Volleyball Weekly Release #1
Aug. 24, 2005
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The 2005 Horizon League volleyball season begins this week with seven of eight teams in action, including a variety of in-season tournament matches.
Four teams will open their seasons on Friday, Aug. 26. Butler hosts Marian College at 7 pm, while UIC welcomes Northern Illinois at 8 pm. Cleveland State hosts Toledo at 7 pm and UW-Milwaukee faces Drake at 8 pm as part of the Hawkeye-Holiday Inn Classis in Iowa City, Iowa.
Three more teams get into action on Saturday as Youngstown State travels to Akron, Wright State takes on SMU at the Ball State/Active Ankle Weekend in Muncie, Ind., and UW-Green Bay heads to Northwestern for an 8 pm match.
Loyola begins its season on Sept. 2 versus Alabama at the Hampton Inn Bama Beach Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
UW-Milwaukee Picked to Win League Crown
The UW-Milwaukee volleyball team has been picked to win its third consecutive Horizon League championship in preseason voting by the League's eight head coaches.
The Panthers received 49 points and seven of a possible seven first place votes. Butler came in second with 38 points, just ahead of Loyola with 37. Loyola also received one first place vote. Cleveland State garnered fourth place with 31 points, while UIC tookthe fifth spot with 26 points. UW-Green Bay finished sixth (23), while Wright State came in seventh with 12. Youngstown State rounded out the poll with 8 points.
Five All-League Honorees Back for '05
Five of the 12 members of the 2004 All-Horizon League Volleyball team are back in action this season. Returning are Melissa Lange of UW-Milwaukee, Nickole Kennedy of Cleveland State, Jill Smits of UW-Green Bay, Hilary Stromath of Loyola and Katie Kozak of UIC.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers
(Last Year: 19-8 overall, 13-1 Horizon League)
Despite the loss of 2004 Horizon League Player of the Year Karen Fruit, the Panthers are looking to experience to guide the team to its third consecutive regular season Horizon League championship. The team returns of six of its seven starters, including 2004 All-Horizon League performer Melissa Lange and Newcomer of the Year Leanne Felsing.
Last season, Lange finished second in the League with 12.08 assists per game, while Felsing was second on the team with 280 kills. The Panthers also welcome two newcomers, transfer Katie Oaks and freshman Becky Peters.
The Panthers open their season versus Drake at the Hawkey-Holiday Inn Classic in Iowa City, Iowa. On Saturday, August 27, UWM will battle only its third Big Ten opponent in the past five seasons as the Panthers square off against Iowa.
Player to Watch: Rachel KuebbingSr., RS, Burlington, Ken.
Kuebbing recorded career highs in both digs (110) and blocks (70) last season. She also ranked third on the team with 234 kills.
Butler Bulldogs
(Last Year: 18-10 overall, 12-2 Horizon League)After finishing second to UW-Milwaukee last season, Butler looks to a combination of experienced leaders and incoming talent to propel the team to the top of the League standings.
The Bulldogs will be led by senior captain Megan Knightley, who looks to repeat the stellar performance that earned her the title of 2004 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year. She will be joined in the defensive ranks by sophomore Mallory Sheets and freshman Chloe Blasingame.
Fresh faces look to fill the voids left by 2004 All-Horizon League performer Kali Carter and AVCA All-American Areal Bienemy. Freshmen Alicia Coltrane and Andrea Gallegos step in as outside hitters, while sophomore Camille Jamerson joins senior Candice Washington and junior Krystal Hendrix at the middle blocker position. For the second year in a row, Butler will also be replacing its primary setter. Junior Laura White and freshman Dana Daprite look to share the duty of guiding the Bulldog offense.
Player to Watch: Megan KnightleySr., Libero, Chicago, Ill.
Knightley's 4.51 digs per game last season led the League and set a single-season school record.
Loyola Ramblers
(Last Year: 22-9 overall, 10-4 Horizon League)
Despite the loss of two four-year starters, the Loyola Ramblers are poised to defend their Horizon Leage Tournament Championship.
Led by senior and All-League performer Hilary Stromath in the middle, the Ramblers also boast strong outside hitters in junior Courtney Ashley and sophomore Kelly Zins. Despite injury, Ashley tallied 214 kills last season, while Zins was honored as a member of the League's All-Newcomer team.
On the defensive end, junior Ann Deelo looks to recreate her 2004 success at libero. Deelo set a single-season Loyola record with 415 digs last fall.
The Ramblers begin play at the Hampton Inn Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sept. 2.
Player to Watch: Hilary StromathSr., MB, Manhattan Beach, Cal.
Stromath led the team and finished second in the League last season with a .336 hitting percentage. She added 11 kills in the team's loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament.
Cleveland State Vikings(Last Year: 15-13 overall, 6-8 Horizon League)
Last year, Cleveland State enjoyed its best-ever season in the Horizon League with a fourth-place finish during the regular season and a trip to the League championship match versus Loyola. This year, despite the loss of AVCA Honorable Mention and all-time Horizon League hitting percentage leader Jamie Bouyer, the Vikings hope to top that performance.
The team will be led by six seniors, including 2004 All-Horizon League performer Nickole Kennedy at opposite. Seniors Emily Clark and Julie Stover look to provide a spark from the outside hitter position, while junior and two-year starter Danielle Siefker returns as middle blocker. Junior Margot Frederick and freshman Jordan Bateman join seniors Katie Calhoun and Alisa Hatcher as backrow and defensive specialists.
The Vikings, who are 33-12 (.717) in non-conference play over the past three seasons, face an early challenge as they match-up against nationally-ranked Ohio State (No. 12) on Sept. 6.
