 13-9 advantage. A light tip off the A&M defense by Allison Cousins gave the Lady Chargers a 17-11 lead. UAH was up 18-14 when disaster struck. While battling at the net for a loose ball, Ruple came down awkwardly and went to the floor in pain. After that, A&M rallied, outscoring UAH 9-3 to take a 23-22 lead. But, the Lady Chargers recovered from the loss of their leading scorer, scoring the last three points of the set to take a 25-23 win. The Lady Chargers couldn't answer the bell in the final set. A&M scored the first four points and never looked back. The Lady Bulldogs went on to finish off the set 15-6 to end the match. Despite the loss, the Lady Chargers played their hearts out and wound up with one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season. UAH outhit A&M 68 kills to 65 and had a season-high hitting percentage of .302. Their dark spot was 13 service errors. Four players had double-digit kills for the Lady Chargers. Ruple led the way with 16 kills. She also had 15 digs. Fry and Simmons each had 15 kills, while Cousins tallied 11 kills. McCaghren finished with 14 digs and Julie Price had 11. Kelly Wilson contributed 58 assists. For A&M, Abdullah led the way with 15 kills and 13 digs. Courtney Jenkins had 10 kills, while Rose Corneille finished with 22 digs and Natalie Rodriguez contributed 51 assists.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 25 March 2010 )

West Florida sails past Lady Chargers

Written by Antoine Bell
Friday, 23 October 2009
Pensacola, Fla. - The Alabama-Huntsville volleyball ran into a load of trouble on the road against West Florida. The Lady Argonauts swept the Lady Chargers 25-7, 25-13, 25-22. UAH fell to 7-23 and 1-5 in the Gulf South Conference with the loss, while West Florida improved to 15-11 and 5-1. Jessica Ruple had seven kills to lead UAH, while Allison Cousins tallied six. Kelly Wilson finished with 16 assists and eight digs for the Lady Chargers. The Lady Chargers will try to keep postseason hopes alive when they face Valdosta State on Saturday in Georgia.
Last Updated ( Saturday, 24 October 2009 )

West Florida denies Lady Chargers' upset bid

Written by Antoine Bell
Friday, 10 October 2008
Photo Courtesy of Chuck Edgeworth After a fast start, the UAH volleyball team didn't have enough firepower to stop West Florida on Friday. The 20th-ranked Lady Argonauts were dominant for most of the match and left Spragins Hall with a 25-20, 25-7, 25-17 win. UWF remained unbeaten in the Gulf South Conference at 5-0, while improving to 15-6 overall. Meanwhile, UAH fell to 1-21 and 0-5 in the GSC. The Lady Chargers were only able to muster 18 kills in the match. Allison Cousins (Huntsville) had seven to lead the way. Dimery Michaels (Schertz, Tex.) finished with 13 assists, while Whitney Corder (Hazel Green) had 12 digs and Jessica Huckabee (Hoover) tallied 10. West Florida finished with 43 kills, led by Patricia Gandolfo who had a match-high 12. Madeline Gonzalez had 28 assists and 13 digs, while Jerica Carter finished with 12 digs.
Last Updated ( Friday, 10 October 2008 )

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