Volleyball 8/27/2015 5:00:00 PM Corey Miggins, Sports Information Director

Volleyball Begins 2015 Season with USC Women of Troy Baden Invitational

The Cougars head to LA for the USC Women of Troy Baden Invitational this weekend (Photo by Steve Woltmann)

This Week: The Chicago State volleyball team kicks off the Brandon Reeves era this weekend with a trip to Los Angeles for the Women of Troy Baden Invitational, hosted by USC at the Galen Center. The Green and White open the season on Friday evening against No. 11 BYU at 5 p.m., Pacific Time. CSU closes the tournament on Saturday against No. 22 and host Women of Troy at 10 p.m., PT and No. 7 North Carolina at 5 p.m., PT. All three matches will be streamed live on http://pac-12.com/live/usc.

Scouting Chicago State: Chicago State returns three letterwinners from last season's squad that include senior middle hitter Essence Jackson-Jones (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon) and junior outside hitter Elli Woinowsky (Berlin, Germany/Merian Oberschule). Jackson-Jones led CSU with 1.12 blocks per set to rank seventh in the Western Athletic Conference last year and also averaged 1.79 kills per set. Woinowsky recorded averages of 2.72 kills and 2.34 digs per set in 2014 in addition to ranking second in the WAC with a team-leading 40 service aces. Junior middle hitter Logan Miller (Palm Harbor, FL/Palm Harbor University) and sophomore middle hitter Arieta Vaimaona (Lauli'i, American Samoa/Faga'itua) are two of the five newcomers that join the Cougars this season.

Scouting BYU: BYU, ranked No. 11 ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason national poll, was picked to finish first in the West Coast Conference preseason poll under first-year head coach Heather Olmstead. The Cougars closed out the 2014 season with a 30-5 record and advanced to the championship match of the NCAA Tournament. BYU welcomes back 10 letterwinners and four starters from last season, including junior middle blockers Amy Boswell (1.68 bps, 1.64 kps) and Whitney Young Howard (1.89 bps, 1.17 kps), and senior outside hitter Alexa Gray (3.66 kps, 0.79 bps).

Scouting USC: USC brings back eight letterwinners and four starters from last season's 16-16 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Women of Troy, ranked No. 22 in the AVCA preseason poll, is led by senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio, a two-time AVCA All-American, with 4.28 kills, 2.88 digs and 0.70 service aces per set in 2014. Senior middle blocker Alicia Ogoms produced a team-best hitting percentage of .363 to go along with 1.60 kills and 0.89 blocks per set last year.

Scouting North Carolina: North Carolina opens the season with a No. 7 ranking in the AVCA preseason poll following a 29-3 record that included an ACC championship and an appearance in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last season. The Tar Heels return 12 letterwinners and seven starters from that team heading into the weekend. The top returning players for UNC are senior outside hitter Leigh Andrew (2.58 dps, 2.40 kps) and senior middle blocker Victoria McPherson (1.69 kps, 1.48 bps).

Going Back to Cali: Sophomore setter Corey Davis (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) travels back home to the state of California for her first weekend of competition with Chicago State. Davis, standing 5-foot-9 from the town of Thousand Oaks, transferred to CSU this season after playing at NCAA Division II West Texas A&M in 2014.

Road Warriors: The Cougars will literally play the first month of their season away from home with four tournaments and a mid-week road match at Green Bay on Sept. 15. CSU opens its seven-match home schedule at the Jacoby Dickens Center on Sept. 24th in its Western Athletic Conference opener against Utah Valley.

Up Next: The Green and White travel to the west side of Chicago to compete in the UIC Invitational on Sept. 4-5, 2015 against the host Flames, Central Connecticut State and Morgan State.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Elli Woinowsky: OH; 5' 11"; Junior

#10 Logan Miller: MH; 6' 3"; Junior

#16 Arieta Vaimaona: MH; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#6 Corey Davis: S; 5' 9"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#4 Elli Woinowsky
: 5' 11"; Junior
: OH

#10 Logan Miller
: 6' 3"; Junior
: MH

#16 Arieta Vaimaona
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: MH

#6 Corey Davis
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: S

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned