St. Scholastica tops UMAC preseason volleyball poll for second straight year
2011 UMAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. 45 points - College of St. Scholastica (5 First Place Votes)
2. 42 points - University of Minnesota, Morris (1)
3. 40 points - Northwestern College (1)
4. 32 points - Martin Luther College (1)
5. 25 points - Bethany Lutheran College
T-6 14 points - Crown College
T-6 14 points - Northland College
8. 12 points - Presentation College
ST. PAUL – After winning the 2010 UMAC Regular Season Championship, the St. Scholastica Saints are once again picked to finish on top. However, only five points separate the top three teams in the poll, ensuring the 2011 UMAC volleyball season will be an exciting one.
1. College of St. Scholastica Saints
2010 Overall Record: 28-7
2010 UMAC Record: 14-0
2010 UMAC Finish: 1st
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 0
Dana Moore’s St. Scholastica volleyball team reached heights that haven’t been touched at the school since the 1980s last year, winning the UMAC regular season title outright for the first time since 1988 and going undefeated in conference play for the first time since 1984. This year’s team, which collected 45 points in the coaches poll and five first place votes, will return all six starters. The team is led once again by 2010 UMAC Player of the Year, outside hitter Paige Hardy. Hardy was also an honorable mention AVCA All-Central Region choice. The other part of the Saints’ 1, 2 punch from a year ago, outside hitter Anna Zyvoloski, also returns. The junior trio is completed by setter Sarah Kurtovich, who will again be directing the Saints attack. The lone senior on the team is libero Nikki Hughes. All four mentioned were All-UMAC performers from a year ago. St. Scholastica will be challenged early this season as they will have five matches versus 2010 NCAA Tournament teams in the first nine days of the season.
2. University of Minnesota, Morris Cougars
2010 Overall Record: 20-12
2010 UMAC Record: 11-3
2010 UMAC Finish: T-2nd
Starters Returning: 5
Starters Lost: 2
Close on the heels of the Saints are the Cougars of Minnesota-Morris, who tallied 42 points and one first place vote. Coming off its best season in recent history, Minnesota-Morris volleyball returns five starters for the 2011 campaign. Included in that group is a trio of All-UMAC Honorable Mention performers in sophomore outside hitter Kaylie Clark, junior middle blocker Stephanie Schmeising, and senior setter Natalie Thomas. The Cougars closed the 2010 season with wins in 13 of their final 14 regular season matches, finishing with an 11-3 conference record to tie for second place in the final UMAC standings. They finished third in the league in both hitting percentage and opponents hitting percentage, while ending second in the conference in assists. With improved win totals in each of head coach Chad Braegelmann’s three seasons, the 2010 UMAC Coach of the Year welcomes Thomas back to lead the offense after the senior finished 2010 third individually in the UMAC in assists.
3. Northwestern College Eagles
2010 Overall Record: 26-14
2010 UMAC Record: 11-3
2010 UMAC Finish: T-2nd
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 4
Third in the poll is Northwestern College, trailing the Cougars by only two points with 40. The Eagles are riding the wave of their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance from November of 2010 and know what it takes to advance to the postseason. After graduating seven seniors following the 2010 season and five the year before that, Northwestern will feature a young squad in the upcoming year. Outside hitters Chelsea Koth and Greta King, the team’s lone seniors, will be heavily relied upon for both offense and defense on the front lines. Koth led the team with 3.13 kills per set last year and is 67 kills away from 1,000 for her career. Junior Courtney Jonas will step up to the plate in the middle of the front row while sophomore Lexi Bertsch is the front runner to replace last year’s UMAC Defensive Player of the Year, Kelsey Korporal. The Eagles will be looking to defend their 2010 UMAC Tournament title and make back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament.
4. Martin Luther College Knights
2010 Overall Record: 18-13
2010 UMAC Record: 8-6
2010 UMAC Finish: 4th
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 3
The Martin Luther volleyball team enters the 2010 season looking to improve on last season’s fourth place finish in the UMAC. The team notched 32 points and one first place vote to earn fourth in the poll. The Knights return a number of key contributors from their 18-13 season a year ago. Outside hitter Rebecca Engelbrecht returns for her sophomore campaign after being named Rookie of the Year in the UMAC in 2010. She led the Knights in kills with 330 and attack percentage with .244. Also returning are middle hitters Emily Boldt and Rachel Hein. Boldt, a senior this season, was named first team all-conference in 2010, while Hein led the conference in total blocks with 118. Martin Luther will also look for continued contributions from other returning players, including senior outside Katelyn Hauf, junior outside Jennifer Draeger and sophomore outside Elizabeth Loersch, while newcomer Miranda Maasz looks to take over at the setter position.
