Wednesdays Girls Volleyball Roundup 10/5/11 Neuqua Valley d. Hinsdale S. 25-23, 26-24: Callie Huebener had eight kills and 13 digs for Neuqua Valley (18-10). Brooke Antenen added 12 assists and eight digs.
The start was almost too easy Thursday for the West Aurora volleyball team. Things got tougher, as they often do, but the Blackhawks came back for a three-set win over Wheaton Warrenville South.
“We lost our momentum and they started playing really well,” West junior standout Lauren Carlini said of her team’s 25-16, 23-25, 25-18 decision that keeps them in the thick of the DuPage Valley Conference title chase.
“We just continued to do what we did in the first game, and after that, we got our momentum back and we did really well.”
It lifts West to 17-7 overall and 7-1 in the league after entering the night’s action tied with both Naperville Central and North, all with one loss in league play.
The Blackhawks jumped to a 5-0 lead in the opener and were up 20-13 and cruised. They led by five points (10-5 and 16-11) twice in the second game and their margin was two – 23-21 – when the visitors scored four straight on a Kate Phalen kill (15 for the game), back-to-back block-kills by Zoe Weber and Krysta Watts (four blocks) and a clinching kill by Weber.
“I think we just had trouble with our pass and they came at us and passed up everything we sent at them in that second game, ” said West coach Kari Nicholson. “We had trouble passing (the ball) up and a little trouble finishing it, but we refocused and said, ‘We’ve got one more game left’ and got it going again.”
West jumped to a 9-3 lead in the decisive set, only to have the Tigers rally to tie at 11-all. The Blackhawks led 15-14 then reeled off seven straight points highlighted by a block and kill from Peyton McKenzie (eight kills), to take control.
Carlini had 13 kills, 13 assists, two blocks and two aces to lead West, which got 20 assists from Leslie Martin, four kills from Abriya Zeitz, 13 digs from Abigail Schaschwary, 11 from Samantha Small and 10 from Dazmine Chaney.
“I think they finally started competing in Game 2,” Tigers’ coach Bill Schreier said of his 7-12, 3-5 team. “We sat back and it was a dysfunctional start in the first game, a start that shouldn’t happen.
“We did a little better staying in sync in Game 2, had better ball control, ran our offense and were able to slow Carlini down at the net, some.”
Then, casting a glance at the U.S. National team player who has verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin, he said, “Lauren (Carlini) is gonna give everyone a run for Player of the Year in state for sure. She’s the real deal. And No. 6 (McKenzie) was a nice other piece for them to build off. She had a real nice Game 1 and a nice start in Game 3.”
Rosary's Jennifer Hewitt (24) and Erin Bowe (15) block a shot from Aurora Central's Katilyn Rosa on Wednesday. Mike Mantucca ~ For Sun-Times Media Bowe Steps in to Lead Rosary past ACC By Rick Armstrong 9/28/11
It was her turn Wednesday night and Erin Bowe made the most of it.
The junior outside hitter hasn’t seen a lot of court time this season for the Rosary High School volleyball team, playing behind standouts like four-year starter Amelia Wegman and electric junior Briana Flagg. Bowe got a rare start with Flagg out due to a death in the family and responded with a team-high eight kills in the Royals’ 25-19, 25-9 win over Aurora Central Catholic.
“I stepped in and I think I held it together, replacing her just for the night,” said the 5-foot-8-and-a-half Bowe, who also started Monday against Guerin when Wegman was making a college visit.
The opener was a tight affair until Rosary broke from a 19-16 advantage with a three-point run on Wegman and Marissa Prochaska kills sandwiched around an Alexis Banks service ace to make it 22-16, and the Chargers could get no closer.
“The first game we made quite a few errors, including four service errors,” said Rosary coach Lisa Kasper. “We cleaned those up in the second game and we were on a roll.”
ACC, 7-11 and 0-6 in the Suburban Christian Blue, got four of Kendall Adams’ five kills in the opener.
“We had 19 points in a loss to St. Francis, too,” said an encouraged ACC coach Jeanne Czipri. “I’m not worried about the opponents. I’m more concerned with us. I think we played phenomenal. But give Rosary a lot of credit. Coach Kasper has her team playing well and they keep getting stronger and stronger, but I liked the way we fought back (in the opener).”
Bowe’s hitting error allowed the Chargers to break the hosts’ 4-0 run to start the second set, but she responded quickly, pounding home a kill off an Alexis Banks set to make it 5-1. It started a 7-0 Rosary run behind the serving of defensive specialist Katie Baki that made it 11-1.
Bowe had two more kills in that spurt, Kate Stefanski (4 kills, 3 blocks) had one and Baki notched a pair of aces.
“She hasn’t been playing much,” Kasper said of Bowe. “I told her at the beginning of the year she was playing behind two very good players but she needed to be ready because it’s a long season and a lot can happen. I’m really proud of her.”
The Royals got six kills and a pair of blocks from Wegman, nine assists from Banks and eight more from Abby Konovodoff and climb to 19-7 and 4-2.
Jen Hewitt #14 Waubonsie Championship Match Photo by: Jon Cunningham~For Sun-Times Media.
Thursday's Girls Volleyball Roundup 9/22/11
WW South d. Glenbard East 25-14, 25-23: WW South (6-10, 2-4 DuPage Valley) was led by Kate Phalen (11 kills, three digs) and Jessica Bossmann (19 assists).
Girls Volleyball Scoreboard
9/7:
St. Edwards d. Wheaton Academy 20-25, 25-18, 25-20
An improving Waubonsie Valley volleyball team will plays host to 11 other teams Friday and Saturday in its Warrior Blast Tournament.
“For the most part, it’s going like I thought after we graduated eight senior players from last year,” said Waubonsie Valley coach Kristen Stuart, whose team is 10-8 overall and 2-0 in the league coming off Tuesday’s Upstate Eight Valley win in straight sets over Bartlett. “We’re definitely making progress.”
Sophomore right side/setter Rachel Minarick, who earned all tournament team honors at last weekend’s Wheaton Classic, has been a key player in the team’s improvement.
“She’s spent the last year setting (for her club team) at Sports Performance but she’s also hitting for us,” Stuart said of the second-year varsity player. “We run a 6-2. She could run a 5-1 for us but we need her to hit. She’s grown again, too. She must be 6-foot or 6-1 now.”
Key seniors stepping up are outside hitter and Northern Michigan recruit Lisa Stednicka, 6-2 middle and Winthrop University recruit Brittany Rampersad and backrow seniors, libero Lauren Clark and defensive specialist Gina Mancuso.
“Brittany is doing a good job. We’re starting to get her more involved in the offense,” Stuart said. “The biggest thing is we’re definitely coming together. We just need to continue to improve when it comes to communication and being able to play with each other and jelling.”
The Warriors appeared to struggle at Wheaton, opening with Wednesday night pool-play losses to Benet Academy and Libertyville. By tournament’s end, though, that performance didn’t look quite so bad.
“Turns out it was a pretty tough pool,” Stuart said. “Benet went on to win the gold (overall) pool. Libertyville was seeded third in our pool but took second in the silver division and we won the bronze division (in the 24-team event).”
The Warrior Blast field includes defending champ Hinsdale South, ranked 10th in Chicagoland by the Sun-Times and coming off a second-place showing to No. 1 Benet at Wheaton. Last year’s runner-up, York, has left the field, but are teams vying for honors will include Batavia, Rosary, Oswego and Neuqua Valley.
Also in the field are Bolingbrook, Plainfield Central, Downers Grove North, St. Ignatius and newcomers Lincoln-Way North and Rockford Guilford.
“I don’t know much about (the two new teams) but I’ve heard they’re both pretty good,” Stuart said.
Lincoln-Way North returned four starters this year from last year’s Southwest Suburban Red co-champs and entered this week 9-6 after finishing second to Providence last Saturday in the Oak Lawn Volleyball Classic.
Rockford Guilford currently carries a 6-1 record in NIC 10 play.
Kaneland carries a 12-4 and 2-1 Northern Illinois Big 12 East record into Thursday’s home match against Rochelle after Tuesday’s 25-23, 25-23 squeaker over a young Sycamore team.
Katy Dudzinski and Grace Fabrizius had seven kills each and Kylie Seibert 21 digs in the win.
It looked like Batavia’s girls volleyball team flipped a switch for the deciding third game with Rosary on Thursday night, suddenly blocking the ball so consistently the Royals couldn’t get much past the net.
