RedHawks Battle Kent State and No. 16 Ohio for MAC East Supremacy

Seniors Carli Reihman and Jeanna Staun will be recognized on Saturday, Nov. 3 for Senior Night

Oct. 30, 2007

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REDHAWKS COME HOME FOR BIG WEEKEND: After having its nine-match winning streak snapped at Bowling Green on Wednesday, Oct. 24, Miami rebounded with a four-game win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 27. This weekend, the RedHawks return home for their final home conference matches of the season when Miami plays Kent State at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 and No. 16 Ohio at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3.

SENIOR NIGHT: Before the start of Saturday night's match against No. 16 Ohio, senior middle hitter Carli Reihman and senior outside hitter Jeanna Staun will be recognized for their hard work and contributions to the Miami volleyball program. In the final match of the 2006 season, Reihman became the 15th Miami player to record 1,000 kills for her career and Staun became the 16th Miami player to record 1,000 kills for her career in Miami's three-game win over Kent State on Sept. 29. The Reihman-Staun duo also became the second set of Miami players to be a part of the Miami program at the same time and record 1,000 career kills coming from the same high school (Ursuline Academy). The first group to achieve that honor were Wendy and Kathy Tepe in 1986.

SCHROEDER REACHES CAREER MILESTONE: After becoming Miami's single-season leader in kills per game in 2006, junior outside hitter Emily Schroeder achieved another milestone during Miami's match against Northern Illinois on Oct. 27. In the second game, Schroeder put down her sixth kill of the match, becoming the 17th Miami player to reach 1,000 kills for her career. Schroeder becomes the second RedHawk to reach 1,000 kills this season and she is one of three players on Miami's roster that has over 1,000 kills for their careers.

TIGHT RACE: Heading into this week's play, the race for the Mid-American Conference crown has become tight. Four teams are separated by only two games, led by the 11-1 Bobcats. Miami and Kent State sit one game back at 10-2, while Bowling Green is two games back at 9-3. This weekend, Miami plays Kent State on Friday, before hosting Ohio on Saturday. Bowling Green welcomes the Bobcats to Anderson Arena on Friday and Kent State on Saturday.

TOP TEN FOR NUMBER THREE: Since she set foot on Miami's campus four years ago, senior middle hitter Carli Reihman has been the model for consistency for the RedHawk program. As a senior, Reihman is making her way onto several career charts. Currently, Reihman is fifth in career kills (1270), ninth in kills per game (3.02), seventh in total attempts (3,033), sixth in hitting percentage (.297), second in block assists (360) and ranks eighth in blocks per game (0.92).

MAC ATTACK: Miami heads into its final home weekend of conference action with a 10-2 Mid-American Conference record. Miami's 10 wins are its most conference victories since the 2001 Miami team went 11-7. While Miami's success has been a team effort, there have been a few RedHawk players that have stepped up this season. Senior middle hitter Carli Reihman averages 3.23 kpg during conference play, while hitting an impressive .334. Reihman also averages 2.36 dpg and 0.96 bpg. Sophomore Megan Griffin has provided a lift offensively as she averages 3.14 kpg and has recorded double-digit kills in nine of 12 MAC matches. Freshman Michele Metzler leads the RedHawk defense averaging a team-best 1.11 bpg in MAC play, while also contributing 2.3 kpg. Sophomore Andrea Atteberry has been the catalyst to Miami's offense as she averages 12.47 apg, while also chipping in on the defensive end with 2.65 dpg.

WEEKEND IN REVIEW: Miami has its nine-match winning streak snapped in a four-game loss at Bowling Green on Wednesday, Oct. 24, but the RedHawks rebounded with a four-game road win over Northern Illinois on Saturday ,Oct. 27. For the weekend, senior middle hitter Carli Reihman averaged 4.50 kills per game, she hit .414 and averaged 3.12 dpg.

DEJA VU: Before Sept. 28, 2007, No. 17 Ohio had won 52 consecutive Mid-American Conference regular-season matches, 64 consecutive MAC matches including the MAC Tournament and 47 consecutive home matches dating back to Sept. 28, 2002. Five years to the date of Ohio's last home loss, Miami snapped all of those streaks with a four-game win over the Bobcats. The win marked the first time the RedHawks defeated a Top 20 team in program history.

MAC-ing it: Through Oct. 29, Miami has four players who rank among Mid-American Conference statistical leaders in overall matches played and conference matches. As a team, the RedHawks rank in the top five in five MAC statistical categories:

MIAMI:

Hitting Percentage-- .241/.254 (3rd/2nd MAC)

Service Aces-- 1.57/1.68 (4th/4th MAC)

Kills-- 15.21/15.36 (4th/4th MAC)

Blocks-- 2.48 (4th MAC)

Assists-- 13.81/14.43 (5th/3rd MAC)

MIAMI PLAYERS:

Andrea Atteberry -- Assists; 11.64/12.47 (4th/2nd MAC)

Michele Metzler -- Hitting Percentage; .295 (7th)

Blocks; 1.11 (5th MAC)

Melissa Zenz -- Digs; 4.22/4.38 (10th/7th MAC)

Carli Reihman -- Hitting Percentage; .303/.334 (3rd/4th MAC )

Service Aces; 0.33/0.43 (10th/8th MAC)

ABOUT THE GOLDEN FLASHES: In his first season as head coach of Kent State, Glen Conley has helped Kent State turn a corner as the Golden Flashes have already surpassed their win total from a season ago. Kent State heads to Oxford with a 19-6 overall mark and a 10-2 Mid-American Conference record, which is four more conference wins than last year. Anja Knabe-Paulsen leads the Golden Flashes averaging 3.69 kpg and 0.53 service aces per game. Laura Jensen ranks among the top in the MAC averaging 5.64 dpg.

THE SERIES WITH KENT STATE: Miami owns a 47-11 record in the all-time series against Kent State, including a three-game win over the Golden Flashes in Kent on Sept. 29. The RedHawks have won five straight over the Golden Flashes and seven of their last eight. Kent State's last win in Oxford was on Nov. 16, 2004, when the Golden Flashes defeated the RedHawks in five games.

ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Ohio comes into the second-to-last weekend of the conference season with a one-game lead over Miami and Kent State in the MAC. After having its 52 regular-season MAC winning streak snapped at the hands of the RedHawks on Sept. 28, the Bobcats have been rolling. Ohio has won nine consecutive matches, while only dropping just one game during that stetch. Ellen Herman and Melissa Griffin lead the Bobcat offense averaging 4.13 kpg and 3.90 kpg, respectively. Stephanie Blackburn is one of the top all-around players in the MAC as she averages 2.98 kpg and 3.44 dpg.

THE SERIES WITH OHIO: The RedHawks own a 41-17 lead in the all-time series against the Bobcats. Heading into the first meeting between the teams on Sept. 28, Ohio had won 11 consecutive matches over the RedHawks, but Miami went into Athens to earn its first win over a Top 20 team in program history and earn its first win in Athens since 1998. Miami's last home win against the Bobcats was on Oct. 5, 2001.