Volleyball Set to Close Out Regular Season at Home

This Week in Rattlers Volleyball
Friday, Nov. 14 • Western New Mexico (12-15, 6-9) at St. Mary's (13-12, 10-5) • 5 p.m. (MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT)
Saturday, Nov. 15 • Sul Ross State (3-19, 1-14) • 2 p.m. (SENIOR DAY)
 

Final Week: The St. Mary's Volleyball team closes out the regular season at home, hosting Western New Mexico at 5 p.m. on Friday for Military Appreciation Night, before welcoming Sul Ross State on Saturday for Senior Day at 2 p.m. All Military members, current or veterans, will receive free admission to the match. Friday is also part of a doubleheader with men's basketball, so StMU asks that after the game fans refrain from going on the court to speak with players, as the gym needs to be transitioned.

Saying Goodbye: On Saturday, the Rattlers will honor the seven seniors on the roster prior to the start of the match in Landry Cate, Dallasstar Johnson, Alyssa Koehl, Laurene Robinson, Abbey Stiffler, Isabella Waggoner, and Landri Withers. 

It's An Honor: Senior middle blocker Dallasstar Johnson was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 1.75 blocks per set as the team split the week, defeating ENMU in four before dropping a four-set decision at No. 15 WT. The Rattlers held the opposition to a .131 hitting percentage for the week, led by Johnson's 14 blocks. She is the first StMU player to win the award this season, and it's her second time winning, as she did so as a freshman in 2022.

History With Western New Mexico: The Rattlers and Mustangs are locked in a 9-9 tie in the all-time series that started in 1992, though St. Mary's has won the last four. Western New Mexico holds the 3-1 advantage in matches played inside Bill Greehey Arena, however the Rattlers swept the Mustangs in 2022.

History With Sul Ross State: St. Mary's is looking to extend its wining streak to five straight over Sul Ross State on Saturday, and holds a 4-1 lead in the series. Sul Ross won its only match in 1979, well before anyone on the StMU staff was even alive. The two teams played in 1992-1993 before taking a 30 year break in the series until 2023.

Under Consideration: In the first release of the NCAA regional rankings, St. Mary's is one of 10 schools in the South Central Region under consideration for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The initial rankings, released on Wednesday appear in alphabetical order. 

Meant to be Broken: With her 18 blocks last weekend, senior Dallasstar Johnson broke the St. Mary's single-season modern scoring era record for block assists. She currently has 99, breaking the record of 95 by Jaycie Pluenneke (2017). Johnson's 99 block assists also rank eighth all-time. Her 109 total blocks (10-99) rank second in the modern era (2008-present) and are tied for 14th all-time.

On a Silver Platter: St. Mary's has tied the modern scoring format record for aces in a season with 182, which also ties for eighth all-time. Last season's team also posted 182 aces. Haleigh Wilk leads the team, and the Lone Star Conference with 42 of those 182, while Alyssa Koehl is fourth in the league with 37 and Landri Withers ranks eighth with 33.

Another Record Falls: With 24 total blocks on the weekend, St. Mary's shattered the modern scoring format for block assists in a season with 369, topping the 2010 team by 20 with at least three matches remaining on the year. The 369 block assists also ranks fifth overall. The Rattlers have 214.5 total blocks on the year, which ranks third in the modern era and 10th overall.

Rarefied Air: Senior outside hitter Landri Withers became only the third player in St. Mary's history with both 1,000 career kills and digs at Oklahoma Christian on Nov. 1. Breann Alexander (1999-02) recorded 1,582 kills and 1,343 digs in her standout career, while Jennifer Johnson totaled 1,109 kills and 1,001 digs, and Withers currently has 1,164 kills and 1,030 digs. 

Another Milestone Upcoming: Senior Alyssa Koehl stands at 1,992 career digs, needing only eight more to become the second player in St. Mary's history with 2,000 digs. Koehl currently ranks fifth among Division II active players in total digs and ninth in digs per set (4.85).

Tumbling Records: On Oct. 25 against St. Edward's, the Rattlers collected 18 aces, breaking the St. Mary's five-set record, bettering the previous record of 14 from both the 2006 (at Texas A&M Kingsville, Sept. 6) and 2007 (DBU, Nov. 2) teams, and ties for second all-time regardless of the number of sets played. On Sept. 24, 2004, the Rattlers served 22 aces in a win against Oklahoma Panhandle State, while they had 18 in a four-set win at Oklahoma Panhandle State on Oct. 24, 2009.

Cate-y Bar the Door: Senior middle blocker Landry Cate, who missed all of last season due to injury, has posted multiple blocks in eight straight matches and 15 times this season. Cate is second on the team, averaging 0.89 blocks per set, which ranks 10th in the Lone Star statistics. 

Aces Are Wild: Both the St. Mary's team and junior setter Haleigh Wilk are on pace to break the St. Mary's modern scoring format single-season aces per set record. The Rattlers are averaging 1.80 service aces per set, well above the record of 1.70 from last season's team. Wilk leads the team with 42 aces (0.43/set), which would break the modern scoring format record of 0.407/set by Victorria Martinez from 2012. 

Block Party: Senior Dallasstar Johnson ranks fourth in the Lone Star Conference with 1.10 blocks per set. Fourteen times this season she's recorded five or more blocks in a match, and she ranks third in St. Mary's history with 352 total blocks. Johnson is also tied for ninth on the StMU career charts with 46 solo blocks and second with 306 block assists. 

Closing In: Several Rattlers are closing in on career milestones or are close to moving up the career leaders list in St. Mary's history:

Name    Category    Milestone    Needs
Taylor Alston    Kills    300    27
Landry Cate    Blocks    100    1
Dallasstar Johnson    Blocks    2nd Place    11
    Aces    15th Place    3
Alyssa Koehl    Digs    2000    8
    Aces    5th Place    9
Liz Salinas    Assists    300    19
Abbey Stiffler    Digs    200    18
Kelly Swyers    Kills    200    23
Haleigh Wilk    Assists    700    42
Landri Withers    Aces    15th Place    3
    Kills    3rd Place    26
    Kills    1200    36