Turns out Rosary’s power combo of Amelia Wegman and Brianna Flagg forced a Batavia adjustment that couldn’t have worked better for the Bulldogs.
AdvertAfter recording no block kills in either of the first two games, Batavia stuffed Rosary nine times in the final game of its 25-21, 15-25, 25-22 victory on Pack the Place night at Batavia.
“Flagg and Wegman swing so good,” Batavia’s senior captain Mary Nilles said. “We had to adjust our block. (Coach Lori) Trippi (Payne) called it. Good call.”
Nilles had 3 of those blocks, as did Kristen Koncelik. Kaytlin St. Clair, Jess Hartman and Anysa Ocon each had one.
Batavia (12-6) never trailed in the third game but saw an 18-11 lead sliced to 21-20 on a kill from Jennifer Hewitt. After Batavia’s Heather Meyer answered with a kill, back-to-back blocks from Nilles and Koncelik took Batavia to match point. The Bulldogs sealed the win three points later on the Royals’ seventh service error.
Rosary (9-5) had rebounded from the Game 1 loss behind Wegman’s 9 kills in Game 2.
“We made a couple adjustments on our block and it worked,” Trippi-Payne said. “That’s what this level is about. Can your kids make those adjustments on the fly? Something we didn’t practice yesterday? And they did. We had some kids step up in the third game.”
Batavia also stayed aggressive, learning from earlier Game 3 losses like St. Charles North when the team got tentative.
“Our goal is to swing aggressive,” said Nilles, who topped both teams with 21 assists, hustling all over the court in Game 2 to keep balls alive when Batavia’s serve-receive game struggled. “Sometimes we are a little timid and play not to lose. I think especially in Game 3 we were swinging hard and tried to keep them on their heels.”
Hartmann stepped up early with five kills in the first game. She and Meyer, another sophomore, led Batavia with 9 and 6 kills, respectively.
“We did some neat things offensively, moved the ball around a lot,” Trippi-Payne said. “We had to play tremendously to beat them.
“The whole team did a lot of things I haven’t seen in a game yet. They weren’t intimidated by Rosary.”
Wegman led both teams with 13 kills. Flagg added 7 kills, Katie Baki had 9 digs, 6 points and 2 aces, and Abby Konovodoff had 17 assists for the Royals, who played their fifth match in the last four days.
“They are teenagers, they should have more energy,” Rosary coach Lisa Kasper said. “Just too many mistakes. That’s how it’s been all season. When we lose we shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Rosary returns to the championship flight of the Wheaton Warrenville South Tournament at 1 p.m. Saturday against Hinsdale Central and will play either Naperville North or Benet in its second game.
Prep Roundup: St Charles North Volleyball Splits at Wheaton Warrenville South Tournament 9/15/2011
WHEATON – The St. Charles North girls volleyball team rallied from a two-game loss to Hinsdale South to sweep Plainfield North as the Wheaton Warrenville South Tournament got under way on Wednesday. North fell, 25-22, to Hinsdale South before defeating Plainfield North, 25-22, 25-21.
“We didn’t play as well as I had hoped in the first game, but we were able to do well defensively against some good hitters,” North Stars coach Lindsey Hawkins said. “We cleaned up on the mental errors and ended the night on a good note going forward.”
Jill Stolzenburg and Kim Juriga both smacked seven kills for North (9-5) in the Hinsdale South match. In other tournament play, Rosary recorded victories against Naperville Central (25-15, 25-13) and Downers Grove South (22-25, 25-15, 25-20) to improve to 9-4. Amelia Wegman (18 kills) and Briana Flagg (14) led the Royals’ attack, while Jen Hewitt recorded nine blocks.
Novak, Neuqua Valley Deliver Under Pressure 9/13/11
Like any hitter, Neuqua Valley’s Leighanne Novak doesn’t enjoy watching sure-kills get dug up by the other side.
“It’s so frustrating,” said the Wildcats senior. “You think you’re about to cheer a point and then you have to keep playing. Frustrating.”
Novak didn’t let up Monday when Neuqua needed her most.
She put down 6 of her match-high 10 kills in the third set, and the Wildcats weathered Downers Grove South’s outstanding defensive effort for a 25-22, 19-25, 25-16 win in Naperville.
With Neuqua leading 17-13 in the third, Novak put down kills for 5 of the Wildcats’ next 6 points for a commanding 23-15 advantage.
“She took the court in Game 3 and decided that she was going to lead her team,” Neuqua coach Kelly Simon said. “Toward the end we were laughing on the bench about it being the Leighanne Novak show.”
Three of those were relatively easy putaways because of Downers Grove South overpasses.
“It feels amazing to get those,” Novak said. “We just had to keep communicating and push to the end.”
Simon admired the gritty effort put forth by her opponent. Back-row specialists Kelly Bowe and Carlie Serritella, in particular, were all over the court for the Mustangs.
Down a set, Downers Grove South rolled out to an 8-1 lead in the second and led the whole way.
The Mustangs led 11-9 in the third on a Kristen Zemke kill before a 4-0 Neuqua run started by a Callie Huebener kill.
“I have to give Downers South a ton of credit — they came out fighting and battling from the first point to the last,” Simon said, “and we didn’t until the third game. It was a wake-up call. That team dug like crazy. It was phenomenal to watch.”
Downers Grove South (3-2) posted rare back-to-back losing seasons in 2009 and 2010, but the Mustangs seem intent on flipping the script this fall.
The Mustangs already have beaten two teams that they lost to last year — Downers Grove North and Wheaton Warrenville South. Neuqua would have been a third.
“Our girls have to learn to close matches,” Mustangs coach Trisha Kurth said. “Our defense was great. We’re trying to play smarter volleyball. We’re not big and tall, we don’t all play for Sports Performance and Alliance 18 club. We have to win because we play defense and we’re smart.”
Huebener had 9 kills for Neuqua (8-5), as did Brooke Antenen. Taylor McKeown pitched in 7. Antenen and McKeown both had clever two-hand kills into the vacant back corner of Downers Grove South’s defense that eased the Wildcats ahead 13-11 in the third set, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“I’m glad that Downers South challenged us the way that we played and forced us to play,” Simon said, “because we gotta be ready to play every night we take the court. Had we not stepped up in Game 3 and played the way we are capable, they would have beaten us.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Monday girls volleyball scoreboard- 9/12/11:
Willowbrook Invite Pool Play Glenbard North d. Willowbrook 23-25, 26-24, 15-6 Coal City d. Willowbrook 25-21, 26-24 Willowbrook d. Wheaton South 25-14, 25-22 Wheaton South d. Coal City 25-13, 25-11 Wheaton South d. Glenbard North 25-17, 25-13 Glenbard North d. Coal City 25-27, 25-17, 15-8 West Chicago d. Larkin 22-25, 25-22, 15-6 West Chicago d. Addison Trail 25-20, 25-13 West Chicago d. Glenbard East 25-23, 25-20 Glenbard East d. Addison Trail 25-18, 17-25, 15-11 Glenbard East d. Larkin 25-9, 25-20 Addison Trail d. Larkin 25-19, 26-28, 15-6 Playoffs - Championship West Chicago d. Glenbard North 25-21, 25-8 Wheaton South d Glenbard East 25-19, 22-25, 27-25 3rd Place: Glenbard North d. Glenbard East 22-25, 25-20, 25-11 1st Place: West Chicago d. Wheaton South 25-15, 23-25, 25-21 Wheaton South stats (championship match): Phalen (10 kills, 3 aces); Bossmann (18 assists); Watts (4 kills, 4 blocks); Kelly (8 digs).
West Aurora Invite Minooka d. Glenbard South 25-17, 25-17 Glenbard South d. Streamwood 25-14, 25-12 Glenbard South d. Plainfield East 25-9, 25-19 Glenbard South d. South Elgin 25-17, 25-15 Bartlett d. Plainfield South 25-20, 25-8 Plainfield South d. Plainfield East 25-20, 25-16 4th Place: Glenbard South d. Bartlett 25-18, 16-25, 25-16 2nd Place: Wheaton Academy d. Plainfield South 250-20, 25-13 Glenbard South overall stats - Valdez (28 kills); Watterson (29 kills); Deprez (13 kills, 30 digs, 8 aces); Scheet (32 digs, 8 aces); Schutte (41 assists)
Geneva crashes Neuqua Valley's Comfort Zone. 9/2/11 by Joshua Welge
Geneva’s rowdy student fans jumped up and down on the bleachers yelling, “We believe that we will win.”
