If Only Martha Stewart Could Set A Table Like This Collection Of Stars
Presentation is everything and the Final Four setters put out the fine china every night.
Each team is run by a premier setter, beginning with the much-ballyhooed Misty May. The Long Beach State junior averages 11.67 assists per game. May registered her fifth triple-double of the year (10 kills, 15 digs, 38 assists) in a regional semifinal win over Nebraska. Stanford senior Lisa Sharpley, setting for the Cardinal for two years, serves up 13.74 assists per game. Florida senior Nikki Shade is good for 13.70 apg and Penn State’s Bonnie Bremner, dishes out 12.04.
Bremner, a sophomore, is the youngest of the star setters. However, she was so good as a freshman, it forced Samantha Spink of Coeur d’Alene to re-evaluate her not-so-cheerful career in Happy Valley.
Spink transferred to Washington State last spring, and after a season of spot starts, she’s expected to run the Cougs next year.
The prime cut of the prime-time players
Here’s a fortuitous bonus for the fans. The players of the year in the Pac-10, Big West, Big Ten and Southeastern conferences are all in the Final Four. Two will be setting the plays - Long Beach’s May and Penn State’s Bremner - and two will provide some serious spikes.
Pac-10 player of the year, Kristin Folkl brings a .372 attack average and 5.46 kills per game into the tournament. The SEC’s best, Nina Foster of Florida, connects on .422 of her kill attempts and averages 4.18 per game.
Foes can’t block them out of their minds
Penn State has two of the best blockers around in Lauren Cacciamani (1.80 bpg, third best in nation) and Terri Zemaitis (1.66 bgp, fourth best). The Nittany Lions’ team ranks second nationally (3.79) behind Washington, but Stanford is close behind at 3.61. Kerri Walsh leads Stanford, putting up 1.41 bpg. Florida averages 3.15 blocks, with Foster at 1.55. The 49ers average 2.73 blocks per game, led by Benishe Dillard’s 1.41.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: KEYWORD = NCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP