Midwest Conference Office
300 Seward St., Ripon, WI 54971; Phone: (920) 748-8157; Fax: (920) 748-8158
Chris Graham
Commissioner
[email protected]
--August 17, 2006--
www.midwestconference.org
Matt Troha
Sports Information Director
[email protected]
Midwest Conference Volleyball
St. Norbert Named Favorite In Wide-Open MWC Volleyball Race
RIPON, WIS. -- St. Norbert won the 2005 Midwest Conference Volleyball Championship after recording an 8-1 mark in conference play
and then went on to hold off Monmouth, 15-10, in the fifth game of last
year’s MWC Tournament title match to earn its second consecutive automatic NCAA tourney berth. The Green Knights are the favorite entering
the 2006 season as they vie for their third consecutive league title, but the
race is expected to be wide-open, as witnessed by four teams receiving
first-place votes in the 2006 MWC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll.
Lori Sadewater, the 2005 MWC Coach of the Year, returns the 2005
MWC Player of the Year in senior outside hitter Crystal McClure.
McClure’s return is one the biggest reasons that St. Norbert received five
first-place votes en route to the top spot in the poll. Lake Forest, who
was picked to finish second, was the recipient of three first-place votes,
while Monmouth followed in third after receiving one final first-place
tally. Beloit and Illinois College rounded out the Top 5 after being picked
to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, with the Bucs grabbing the final
first-place nod. Ripon notched the sixth-place slot, ahead of Lawrence,
Carroll, Grinnell and Knox, who rounded out the final four spots of the
poll in that order.
Matt Schoultz takes over the reigns of the Lawrence volleyball program
in 2006. Lori Papineau, who coached her one and only season with the
Vikings in 2005, accepted the head volleyball coaching position at Adrian College in the offseason. Beloit’s Jami Strinz, who joined the Bucs
staff as the head softball coach last year, adds head volleyball coaching
duties to her resume this season. Ken Yasukawa, who served as the
Beloit interim coach in 2005, will remain on the staff as an assistant.
The 2005 season marked the first under the league’s new format, in
which the MWC title and automatic NCAA tournament bid were not
awarded simultaneously to the conference tournament champion. The
MWC champion will continue to be decided in the regular-season, with
the automatic NCAA bid going to the conference tourney champ.
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--2006 MWC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll--
Team (1st place votes)
St. Norbert (5)
Lake Forest (3)
Monmouth (1)
Beloit (1)
Illinois College
Ripon
Lawrence
Carroll
Grinnell
Knox
1. St. Norbert Green Knights
2005 Record: 30-7 (8-1 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 1
2nd Team: 1
Lori Sadewater, the 2005 MWC Coach of the Year, and the Green
Knights of St. Norbert will compete for their third straight MWC title in
2006. Crystal McClure (353 kills, 116 blocks, 90 digs), the 2005 MWC
Player of the Year, returns for her senior season and will be called upon
to lead a Green Knights squad that loses its statistical leaders in hitting
percentage, blocks and digs from a year ago. Junior Abby Scher (814
assists, 216 digs) will set the table for McClure, second team All-MWC
sophomore hitter Joanna Mamayek (273 kills, 94 blocks, 77 digs) and
junior hitter Kate Meehan (234 kills).
2. Lake Forest Foresters
2005 Record: 19-12 (8-1 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 2
2nd Team: 1
Lake Forest enters the season in search of its first MWC title since 2003,
as head coach Beth Pier returns the core of a team that reached the
semifinals in last year’s conference tourney. The Foresters will be led
by a pair of 2005 All-Conference first-team selections in junior middle
blocker Nicole Baich (409 kills, 121 blocks), who topped the conference in kills per game (3.59) last year, and senior middle blocker Janelle
Balcerzak (353 kills, 82 blocks). Senior setter Kendra Casey (1,194 assists) and junior libero Merissa Martin (416 digs) also return to bolster
the Foresters offense and defense, respectively.
3. Monmouth Fighting Scots
2005 Record: 22-13 (7-2 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 1
2nd Team: 1
Monmouth took St. Norbert to five games in the 2005 MWC Tournament
Championship match and head coach Kari Shimmin will return five of
her six starters from that contest in 2006. Junior middle hitter Kendra
James (412 kills, 116 digs, 95 blocks), a first team All-MWC pick a year
ago, teams with junior outside hitter Jessica Travis (283 kills, 311 digs)
to form a strong offensive tandem. Junior setter Colleen Wilkin (1,331
assist, 195 digs) finished second in the conference in assists in 2005,
while sophomore Crystal Myers (494 digs) provides solid defense from
the libero position.
4. Beloit Buccaneers
2005 Record: 17-17 (6-3 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 2
2nd Team: 2
New Beloit head coach Jami Strinz inherits one of the most talented
trios in the conference in her first season leading the Buccaneers. Senior
libero Kera Maure (958 digs) finished second in NCAA Division III in
digs per game last season (8.12), while senior setter Katie Algrem led
the MWC in assists (1,336 assists) and junior middle hitter Katie McCool, who ranked second
(continued on page 2)
in the MWC in hitting percentage (.322), topped the conference in kills
(433) and blocks (153) in 2005. Senior middle hitter Katelynn Rynders
(332 kills, 92 blocks) also returns to add depth to the Bucs lineup.