They might have been the only ones after the first set. They had company in the end.
The Vikings bounced back from a one-sided first set to knock off Neuqua Valley 11-25, 25-23, 25-21 on Thursday in Geneva.
Morgan Stasell’s seventh kill snapped a 21-21 tie in the third set. From there the Vikings junior served out the match.
“I was worried after that first game,” Stasell said. “We had a lot more energy the second game. We just gave it all we got.”
Sophomore Noelle Eveland knocked down a kill off a Neuqua Valley overpass to make it 23-21, and after a Neuqua hitting error Eveland rose for her fourth kill off another overpass for match point.
“I think we got real comfortable after Game 1 and we weren’t ready for the push,” Neuqua coach Kelly Simon said, “and they pushed us.”
Neuqua (6-4) looked poised for a walk in the park after the first set. The Wildcats put together runs of 9-2 and 6-0, their superior height dominating the net with 10 kills and a block.
The tide may have tipped at the start of the second set, when Neuqua errors gave Geneva 5 of its first 7 points — 3 on Wildcats service errors.
“Start of Game 2, we had 4 service errors and a setting error within 6 points,” Simon said. “That’s more service errors than we have in matches almost ever. That’s a whole lot of points to give up.”
The two teams traded the lead 10 times in the second set and tugged and pulled to 17 ties, the last at 21-21 on a big kill by Neuqua’s Leighanne Novak.
Geneva (2-1) answered with a kill of its own followed by an Eveland ace to make it 23-21. Vikings junior Taylor Otto blocked Neuqua in the middle for the set.
“We had kids step up that haven’t had an opportunity in our first two matches,” Geneva coach KC Johnsen said.
“I’ve been telling them all we are very balanced; we have so many people for so many spots. It’s a pretty even split. Our kids really responded those second and third games.”
Neuqua led 15-12 in the third set after McKeown and Novak kills, and a kill by the Wildcats’ DePaul-bound outside Callie Huebener made it 16-15 Neuqua.
Geneva wouldn’t go away, though.
Hannah Buck and Melissa Hanika both had 7 kills for Geneva, a pair of Hanika kills tying the score at 19-19 and 20-20 in the third.
“This is a big win for us,” Johnsen said. “Neuqua always has a very good team and we have a lot of respect for their program.”
For Neuqua Taylor McKeown had 13 kills, Brooke Antenen 8 kills, 2 blocks and 14 assists and Huebener 7 kills and 17 digs. Leighanne Novak had 5 kills and 2 aces and Kat Novak 2 kills and 3 blocks.
“To give them credit they had kills and a block and 2 aces for point 10 all the way to point 25 in the third game,” Simon said. “Geneva’s kids were pushing with every ounce of their being and they executed real well.”
St Charles East Top Waubonsie V. by John Lemon 9/1/11
Just because St. Charles East defeated Waubonsie Valley 25-15, 25-20 Thursday night in St. Charles doesn’t necessarily mean the Saints’ Jennie Kull was the coach most pleased afterward.
“I don’t think we executed well,” Kull said. “Waubonsie is a good team and I don’t want to take anything away from them. But I’ve seen our team play in practice and they are a whole lot better than that.”
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Turns out it was Waubonsie Valley’s Kristen Stuart who left St. Charles in a better mood. She was feeling a lot like Kull on Tuesday when the Warriors put up a lackluster effort against Hinsdale Central.
Stuart practiced the team hard Wednesday, then saw a lot more to like from them Thursday, especially in Game 2 when the Warriors were within 21-20 before the Saints scored the final four points.
“I was more encouraged by this match even though it was a loss,” Stuart said. “I thought they played with a lot more intensity. I’m proud of them for not getting down. That’s encouraging. We’re building a little bit every match.”
Stuart switched to a 5-1 in Game 2 for the first time this year. The Warriors scored the first five points behind Danielle Vandenberg’s serving.
Four-year starter Maisey Mulvey quickly served the Saints back into a tie with 5 points. Stuart wasn’t surprised having seen Mulvey and Meghan Niski give her team fits the last four years.
“She (Niski) is finally a senior,” Stuart said. “She is a fantastic player. Mulvey too. They are a solid team and they have a lot of experienced players who have been on varsity a long time. That’s where they have the advantage on us.”
After leading throughout Game 1 and closing it on an ace from Sarah Dugan, the Saints took the lead for good in Game 2 at 8-7 on Allison Manley’s kill.
St. Charles East grabbed its biggest lead at 13-8 before 3 straight kills from Lisa Studnicka closed the gap.
Waubonsie eventually pulled within 21-20 on a Lauren Lindell kill. But that experience gap Stuart mentioned was on display down the stretch when 3 Warrior hitting errors and Kathleen Dailey’s kill for St. Charles East gave the Saints a 4-0 run to end the match.
Kull was pleased with the play of Mulvey and Caitlyn Ballard, one of just three juniors on the team. Everyone else is a senior, veterans who know what Kull expects to see from them.
“We struggled a little on passing and blocking,” Niski said. “It’s a mixture of nerves and what we are doing wrong and obviously we have a lot of time to fix it.”
“For now our goals are to get the team together, we need to bond more,” Mulvey said.
Studnicka led the Warriors with 8 kills and 14 digs. Rachel Minarick added 3 kills and 5 assists and Lauren Clarke 9 digs.
The Saints return to action Friday and Saturday at Conant’s Invitational against the likes of St. Pius from Wisconsin, Conant, Palatine and St. Francis.
“We need to go play a little more crisp,” Kull said. “This could be a good wake-up call for us. This is so early and I’m glad things like this happen now. I know we can play better.”
For a good cause: Saints junior setter Erinne Barry was handing out fliers after the game to raise support for a classmate diagnosed with leukemia. The Saints are selling “Together We Will Fight” T-shirts for $10 at their home game against Batavia on Sept. 13.
Aurora Central played its first conference match in the tougher of the two Suburban Christian Conference divisions Wednesday night, quite an accomplishment in of itself for Jeanne Czipri’s program.
Then Rosary — a longtime SCC power dating back to the days of the Suburban Catholic — showed the Chargers what the level of play in this division is like.
The Royals used strong serving and a diverse attack to leave ACC’s oven of a gymnasium with a 25-15, 25-16 victory on a hot August night. Junior Briana Flagg led the Royals with 8 kills and said she has never played in a hotter gym. “I feel like I just jumped into a pool,” Flagg said of her sweat-soaked jersey.
“I thought I did well but we all did well,” Flagg said. “We all contributed. We wouldn’t have been there without our middles, our right side, everybody.”
Aurora Central (3-5, 0-1) started fast, scoring the first 3 points on a kill from Katilyn Rosa followed by a Rosary lift and then Gail Koziol’s ace for a 3-0 lead.
Flagg helped settle Rosary down with 4 kills before her rotation to serve. The Royals grabbed their first lead at 5-4 when Abby Konovodoff set Jennifer Hewitt.
“We knew they were going to come out all pumped up,” said Royals coach Lisa Kasper, whose team has only lost to Huntley and Naperville North in 8 matches. “I just think they are not used to seeing the competition we see year after year. It takes awhile to get acclimated.”
Rosary (6-2, 2-0) gradually extended its lead. Czipri called her first timeout trailing 16-13 after back-to-back block kills from Flagg and Kate Stefanski.
The timeout didn’t slow the Royals’ charge. With Amelia Wegman serving, Rosary rattled off six straight points for a 20-14 lead. The Chargers never got closer.
After 5 ties in Game 1, Rosary led throughout Game 2, opening with a 5-0 lead again behind Wegman’s serving. She finished with 5 points and an ace in Game 2 to give her 12 points and 3 aces in the match.
Rosary had 9 aces in the match against only 3 service errors. “We’ve been serving consistently which has been fantastic,” Kasper said . “If you get points off your serve it makes it so much easier.”
The Chargers fell into a 15-5 hole but did make a run to pull within 18-13 on consecutive Rosary hitting errors.
Kasper went to her deep bench and brought in Alexis Banks who followed with two straight kills to put the Royals back up 20-13 and regain the momentum.
“We didn’t execute our game plan,” Czipri said. “We’re going in as the underdogs. They have some phenomenal hitters, a great setter, and we have kind of a nice balanced team but no standouts.”
Flagg led both teams with 8 kills. Wegman added 6 kills and Stefanski chipped in 3. Konovodoff set 14 assists.