Player to Watch: Nickole KenendySr., Opp., Sunbury, Ohio
Kennedy ranked fifth in the League last season with a .251 hitting percentage in addition to recording 2.90 kills and 1.05 blocks per game.
University of Illinois-Chicago Flames (Last Year: 10-21 overall, 6-8 Horizon League)
Head coach Nancy Mueller expects big things from her young players, most notably sophomore outside hitter Katrina Nedeljkovic and junior middle hitter Ambria Springer. Nedeljkovic recorded 220 kills and a team-best 44 services aces last season as she earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Newcomer team, while Springer tallied 291 kills and led the team with 116 blocks in her first season as a starter.
In addition to solid play from Nedeljkovic and Springer, UIC can bank on the strong play of junior setter Katie Kozak and sophomore libero Liz Hrebic. As a freshman, Hrebic led the Flames with 365 digs and appeared in all 120 games.
UIC begins its season at home against Northern Illinois on Friday, Aug. 26. UIC also has three tournaments on the schedule, including the UIC Invitational, Chicago Challenge and the State Farm Illini Classic.
Player to Watch: Katie KozakJr., S, Oak Forest, Ill.
Kozak recorded 1,332 assists last season to earn fifth place in school history. She was also named to the 2004 All-Horizon League team.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix
(Last Year: 5-11-2 overall, 2-4-1 Horizon League)
With only two seniors and one junior on the roster this season, UW-Green Bay looks to youthful talent to guide them to the top op the League standings.
Sophomore Betty Slinger starts at setter this season, while her former Northern Lights Volleyball Club team member Cathy Turner joins sophomore Leah Steinbauer on the right side. Freshman Abby Bergsma, the tallest player on the squad, will join 2004 All-Horizon League honoree Jill Smits at middle blocker. Smits led the team last season with a .263 hitting percentage.
Junior Sarah Rauen returns to the libero position for a second season, while senior Jackie Rosen looks to improve her performance at outside hitter. Rosen finished sixth in the conference with 379 kills last fall.
The Phoenix begin their season on Saturday, August 27, at Northwestern. They will also play host again this season to the UWGB Amerihost Classic featuring Western Illinois, Central Michigan and North Dakota State.
Player to Watch: Jill SmitsSr., MB, Waupun, Wis.
Smits averaged 3.10 kills and 1.07 blocks per game last season as she earned All-Horizon League honors.
Wright State Raiders
(Last Year: 4-26 overall, 2-12 Horizon League)
Experience will be the key to Wright State's success this year as the Raiders return five starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's campaign.
That experience will also carry WSU through to the 2006-2007 season, as this year's team boasts of only two seniors, setter Nicole Schletema and middle blocker Lisa Griffith. Schletema, currently sixth all-time at WSU in career assists, ranked ninth in the Horizon League with 849 assists last season. Griffith hit a team best .237 last season and recorded 223 kills.
Wright State begins its season with two tournaments, beginning at the Ball State/Active Ankle Classic in Muncie, Ind. The Raiders then travel to Atlanta for the Wyndham Atlanta/Georgia State Invitational.
Player to Watch: Sarah PolingJr., OH, Henry, Ohio
Poling led the Raiders last season with 373 kills and 39 service aces. She also contributed 344 digs.
Youngstown State Penguins
(Last Year: 10-21 overall, 1-13 Horizon League)
New head coach Joe Bonner joins the Penguins as they look to improve upon last year's 10-21 record. To do so, however, the team will need to conquer a daunting string of 17 straight away matches. The road trip begins August 27 at the University of Akron and does not end until the Penguins welcome UIC to the Beeghley Center on October 14.
Senior setter Angela Pasquinelli looks to make her mark on school history this season as she nears the 3,000 assist mark for her career. With 2,819 assists to her credit thus far, Pasquinelli is on pace to become only the third Penguin to accomplish the feat.
The Penguins also boast five newcomers to their squad, including junior college All-American Tracy Obonna and freshmen Ebony Barbosa(OH), Karla Everhart (S), Michelle MacMunn (MB) and defensive specialist Jenna Troff.
Player to Watch: Jessica FraleySo., OH, LaGrange, Ohio
Fraley averaged 3.13 kills per game for the Penguins last season and was named to the All-Newcomer Team. Fraley also broke the freshman record at YSU with 360 total kills.
Horizon League Welcomes Three New Coaches
Three new coaches join the Horizon League this year as Joe Bonner steps in at Youngstown State, Trina Smith begins her first year at Wright State and Marcie Bomhack takes the helm at Loyola.
Bonner becomes the seventh head coach in Youngstown State history. Prior to coaching the Penguins, he served as an assistant coach at the University of Dayton, where he helped lead the Flyers to two straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Bonner also spent three years as an assistant coach at Robert Morris College.
Trina Smith was named the fifth head coach in Wright State volleyball program history in April after an eight year stint as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina. During her time at South Carolina, the Gamecocks advanced to the NCAA tournament five times. Prior to joining the staff at South Carolina, Smith spent three years as an assistant at St. Mary's in Moraga, California, and one year at Catalina High School in Arizona. She was a four-year letter winner for the University of Arizona as a middle blocker and graduated with a degree in communications.
Loyola welcomed Marcie Bomhack as the seventh head coach in school history this June. Bomhack graduated from Notre Dame in 2002 and served as head coach for both the men's and women's teams at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wis. last season. During her tenure at Cardinal Stritch, she guided the women's team to their first-ever appearance in the conference tournament. Prior to last season, Bomhack served as the head freshman volleyball coach at Catholic Memorial High School.