5. Bethany Lutheran College Vikings
2010 Overall Record: 11-17
2010 UMAC Record: 6-8
2010 UMAC Finish: 5th
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 3
The Vikings of Bethany Lutheran College, who garnered 25 points in the poll, are excited to return to competition with head coach Sue Forrey in her second year at the helm. In her first year, Bethany Lutheran improved its record to 11-17 overall and 6-8 in the conference. The Vikings return a solid foundation with four starters from the 2010 squad, but add a bevy of new players fighting for a spot on the court. With the loss of all-conference honorable mention players Nicole Jones and Emily Schrupp, the Vikings will need to replace their assists, and kills leader. Returning for Bethany Lutheran is last year’s starting libero Tayler Kahlow, who led the Vikings with 3.5 digs per set. Also coming back from the 2010 roster is senior outside hitter, Vanessa Harkins. Harkins led the team with 68 service aces and was second in kills posting 2.27 per set, and digs with 2.84 per set. Senior middle Klea Swenson, last season’s leading blocker, also returns. Swenson had .62 blocks per set and 21 solo blocks.
T-6. Crown College Storm
2010 Overall Record: 4-24
2010 UMAC Record: 1-13
2010 UMAC Finish: T-7th
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 0
The 2011 Crown College volleyball team, who received 14 points in the poll, will feature an experienced group of returners under the leadership of new head coach James Yang. As assistant at Crown before taking the reins of the program this past spring, Yang is extremely excited to be returning a group of experienced players who are all healthy for the first time in two years. Leading the group of veteran players is junior outside Shelby Vischer, who led the 2010 squad in kills and digs. Other returning starters include junior setter Judy Mundt, senior right side hitter Kristin Buresh, junior outside hitter Emily Dahl, and senior middle hitters Naomi Anderson and Trisha Birr. Anderson and Birr both missed significant time last season due to injury and will bolster a starting lineup that was forced to play out of position and with limited depth a season ago.
T-6. Northland College LumberJills
2010 Overall Record: 9-25
2010 UMAC Record: 4-10
2010 UMAC Finish: 6th
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 4
Tied for sixth with the Storm are the LumberJills of Northland College, who are under the direction of first year head coach, Curt Sivertsen. Sievertsen, who has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, will hope to improve upon Northland’s 2010 record of 9-25. The LumberJills are led by junior setters Erin Roembke and Megan Zynda, who both averaged over three assists per set in 2010 and are poised to run the LumberJill offense. Also returning is junior right side Emily Pudlo. Pudlo, who pounded 1.25 kills per set in 2010, will be called upon to pick up the offensive production after the loss of kills leader Laura Fischer. Also returning for Northland is junior outside hitter Gabby Jukkala, sophomore outside Dianna Martin, and junior middle blocker Alaina Donovan. The LumberJills will also look for significant contributions from freshman middle Tayler Viegut and freshman libero Taylor Lepak.
8. Presentation College Saints
2010 Overall Record: 1-25
2010 UMAC Record: 1-13
2010 UMAC Finish: T-7th
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 5
Rounding out the poll with 12 points are the Saints of Presentation College. The team enters its fourth season under the direction of head coach Chelsey Albrecht. The Aberdeen, S.D. native returns three starters and brings in five newcomers. Presentation’s top returner is sophomore Tina Boldt, who plays as both an outside hitter and setter. Boldt led the 2010 squad in multiple categories, including kills (121), assists (239) and digs (197). Also back for the Saints is junior setter Kelsey Schmidt, who was second on the team in digs with 157 and assists with 239. The final returning starter for the Saints is sophomore right side Amanda Sutton, who averaged 1.26 kills per set in 2010. Presentation adds a promising newcomer in freshman setter Haley Boisjollie, who tallied 512 assists, 206 digs, 58 aces, and 21 kills as a high school senior.
UMAC conference competition begins Sept. 23 with all eight schools in non-conference action starting Sept. 1. The top four teams at the end of the conference schedule will compete in the 2011 UMAC Tournament, with semifinal matches taking place Nov. 2 and the championship match scheduled for Nov. 5. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.