“We don’t have to rely on her (Wegman) as much,” Kasper said of last year’s school record-setter for kills. “We do have a very diversified offense. We can get the ball to anybody. That is going to free her up once we get our middle more established. Their middles will have to stay with our middle and she’ll be one-on-one. “
Ashley Wilk and Ally Kane led the Chargers in digs.
Despite the loss, Czipri was pleased just to see her team officially playing in a match in the conference’s top division.
“We achieved one of my goals when I first took over the program which was to move up to the upper division,” Czipri said. “Taking the program from where it was to where we are now is a compliment to how hard the girls are working. I’m looking at conference as a great way to challenge us and prepare for the postseason.”
Tuesday Girls Volleyball Roundup- August 30th, 2011
Neuqua Valley d. Bolingbrook 25-21, 25-20:Brooke Antenen’s seven kills and seven assists, along with Kaitlynn Novak’s five kills and six digs, helped lead Neuqua Valley (5-3) to victory. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday’s girls volleyball scoreboard- August 30th, 2011
Devils Bedevil Coach with Another Slow Start 8/29/2011
Hinsdale Central coach Sheralynn Kellough is as perplexed as anyone by her team's slow start in 2011. But at least the Red Devils seem to be on the path to redemption.
"I don't know ho to explain it," she said. "We're trying different lineups. But we'll keep at it and hope it comes together sooner than later."
Hinsdale Central, ranked eighth in the preseason, finished 2-3 at the Benet Invitational for the second consecutive year. But the Red Devils showed signs of turning their early season around taking York to three games in the semifinals and beating Neuqua Valley in straight sets in the third-place match.
The Red Devils led York 18-13 in the third set of their semifinal before falling 25-13, 20-25, 25-20.
"We showed more intensity, more heart against York," Kellough said. "We just can't allow teams to have eight, 10, 12-point runs against us. We need to make better decisions running our offense. But we looked like a much better team than we did Friday night."
Watching her team struggle is even harder for Kellough, who is due with twins on November 23 and has to limit her sideline activity.
"I can't get off the bench as much as I'd like," she said. "It's hard to sit there."
***
Rosary (4-2) was on the bubble of breaking into the top 10 in the preseason, and an early three-set loss to Huntley in its opener and Saturday's semifinal loss to Naperville North at the Plainfield North tournament will keep the Royals from breaking into the top 10.
But Rosary also showed some signs of life at Plainfield North with a 26-24, 23-25, 15-8 win over Providence in pool play and a 25-21, 25-23 win over Hinsdale South in the third-place match.
Amelia Wegman led the Royals over the weekend with 47 kills, six blocks and 23 digs. Abby Konovodoff had 99 assists, 15 kills and 12 aces, Briana Flagg added 35 kills and six aces, Kati Baki had 38 digs and three aces, and Jen Hewitt added 14 kills and six blocks. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hoffman Launches 30th Season This Weekend with Nine Freshmen on Roster
Ashley Ahearn- 9/1/11
WALTHAM, Mass. – Long-time Bentley University women's volleyball coach Sandy Hoffman will launch her 30th season at the helm this weekend on Long Island with a roster that includes nine freshmen and only four players with previous college experience.
Hoffman, whose 718 career victories rank fourth among active Division II women's volleyball coaches, and her team won't be coasting into the 2011 season. The first match is Friday at 6 pm against the host team in the Dowling Invitational Tournament. The Golden Lions are the reigning NCAA East Regional champs and are ranked 22nd in Division II preseason.
The weekend action will continue on Saturday with Bentley facing off against Lock Haven University and the University of Charleston (W.V.). Lock Haven, an NCAA tournament team a year ago, is the preseason favorite in the Eastern Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Charleston was picked to finish second in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Links for live stats and live video for each of this weekend's action can be found online at www.bentleyfalcons.com.
Senior captain Virginia Wong (Quincy/North Quincy HS) is the most experienced of the Falcons, and sophomore outside hitter Ashley Ahearn (Marshfield/Marshfield HS) is coming off a solid rookie season.
Ahearn was third on the team in kills, coming off the bench to average 2.3 per set. She will see action at the outside and rightside positions. Wong, who had a similar average during her freshman year, has been beset by injuries the last two years and will serve a versatile role as a hitter, defensive specialist and back-up setter.
The other two returnees, junior middle blocker Grace Conner (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos HS) and sophomore Chanel Batiste (Baton Rouge, La./Baton Rouge Magnet), both saw limited action a year ago. A knee injury ended the season for the 6-foot-2 Conner in mid-September and Batiste was called upon in a dozen matches as a freshman.
Conner, who started the Falcons' first eight matches last year, will be in contention with freshmen Emily Garcia (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas HS), Simone Silvera (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS) and Savannah Dominguez (Miami, Fla./Palmer-Trinity HS) for the two starting spots at the middle hitter position.
Freshman Alex Tator (Los Angeles, Calif./Marlborough School) will take over the setter duties, and classmate Lauren Colasanti (Northville, Mich./Northville HS) will be the libero. Jennifer Segar (Mendon, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy School) will start as a defensive specialist, and Hoffman will also start Kelsey Buckner (San Marino, Calif./San Marino HS) and Tatiana Froehlich (Newton/Newton North HS) as outside hitters. The freshman class also includes outside hitter Kaleigh Sullivan (Victor, N.Y./Harley School), who has been slowed by injury in the preseason.
After the opening tournament, Bentley will return home to host UMass Lowell in the Northeast-10 Conference opener Wednesday night.
The JJC volleyball team fell to Millikin University JV by a score of 17-25, 23-25, 25-11, 23-25. Mallory Frankovich earned 13 kills, 9 blocks, and 23 digs in the contest. Jesse Dolman recorded 11 kills and 18 digs, as Jasmine Land finished with 7 kills and 7 blocks. Holly Panock had 18 digs and Alexa Rezin added 30 assists. JJC (19-9 overall) hosts N4C conference opponent Harper College on Tuesday, September 27, 2011. Game time is 6:00 pm.
9/27/11 Lady Wolves battle it out with Harper College
The Joliet Junior College volleyball team defeated N4C conference opponent Harper College by a score of 26-28, 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 16-14. Jesse Dolman led the way with 14 kills and 21 digs followed by Jasmine Land and Laura Wills with 10 kills each. Mallory Frankovich finished with 9 kills and 23 digs, as Holly Panock recorded 21 digs. Wills (8 blocks), Land (7 blocks), and Tabitha Dabulskis (9 blocks) put up a solid front line for the Lady Wolves. Alexa Rezin and Megan Orozco combined for 47 assists. JJC (20-9 overall, 6-1 N4C) travels to N4C conference opponent Madison College on Thursday, September 29, 2011. Game time is 6:00 pm.
9/29/11 JJC takes down Madison in five
The JJC volleyball team earned another N4C conference victory over Madison College by a score of 24-26, 26-24, 16-25, 25-23, 16-14. Mallory Frankovich was in the zone with 15 kills and 23 digs. Jesse Dolman had 10 kills and 16 digs, while Jasmine Land finished with 9 kills, 7 digs, and 5 blocks. Laura Wills added 8 kills and 17 digs. Tabitha Dabulskis put up 8 blocks, as Megan Orozco added 32 assists. JJC (21-9 overall, 7-1 N4C) hosts Millikin University JV and Black Hawk East College on Saturday, October 1, 2011 in a tri-match. Games begin at 10:00 am.
The JJC volleyball team fell to Ashford University JV by a score of 17-25, 25-23, 24-26, 12-25. Alexis Nelson had 12 kills and 10 digs, while Mallory Frankovich and Laura Wills had 9 kills each. Holly Panock earned 18 digs while Jesse Dolman finished with 17 digs. Alexa Rezin totaled 24 assists in the contest. The Lady Wolves bounced back with a win over Aurora University JV by a score of 25-10, 25-18, 25-23. Mallory Frankovich had 6 kills and 11 digs, while Jesse Dolman finished with 5 kills. Holly Panock added 15 digs. JJC (9-6 overall) host Black Hawk East College and Morton College in a tri-match on Friday, September 9, 2011. Game times begin at 4:00 pm.