5. Illinois College Lady Blues
2005 Record: 21-12 (5-4 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 2nd Team: 2
Jennifer Saylor’s Illinois College squad returns a strong mixture of talented seniors and underclassmen from a team that qualified for the 2005
MWC Championship Tournament. Senior setter Megan Trimpe (1,108
assists) will become the Illinois College career assist leader with her first
helper of the 2006 season and the odds are good that sophomore middle
hitter Angela Siebers (342 kills, 80 blocks) or junior outside hitter Katie
Miller (287 kills, 142 digs) will be on the receiving end of that pass.
Toni Brooks (629 digs) and Janna Cooper (331 digs) return for their
senior seasons and give the Lady Blues defensive depth after combining
for 960 digs in 2005.
6. Ripon Red Hawks
2005 Record: 13-20 (5-4 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 2nd Team: 1
Ripon has finished no worse than third in the MWC North during the
past five seasons under head coach Kelly Witte. The Red Hawks seem
primed to continue that streak, as several regulars from last season
return, including senior setter and all-conference second teamer Ashley
Redman (971 assists). Junior middle hitter Ashley Schertz (223 kills,
91 blocks) finished second on the team in kills and blocks last season,
while Jessica Chatmon’s (136 kills, 59 blocks) numbers in both categories should rise this season. Junior hitter Miranda Starbird (211 kills,
300 digs) provides an offensive and defensive presence for Ripon.
7. Lawrence Vikings
2005 Record: 10-15 (3-6 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 1
2nd Team: 1
Lawrence head coach Matt Schoultz will be the Vikings second new
head coach in as many seasons in 2006. Lawrence improved by one
league victory last season under Lori Papineau and Schoultz will look
to continue the upward swing behind junior outside hitter Kelly Mulcahy (275 kills, 200 digs) and senior middle hitter Alicia Onisawa (255
kills, 71 blocks), who both earned All-MWC honors last season. Middle
hitter Tiffany Orcholski (177 kills) led the Vikings with 75 blocks last
year and returns for her senior season in 2006.
8. Carroll Pioneers
2005 Record: 2-27 (0-9 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 2nd Team: Annie Glieber returns with her entire team intact in 2006, as the secondyear head coach’s roster featured no seniors last season. Carroll will still
be young in 2006, as the team’s returning leaders in kills, assists, digs
and blocks will all be sophomores or juniors. Junior hitter Ashli Ligocki
(330 kills, 191 digs) and junior middle hitter Alysha Schertz (153 kills,
79 blocks) will lead the Pioneers, while sophomore setter Laura Penovich (622 assists) and junior libero Elizabeth Schroedl (257 digs) add
depth and experience.
9. Grinnell Pioneers
2005 Record: 5-25 (2-7 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 1
2nd Team: Grinnell has struggled in the MWC of late, winning a combined five
conference matches since notching a 6-3 league mark under head coach
Tom Sonnichsen in 2002. Sonnichsen and the Pioneers have reason for
optimism, as senior middle hitter Tamrah Collins (348 kills, 70 blocks),
a first team All-MWC pick last season, leads a group that loses one player from last season. Sophomore Courtney Smith (156 assists) will step
into the setter role, while senior outside hitter Jessica Hodgman (187
kills, 393 digs) has shown the ability to excel on offense and defense.
10. Knox Prairie Fire
2005 Record: 3-27 (1-8 MWC)
Returning All-MWC 1st Team: 2nd Team: Kathy Wagoner graduates her lone all-conference selection from last
season, but the Knox head coach still returns several key contributors.
Junior outside hitter Katie Bell (213 kills)
(continued above right)
leads the Prairie Fire offense, while sophomore Jaclyn Anderson (82
kills, 47 blocks) also returns after finishing second on the team in blocks
a year ago. Christine Harris (409 assists, 230 digs, 92 kills) adds
versatility to the Prairie Fire lineup, as the outside hitter led the team in
assists after moving to the setter position last season.
--MWC--
--MWC Champions-Year
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
1979
1978
Team
St. Norbert
St. Norbert
Lake Forest
St. Norbert
Lake Forest
Lake Forest
Lake Forest
Illinois College
Lake Forest
Illinois College
Beloit
Illinois College
Illinois College
St. Norbert
Illinois College
St. Norbert
St. Norbert
Cornell
St. Norbert
St. Norbert
Coe
St. Norbert
Cornell
Monmouth
Monmouth
Knox
Coe
Knox
--NCAA Qualifiers-Year
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1993
-- Championship Breakdown-St. Norbert - 9 (’84, ’86, ’87, ’89, ’90, ’92, ’02, ’04, ’05)
Illinois College - 5 (’91, ’93, ’94, ’96, ’98)
Lake Forest - 5 (’97, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’03)
Coe - 2 (’79, ’85)
Cornell - 2 (’83, ’88)
Knox - 2 (’78, ’80)
Monmouth - 2 (’81, ’82)
Beloit - 1 (’95)
Italics indicate former MWC member
For up-to-date news, scores, standings and stats on all 20 MWC sports visit...
www.MidwestConference.org
Team
St. Norbert
St. Norbert
Lake Forest
St. Norbert
Lake Forest
Lake Forest
Lake Forest
Illinois C.
St. Norbert