8/26/11 Lady Wolves start season in Kankakee Tourney
The Joliet Junior College volleyball team opened up their season with a trip to the annual Kankakee Community College volleyball tournament. In game one, JJC fell to Kankakee by a score of 20-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 11-15. Laura Wills and Tabitha Dabulskis had 9 kills each, while Mallory Frankovich and Alexis Nelson finished with 8 kills each. Frankovich earned 18 digs, while Nelson totaled 15 digs. Wills had a team-high 6 blocks as Megan Orozco had 26 assists in the contest. In game two, the Lady Wolves topped Kaskaskia College with a score of 25-22, 25-22, 26-28, 20-25, 15-13. Alexis Nelson had 17 kills and 21 digs, while Mallory Frankovich had 14 kills and 30 digs. Jesse Dolman and Laura Wills both earned 6 blocks each, as Alexa Rezin and Megan Orozco combined for 48 assists. JJC (1-1 overall) continues tournament play at Kankakee Community College on Saturday, August 27, 2011. Game time is 9:00 am.
8/27/11 JJC wraps up tournament play at Kankakee Tourney
The JJC volleyball team continued pool play at the Kankakee Community College volleyball tournament on Saturday. The Lady Wolves fell to Lewis & Clark Community College in five games with a score of 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 16-18. Mallory Frankovich had 9 kills and 31 digs. Jesse Dolman finished with 17 digs, as Alexa Nelson earned 15 digs. Alexa Rezin added 22 assists. JJC then came back with a win over McHenry County College by a score of 25-19, 25-11, 20-25, 25-18. Frankovich led the way with 13 kills and 20 digs. Alexis Nelson added 11 kills and 19 digs in the contest. Laura Wills finished with 7 kills, 7 blocks, and 9 digs. Illinois Central defeated the Lady Wolves in game three by a 25-27, 17-25, 25-27 score. Alexis Nelson paced the offense with 16 kills. Mallory Frankovich had 22 digs, while Tierra Pittman finished with 16 digs. JJC (2-3 overall) travels to N4C conference opponent Harper College on Tuesday, August 30, 2011. Game time is 6:00 pm.
8/30/11 Lady Wolves fall in five games to Harper
The Joliet Junior College volleyball team was defeated by N4C conference opponent Harper College by a score of 13-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 6-15. Alexis Nelson had 14 kills and 18 digs, while Mallory Frankovich added 12 kills and 19 digs. Jesse Dolman finished with 10 kills and 16 digs. Laura Wills and Tabitha Dabulskis both earned 5 blocks each, as Megan Orozco had 26 assists in the contest. JJC (2-4 overall) hosts South Suburban College and Madison College on Thursday, September 1, 2011. Game times start at 4:00 pm.
9/2/11 Lady Wolves earn another two victories
The Joliet Junior College volleyball team picked up a pair of wins in the opening day of the Lincoln Land Community College tournament. In game one, the Lady Wolves downed Lake Land Community College by a score of 25-22, 25-14, 25-21. Jesse Dolman had 9 kills, while Mallory Frankovich had 8 kills. Frankovich and Alexis Nelson had 16 digs each, while Tierra Pittman finished with 15 digs. Alexa Rezin chipped in with 25 assists. In game two, JJC battled to defeat Lincoln Land Community College by a 19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 18-25, 15-7 score. Alexis Nelson had a team-high 14 kills as well as 22 digs. Mallory Frankovich finished with 8 kills and 25 digs. Tabitha Dabulskis totaled 10 blocks, while Alexa Rezin earned 29 assists. JJC (6-4 overall) continues tournament play at Lincoln Land on Saturday, September 3, 2011.
Cardinals Split on First Day of Wheaton Volleyball Invite
WHEATON, Ill. (Sept. 24, 2011) - The North Central College volleyball team secured one win in two matches in the first day of action at the Wheaton College Invitational on Friday, knocking off Aurora University, 3-1, before a 3-0 loss to St. Norbert College (Wis.) at King Arena.
The Cardinals (8-6) defeated Aurora for the second time this season, duplicating the score of a victory over the Spartans Sept. 9 at North Park University. The teams split the first two sets, as North Central won the first, 25-19, and lost the second, 25-20, before pulling ahead with a 25-18 third-set win and dominating the fourth set, 25-10.
The Cardinals had an opportunity to gain a leg up on St. Norbert (10-4) in a tightly-contested opening set, but the Green Knights came out on top, 27-25. St. Norbert capitalized after seizing the momentum in the match, completing a straight-sets win by taking the next two sets, 25-10 and 25-14.
Harner finished with seven kills and six digs in North Central's second match, while Pool added three total blocks.
The Cardinals resume action at Wheaton on Saturday, taking on Dominican University at 10 a.m. and Purdue University-North Central at 2 p.m.
Volleyballl Rallies for Win at IWU BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (Sept. 20, 2011) - The North Central College volleyball team notched its first College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin victory of the season on Tuesday, coming from behind to defeat Illinois Wesleyan University, 3-2, at the Shirk Center.
The Cardinals (7-5, 1-1 CCIW) trailed, two sets to one, but bounced back to claim the final two sets in dramatic fashion to defeat the Titans in five sets for the third straight season.
IWU (7-6, 0-2) posted a 28-26 victory in the opening frame, though North Central rallied for a 25-23 win in the second set. The hosts threatened to take control of the match with a 25-20 third-set win, but the Cardinals won the fourth set, 25-23, and the fifth, 15-10, to even their record in conference play.
Jenae Harner led North Central in kills (14), digs (16), and service aces (3), while Crystal Wright added 13 kills and Amber Ladwig put up 12. Jessie Fiala finished with 15 digs and Jamie Drozd added 13, pushing her over 1,000 digs for her career. Alli Briner recorded three total blocks, and Ryan Lally finished with a team-high 29 assists.
The Cardinals participate in the Wheaton College Tournament on Friday and Saturday. Action on Friday is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. and resume on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Sept. 17, 2011 - The North Central College volleyball team claimed its first home win of 2011 on Saturday in the Red/Black Triangular at Gregory Arena, but wound up coming away with a split as the Cardinals were defeated in their second contest of the day.
North Central defeated Benedictine University, 3-1, then suffered a 3-0 setback to Lake Forest College. The Cardinals' record now stands at 6-5 this season.
The Cardinals emerged victorious, 25-23, after a hard-fought first set against Benedictine (6-5), but the Eagles bounced back and dominated the second set, 25-11. North Central's Joelle Lusson opened the third set with a series of three straight service aces to get the home team rolling, and the Cardinals led throughout a 25-21 win.
North Central fell behind early in the fourth set, but a 6-2 scoring run that featured three straight service aces by Jenae Harner moved the hosts in front. The Eagles battled back and tied the score at 19-19, but North Central put up the next thre points and held on for a 25-23 victory.
Harner finished with a team-high 10 kills for the Cardinals, while Amber Ladwig added nine. Jessie Fiala totaled a team-best 18 digs and Lauren Pool put up six total blocks.
The Cardinals were turned away in their second match by Lake Forest, 25-22, 26-24, 25-22. The first set was tied at 21-21 before the Foresters (4-7) scored four of the final five points. The pattern repeated itself in the second set, as Lake Forest broke a 23-23 tie with three of the final four points.
Ladwig finished with 11 kills, while Lusson totaled 10 digs and Kedryn Orrison recorded four total blocks.
The Cardinals resume College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play on Tuesday, traveling to face Illinois Wesleyan University at 7 p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Volleyball Manages Saturday Split CHICAGO (Sept. 10, 2011) - The North Central College volleyball team nearly posted a second straight two-match sweep at the North Park University Tournament on Saturday, as a narrow five-set loss sent the Cardinals home with a 3-1 record for the weekend.
The Cardinals (5-3) won two of the first three sets against Hamline University (Minn.) before suffering a 3-2 loss, then overpowered Marian University (Wis.), 3-0.
After dropping the first set against Hamline, 25-23, North Central rallied and won the next two, 25-21 and 25-17. Hamline scored another 25-23 win to force a fifth set, saving multiple match points before outlasting the Cardinals, 21-19.
North Central then faced off with Marian for the second straight week, finishing with the same result. The Cardinals won in straight sets by scores of 25-13, 25-18 and 25-21. Harner led the way with 12 kills and 25 digs, while Crystal Wright added 10 kills and Jessie Fiala finished with 15 digs. Allison Kereven handled the setting duties, tallying 34 assists.
The Cardinals open College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play on Tuesday, hosting Elmhurst College at 7 p.m.
Cardinals Post Pair of Wins at North Park CHICAGO (Sept. 9, 2011) - Duplicating its strong early form of the previous week, the North Central College volleyball team started the North Park University Tournament in impressive fashion on Friday, defeating Aurora University and Concordia University Chicago.
The Cardinals (4-2) dropped the first set against Aurora, 26-24, but then rallied to even the match with a win by the same score in the second set. North Central collected the win after claiming the third set, 25-20, and the fourth by a count of 25-21.
Crystal Wright and Jenae Harner led North Central's attack with 11 kills, while Amber Ladwig finished with nine. Wright also shared the team lead in digs (13) with Jessie Fiala, who turned in a pair of service aces. Alli Briner led the Cardinals with five total blocks and Ryan Lally totaled 35 assists.
North Central put Concordia away quickly in the tournament's second round, winning in straight sets by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-16. Ladwig finished with eight kills, as Wright added seven and Harner put up six. Wright finished with a team-high 11 digs and Lally contributed 24 assists.
The Cardinals continue play at North Park on Saturday, facing Hamline University (Minn.) at noon and Marian University (Wis.) at 2 p.m.
Cardinals Swept in Second Day at UWSP STEVENS POINT, Wis. (Sept. 3, 2011) - The North Central College volleyball team found the going much tougher in the second day of competition at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Invitational, losing both of its matches to finish with a 2-2 record in the opening weekend of the 2011 season.
The Cardinals dropped a 3-2 decision to the University of Minnesota-Morris in their first match of the day, then were beaten, 3-0, by the College of St. Catherine (Minn.) to close the weekend.
North Central played from behind for much of its first match, losing the opening set, 25-14. The Cardinals rallied to post a 25-17 second-set win, then lost by the same score before leveling the match again with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. Minnesota-Morris (2-1) made off with the victory after claiming the fifth set, 17-15.
Crystal Wright once again led the Cardinals' attacking efforts, posting 16 kills, and her 19 digs ranked second on the team only to Joelle Lusson's total of 21. Amber Ladwig added 10 kills, while Alli Briner posted three total blocks and Ryan Lally finished with 33 assists.
North Central was never able to get untracked against St. Catherine's losing in straight sets by scores of 25-21, 25-12 and 25-20. Jenae Harner's five kills were a team high for the Cardinals, while Briner totaled four blocks and Jessie Fiala turned in seven digs.
The Cardinals travel to Chicago for the North Park University Tournament on Friday and Saturday. Action is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday.
Volleyball Loses in First-Place Showdown to TCC 9/22/11
JOLIET – University of St. Francis won the first set easily but then could not keep the momentum as defending Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference co-champion Trinity Christian College won the final three sets to defeat the Saints, 15-25, 25-13, 26-24 and 25-22 Thursday night in volleyball action at the Sullivan Center.
With the win, TCC (9-3, 4-0) remains the lone team unbeaten in CCAC play. USF (10-6, 3-1) lost for the third straight time over two seasons to the Trolls after having never lost to them in 31 previous meetings.
The Saints rolled to a 25-15 win in the first set, behind a strong offensive attack from junior outside hitter Jazzmyne Robbins (La Salle-Peru H.S./Peru, IL). The tide turned quickly as TCC won game two going away by a 25-13 score and then the Trolls took the pivotal third set in a tight 26-24 contest.
USF battled back late in game four to cut the deficit to 24-22 but a service error – the 11th of the night for the Saints – on match point dashed their hopes of extending the conference clash to a fifth and deciding game.
Robbins finished the night with a match-high 18 kills and a .384 attacking percentage. Senior opposite Sarah Ahline (Lemont H.S./Lemont, IL) added a season-high-matching 13 kills and freshmanPaige Reinert (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) collected a personal-best nine kills.
Junior setter Ashley Richards (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) ran the offense with a season-best 49 assists. Junior outside hitter Ashley Thompson (Portage H.S./Hobart, IN) led the Saints with 27 serve receptions and 15 digs. Junior libero Dana Wettergren (Oak Forest H.S./Oak Forest, IL) added 14 digs and Richards finished with 13.
The Saints are off this weekend and return to action next Tuesday with a home CCAC match against Robert Morris University at 7 p.m. at the Sullivan Center.
Volleyballers Lose Tough Four-Set Match at UW-Parkside 9/8/11
SOMERS, Wis. – University of St. Francis played well throughout the match but came up just a little short in a tough, four-set loss to NCAA Division II University of Wisconsin-Parkside (1-4) Thursday night in a non-conference volleyball match at DeSimone Gymnasium.
The Saints (7-4) dropped the opening game by a 25-19 score but roared back to tie the match with a 25-22 win in game two. Both the third and fourth games went right down to the wire with the Saints falling short by scores of 25-23 in each contest.
Junior outside hitter Jazzmyne Robbins (La Salle-Peru H.S./Peru, IL) again led the USF offensive attack with 14 kills and posted a solid .385 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Ashley Thompson (Portage H.S./Hobart, IN) added a career-high 11 kills. Senior opposite Sarah Ahline (Lemont H.S./Lemont, IL) just missed double figures with nine kills.
Freshmen middle blockers Paige Reinert (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) and Caleigh Hill (Minooka H.S./Shorewood, IL) added seven and six kills, respectively. The two freshmen manned the middle all night for the Saints in the absence of sophomore Kate McIlvanie (Lena-Winslow H.S./Eleroy, IL) who did not make the trip due to illness.
Junior setter Ashley Richards (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) ran the offense with 40 assists.
Hill led the Saints' defense with three solo blocks. Reinert added one solo block and one block assist. Junior libero Dana Wettergren (Oak Forest H.S./Oak Forest, IL) led the team with 20 digs and 22 serve receptions. Thompson added 13 digs and 20 serve receptions.
The Saints continue their difficult run through NCAA Division II foes this week with a pair of matches on Saturday at Lewis University in nearby Romeoville. USF plays Kentucky Wesleyan at 2:30 p.m., and follows that with a match against the rival Flyers at 5 p.m.
USF plays its 2011 home opener on Tuesday against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Cardinal Stritch University (WI) at the Sullivan Center.
Volleyball Signs Bolingbrook's Reinert
Sun, Jan 16, 2011 - JOLIET, Ill. --- University of St. Francis has announced the signing of Bolingbrook High School middle blocker Paige Reinert (Bolingbrook, IL) to a national volleyball letter of intent.
Reinert, a varsity letterwinner for the Raiders each of the past three years, was an honorable mention selection to the Herald News all-area team in 2009. She also served as a captain for head coach Andrea Bercot's team this past fall.
"Paige is a great athlete who brings what I anticipate will be some tremendous blocking to the middle for us," said USF head coach Cara Currier. "She will accent (current Saint) Kate (McIlvanie) very well.
Besides playing for the Raiders, Reinert plays club ball for Illinois Performance Volleyball.
St. Francis completed its season with a 26-13 overall record and placed third in the CCAC regular-season standings. The Saints reached the semifinals of the CCAC Tournament before being eliminated by regular-season co-champion Trinity Christian College.
SMU Outlasts Lakeland, Falls in 5 to Coe at Red Hawk Invite
9/23/11
RIPON, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball got their money's worth during the first two matches of the Red Hawk Invitational Friday evening, stretching both of their opening-day matches to the maximum five sets.
The Cardinals rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Lakeland 3-2 in their first match, but couldn't hold a 2-1 lead in their second match against Coe, falling to the Kohawks 3-2.
“It was really a tale of two matches,” said SMU coach Mike Lester. “I told the team after (the Coe match) that it was a lot like the second day in Boston (at the Endicott Tournament).
“We went to five sets against a team (Lakeland) we should have handled rather easily — just like against Plymouth State in Boston, ” Lester explained. “And then we lost a match (against Coe) in which we played very, very well — just like our match in Boston against Bowdoin.
“We are definitely playing to the level of the competition, and we've got to shake ourselves out of that. We need to play at our level every time we step on the court.”
The Cardinals dropped the opening two sets against Lakeland, falling 25-23 and 25-21, before rattling off three straight wins — 25-22, 25-19 and 15-10 — to seal the win.
Kara Grant (Peosta, Iowa) led the way for the Cardinals, collecting 23 kills, while Sabrina Bushlack (Mapleton, Minn.) added 11 kills and hit .300. Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) dished out 46 assists, while Erika Hurley (Chatfield, Minn.) served up four aces and Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) finished with 18 digs.
After dropping the opening set vs. Coe, 25-21, SMU posted 25-23 and 25-21 wins to take a 2-1 lead. From there, however, it was all Coe, as the Kohawks won Set 4 25-19, then iced the win with a 15-12 victory in the fifth and final set.
Grant again led the way for the Cardinals, banging out 24 kills. Bushlack chipped in 16 kills and Janae Fry (Burr Ridge, Ill.) pitched in nine kills with just one error. Assimos notched 51 assists, with Rasmussen recording 27 digs and two aces, and Mary Nodick (Plymouth, Minn.) tallying eight blocks.
The Cardinals (8-5 overall) close out tournament play on Saturday, taking on Marian at 10 a.m. and the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County at noon.
Viterbo Volleyball Announces the Addition of Three Top Student-Athletes
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 - [Volleyball]
La Crosse, Wis. - Viterbo University Volleyball Head Coach Ryan DeLong has announced the signing of three top-notch student-athletes for the 2011-2012 school year. Katelyn Bjerke (Spring Grove, Minn.), Brianna Brinkman (St. Charles, Minn.), and Erin Mulcahy (Bolingbrook, Ill.) have all signed a letter of intent to play for the V-Hawks next fall.
Mulcahy will have the furthest drive off the three as she comes to Viterbo all the way from Bolingbrook, Ill. A defensive specialist, Mulcahy was a staple for her volleyball team at Bolingbrook High School. Like Brinkman, Mulcahy has also had a very successful club experience as she has played for Illinois Performance Volleyball. A very successful student, Mulcahy will pursue a degree in elementary education.
"Viterbo provides me with a small school atmosphere that felt very comfortable during my visits," stated Mulcahy. "The education program has a very strong reputation and the fact that they require early classroom interaction was a big selling point to me as well. I am really looking forward to this opportunity and really feel that Viterbo is a great fit for me."
"Erin is a girl we had in at our summer camps and she impressed us immediately with her ability to fit in with the girls," commented coach DeLong. "Erin also brings great court sense, speed, and attitude to the court that will allow her to be successful at the college level. Erin has played at a high level in high school and especially club, which will make her transition to the next level much easier."
Viterbo is coming off one of its best seasons in school history as they finished 38-5 overall and won their first Midwest Collegiate Conference Championship in over 20 years. Although the V-Hawks lose three players to graduation that played integral parts to this year's success, Coach DeLong is excited about next year's team which returns ten players including four all-conference performers. He also believes that the addition of these three student-athletes will also have the potential to contribute to another great season.
Cheyney, PA – (9/13/2011) – Chestnut Hill College evened their record at 5-5 this evening, as they defeated Cheyney University 3-0 (25-6, 25-8, 25-11). The Griffins controlled the match with a .208 (20K-10E-48TA) hitting percentage and 14 aces. They were led by sophomore outside hitter Alex DePalma (Shillington, PA), who recorded nine kills, four aces, and ten digs.
Chestnut Hill College (5-5) was efficient in disposing of Cheyney University (0-3), as the Griffins spotted 14 aces and held the Wolves in singles digits for the first, two sets. DePalma was helped on the offensive end by freshman right side Katie Schock (Allentown, PA) and sophomore outside hitter Kailey Arlen (Orland Park, IL). Both scored three kills, Schock also spotted four aces and made two blocks. Junior libero Liz DiGregorio (Conshohocken, PA) was the third Griffins to record at least four aces; she also hustled to nine digs.
The women's volleyball team returns to Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play with a 6:00 p.m. match at Philadelphia University, on Thursday, September 15.
Griffins Drop First Match Of The Day to C.W.Post at West Chester University Tournament
West Chester, PA – (9/10/2011) – After a tough day of competition on Friday The Chestnut Hill Griffins were faced with another tough opponent in C.W. Post. The Griffins lost to C.W. Post 3-0, (25-22, 25-18, 25-17). Chestnut Hill stayed right with C.W. Post in the first set until their opponent pulled away with the victory in the first set. With the help of sophomore outside hitterAlex DePalma(Shillington, PA) who recorded 14 kills, 2 aces, and 10 digs the Griffins were able to stand toe-to-toe with C.W.Post. The match was emotional and inspiring, even though the Griffins did not come away with the victory, much of the team put up some very impressive stats.
The Griffins Offense was also led by sophomore middle hitter Mary Markowski(Parkton, MD) who recorded 8 kills, and sophomore outside hitter Kailey Arlen(Orlando Park, IL) who recorded 7 kills. If it were not for the amount of remarkable assists (33) that freshman setter Sidney Chukuntarod (San Francisco, CA) the rest of the teams kills would not have been possible. The Griffins are truly a team that is invested in each other, and believe when they set the ball one of their team mates will come in with the kill.
The women's volleyball team has one more match of the day against Lincoln University (PA) at 12:00 P.M.
Depth and Experience to Help Griffins Mature; Season Preview
Philadelphia, PA – (8/30/2011) – Chestnut Hill College expects steady improvement and team maturity to be a uniting force as they battle toward a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's (CACC) postseason berth in 2011. The Griffins return 12 of 14 student-athletes from last season and will take the court as a deeper and more experienced squad in 2011, with senior leadership and a talented group of contributors.
With another year under their belt, Chestnut Hill College (5-25, 2-17) is focused on being a competitive opponent for any challenger. Headlining the returnees are juniors, middle hitter Cassie Benson (Rosamond, CA) and libero Liz DiGregorio (Conshohocken, PA). Benson led the Griffins in kills (198, 1.94/gm) and blocks (73), while DiGregorio had another strong season with 495 digs; good enough for second in the CACC for digs-per-game (5.05) and 37th nationally. Benson and DiGregorio are backed by a strong sophomore class, outside hitters Kailey Arlen (Orland Park, IL), Alex DePalma (Shillington, PA), and Sarah Mattaliano (Coral Springs, FL) combined for 271 kills (1.22/gm), setter Ali Eberly (Orwingsburg, PA) supplied 237 assists (2.35/gm), 42 aces, 113 digs (1.12/gm), and 17 blocks, while middle hitter Mary Markowski (Parkton, MD) totaled 95 kills (1.29/gm) and 42 blocks. Additional contributions will come from three experienced seniors, outside hitter Megan Nadler (West Deptford, NJ), defensive specialist Alyssa Miller (East Stroudsburg, PA), and right side Katherine Tohanczyn (Hatfield, PA), and two juniors, setter Courtney Gallo (Wilmington, DE) and Crystal Mann (Burtonsville, MD).
The two new additions for 2011 season consist of freshmen Katie Schock (Allentown, PA) and Sidney Chukuntarod (San Francisco, CA). Schock is an outside hitter who adds to the Griffins overall height and provides another versatile asset with her knowledge of the game, strong swing, and net presence, while Chukuntarod's quickness and confidence allows her to be a very effective setter, who will help the Griffin hitters find more success. Chukuntarod had hoped to play alongside sister, Bobbie Chukuntarod, who will not be competing wit the Griffins this fall due to an unfortunate injury. Bobbie Chukuntarod has been a reliable defensive talent and a significant contributor over the past two seasons. She totaled 69 assists, 18 aces, and 176 digs last season, and she led the Griffins in aces as a freshman with 44.
Despite their limited losses the Griffins enter the 2011 season with a deeper and more experienced roster. In her fourth season as head coach, Kim Feeny is confident that her team will improve throughout the season and that it now has the makeup to challen for a spot in the CACC Championship Tournament in November. The challenges of a new season begin on Friday, September 2, when the Griffins travel to East Stroudsburg University for the Warriors annual kickoff tournament.
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. (Box Score) -- The wins continue to roll in for the Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball team. IWU faced little resistance from host Spring Arbor (Mich.) University tonight in a 3-0 win in Spring Arbor, Michigan.
The Wildcats (11-3) won their fifth straight match by scores of 25-15, 25-12, 25-13. The victory is the eighth in nine matches for IWU and their fifth consecutive Mid-Central College Conference win (5-1 overall).
Senior middle hitter Peyton Thompson finished 13 attacks with kills while senior outside hitter Kate Denlinger added 11 kills and sophomore middle hitter Kristine Egebrecht contributed eight. Junior setter Yui Iwase earned 35 assists in the winning effort.
Indiana Wesleyan served five aces tonight. Junior defensive specialist Jordan Sudzina was the only Wildcat with multiple aces with two.
Senior libero, the reigning MCC Libero of the Week, had 11 digs while sophomore defensive specialist Rebecca Brandes had five. Indiana Wesleyan totaled seven team blocks to cap the impressive victory.
Indiana Wesleyan returns to Luckey Arena for their next two matches this weekend. IWU hosts University of Saint Francis (Ind.) at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 23 and then Marian (Ind.) University at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 24.
IWU Volleyball Tops Mt Vernon Nazarene in First MCC Matchup 9/16/11
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio -- Indiana Wesleyan University made its first volleyball match with the newest Mid-Central College Conference program a success in four games Friday night.
Indiana Wesleyan defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) University 3-1 by scores of 25-20, 27-25, 20-25, 25-13 in the first MCC match between the two schools in any sport.
The Wildcats overcame the Cougars with a balanced offensive attack with four players in double digit kills. Senior middle hitter Peyton Thompson led the way with 15 kills while senior outside hitter Kate Denlinger added 12. Junior outside hitter Brooke Atwell and sophomore middle hitter Kristine Egebrecht each contributed 10 kills. Atwell had a .400 hitting percentage on the evening.
Junior setter Yui Iwase passed out 56 assists on the night and was one of four Wildcats with double digit digs with 11. Senior libero Kelsey Masuda collected 26 digs while sophomore defensive specialist Rebecca Brandes added 15 and junior defensive specialist Jordan Sudzina chipped in with 10.
Indiana Wesleyan served 11 aces in the match. Iwase and Sudzina each had three while Thompson served two.
The Wildcats improve to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in the MCC while Mount Vernon Nazarene tumbles to 6-8 and 1-4 in conference play.
IWU returns to the court at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 21 with a MCC contest at Spring Arbor (Mich.) University.
IWU Volleyball Makes Quick work of Huntington 9/14/11
MARION, Ind. (Box Score) -- It took less than an hour Wednesday night for the Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball team to dispatch visiting Huntington (Ind.) University.
The Wildcats rumbled to a 3-0 victory in Luckey Arena by scores of 25-13, 25-10, 25-11 in Mid-Central College Conference play. All 15 Wildcats saw action against the Foresters (3-6, 0-3 MCC) and 13 of them played in at least two games.
Five Wildcats ended with at least four kills, led by senior outside hitter Kate Denlinger with seven. Sophomore outside hitter Shelby Newberry and sophomore middle hitter Kristine Egebrecht added five kills each while senior middle hitter Lauryn Barfell and junior outside hitter Brooke Atwell each contributed four.
Indiana Wesleyan (9-3, 3-1 MCC) was very efficient Wednesday night while attacking, evident by the .368 hitting percentage by the team. Atwell produced a .667 hitting percentage on her four kills and Denlinger had a .455 attack percentage from her seven kills.
A pair of Wildcat setters passed out double digit assists. Junior Yui Iwase collected 16 assists in two games while freshman Christi Benting chipped in with 11.
Defensively, senior libero Kelsey Masuda earned 15 of the team's 39 digs while IWU totaled four blocks in the win.
Indiana Wesleyan will travel on Friday for their first ever MCC match at Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) University at 7 p.m.
IWU Volleyball Sinks Bethal in Three Games 9/10/11
MARION, Ind. (Box Score) -- Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball made quick work of visiting Bethel (Ind.) College on Saturday afternoon in Luckey Arena.
The Wildcats cruised past the Pilots in three games by scores of 25-14, 25-15, 25-15.
IWU was very efficient attacking on Saturday with a .420 kill percentage as a team. Sophomore middle hitter Kristine Egebrecht had the biggest day offensively for the Wildcats with team highs of 10 kills and a .625 attack percentage and junior outside hitter Brooke Atwell added nine kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
Senior outside hitter Kate Denlinger contributed eight kills with a .471 kill percentage while junior setter Yui Iwase amassed 36 assists. Denlinger also added three service aces for the Wildcats.
Indiana Wesleyan totaled seven blocks in the match with Egebrecht assisting on four. Sophomore outside hitter Shelby Newberry had a solo block while Atwell, Iwase and senior middle hitter Lauryn Barfell each assisted on two blocks. Senior libero Kelsey Masuda collected 13 digs.
The Wildcats improve to 2-1 in the Mid-Central College Conference and 8-3 overall. The Pilots drop to 2-1 in the conference and 7-4 on the season.
IWU Evens Record with win at Goshen 9/9/11
GOSHEN, Ind. (Box Score) -- The Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball team captured its first Mid-Central College Conference victory of the season Friday night with a 3-1 win at Goshen (Ind.) College.
The Wildcats won the four game match by scores of 25-15, 25-27, 25-13, 25-11. Indiana Wesleyan is now 1-1 this season in the conference and 7-3 overall. Goshen drops to 0-2 in MCC play and 3-3 for the year.
Senior Kate Denlinger collected a team-high 17 kills while sophomore Kristine Egebrecht contributed 10. Denlinger finished with a .486 kill percentage while senior Lauryn Barfell added eight kills with a .533 kill percentage. Setting a majority of the kills was junior Yui Iwase with 38 on the night.
Egebrecht assisted on three blocks and six different Wildcats earned a solo block. Senior Kelsey Masuda had a team-best 18 digs while Iwase and sophomore Rebecca Brandes each had 12.
Indiana Wesleyan returns to action tomorrow when IWU hosts Bethel (Ind.) College at 3 p.m. in Luckey Arena.
Grace Beats IWU Volleyball in MCC Opener 9/7/11 WINONA LAKE, Ind. (Box Score) -- No. 22-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball dropped a 3-0 match to Grace (Ind.) College in the Mid-Central College Conference opener for both teams tonight in Winona Lake, Indiana.
The Lancers (6-4, 1-0 MCC), receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top-25 Poll, won the three set match by scores of 25-23, 25-22, 25-20.
Senior middle hitter Peyton Thompson led the Wildcats with nine kill while senior outside hitter Kate Denlinger and junior outside hitter Brooke Atwell each added seven. Junior setter Yui Iwase set 26 assists for IWU.
Defensively, Denlinger totaled three solo blocks and two block assists. Senior middle hitter Lauryn Barfell added a solo block and bloc k assist while sophomore middle hitter Kristine Egebrecht contributed a pair of block assists.
Indiana Wesleyan (6-3, 0-1 MCC) returns to action at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 9 when the Wildcats travel to play Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana.
IWU Volleyball Sweeps Saturday Play 9/3/11
MARION, Ind. -- The Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball team defeated No. 22-ranked Georgetown (Ky.) College and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) University on Saturday in the IWU/Taylor Tournament in Luckey Arena.
The Wildcats dropped the opening two games to Georgetown 20-25, 25-27 but rallied to win the final three games 25-21, 25-23, 15-7 for the five game victory.
IWU won a second five game match in the final contest of the tournament against Olivet Nazarene. The Wildcats took the win by scores of 21-25, 25-14, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12.
Denlinger led the team with 16 kills while Thompson was just behind with 15. Egebrecht added 12 kills and four block assists. Iwase served up 52 kills and Masuda added 34 digs.
No. 21-ranked Indiana Wesleyan completes the week with a 3-1 record to improve to 6-2 for the season. IWU will next play at Grace (Ind.) College on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
IWU Volleyball Completes Montana Weekend with 3-1 Record
Volleyball - Sat, Aug 20, 2011
HELENA, Mont. -- Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball won one and lost one Saturday to end their trip out west to Montana with a 3-1 record to open the 2011 season.
Carroll (Mont.) College, co-host of the Great Falls/Carroll Classic, overcame a 2-0 deficit to upend No. 21-ranked Indiana Wesleyan 3-2. IWU rebounded in their final match of the tournament with a convincing 3-0 victory over Montana Tech.
Indiana Wesleyan jumped out to a quick two game lead in the first match of the day with wins of 25-22 and 25-20. But IWU was unable to close out the host school and dropped the final three games 23-25, 12-25, 11-15.
Senior outside hitter Kate Denlinger paced the Wildcats with 20 kills while sophomore middle hitter Kristine Egebrecht added 15 kills and a .303 hitting percentage. Setting up most of the kills for Denlinger and Egebrecht was junior setter Yui Iwase with 50 assists. Iwase also contributed a team-high three aces.
Wildcat senior defensive specialist Kelsey Masuda collected 37 digs and Denlinger earned a solo block and three block assists.
Indiana Wesleyan routed Montana Tech in the finale with a 25-22, 25-10, 25-19 win to complete the 3-1 weekend.
Egebrecht led the Wildcats with 12 kills while senior middle hitter Lauryn Barfell added nine kills with a dazzling .727 hitting percentage. IWU ended the match with a .286 team hitting percentage and Iwase assisted on 41 kills.
Defensively, Indiana Wesleyan blocked four Montana Tech kills. Masuda again led the team in digs with 22 while junior Jordan Sudzina added nine.
Indiana Wesleyan will be idle the next 10 days and return to action on August 30 with a home scrimmage against University of Indianapolis (Ind.).
