UW-Stevens Point Selected To Win Women’s Volleyball Crown
MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the three-time defending conference champion, has been selected to claim the 2014 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women’s volleyball title, according to the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
The Pointers begin the 2014 season ranked third nationally in a NCAA Division III preseason poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). UW-Stevens Point welcomes back six starters from the 2013 squad that reached the semifinals of the NCAA Division III championship - the deepest postseason run in program history. The Pointers also posted 35 wins - the most since 1985 - and set a program mark with 24 consecutive wins.
Senior Alexis Hartman, the reigning WIAC Player of the Year, leads the returnees after topping the NCAA Division III with 1,512 assists a season ago. She is the first player in program archives to receive the conference honor. Junior Emma Brunkhorst led the league with a .364 hitting percentage and 496 kills, while ranking second with 151 total blocks. Head coach Abbey Sutherland is 21 victories away from reaching 100 in her career.
UW-Whitewater enters the 2014 campaign ranked No. 18 by the AVCA and is slotted for second in the nine-team league derby. The Warhawks return seven starters from last year’s squad that reached the NCAA Division III Championship for the 22nd straight season. UW-Whitewater has also captured a conference-high 14 regular-season titles. Senior Kim Frei placed fourth in NCAA Division III with 1,411 assists a season ago, while senior Kelsey Nobilio ranks second on the school’s all-time list with 1,948 digs - just 417 shy of the record. Head coach Stacy Boudreau enters her 10th season at UW-Whitewater needing 21 wins to reach 300 with the program.
UW-Eau Claire’s five returning starters include senior Alexis Wong, who finished third in the league with 0.36 service aces per set a season ago. The Blugolds have finished no lower than third place in the WIAC standings in each of head coach Kim Wudi’s seven seasons. They have won three conference titles during that span. UW-Eau Claire’s 2014 schedule features 13 straight matches away from home to begin the year, as well as one match in Zorn Arena for the second straight year (Oct. 29 vs. UW-Stout).
UW-Oshkosh has five returning starters, including junior Mandy Trautmann, who led the WIAC with 649 digs during the 2013 campaign. Junior Katelyn Malcheski ranked fourth in the conference with a .276 hitting percentage and seventh with 383 kills. UW-Oshkosh’s 2014 schedule features 16 home matches. The Titans have won at least 32 matches five times in 10 years and haven’t had a losing season since 1998.
UW-La Crosse went 5-1 in five-set matches last season and appeared in the semifinals of the WIAC tournament for the first time since 2008. Senior Crystal Ziegler was second on the team with 285 kills a year ago and finished eighth in the league with 2.88 kills per set. Senior Courtney Geisler led the team with 395 digs. The Eagles will play 15 of their first 17 matches away from Mitchell Hall.
UW-Platteville returns five starters from a season ago, including senior LeeAnn Mizgalski, who ranked fifth in the conference with 3.20 kills per set. Junior Katie O’Malley is seventh on school’s all-time assist list with 2,040. Deb Schulman enters her 27th season in charge of Pioneers and needs 15 victories to move into third place on the league’s all-time wins list. Gone due to graduation is Stephanie Kirchner, the first three-time All-WIAC first team selection in program history.
UW-River Falls has six returning starters and no seniors on this year’s squad. The 2013 team finished second in the WIAC in service aces and digs, and had seven players reach double digits in service aces. Junior Lexi Pingel was fifth in the league with 4.19 per set. The Falcons have posted at least 20 victories in 16 of 22 seasons under head coach Patti Ford.
UW-Stout welcomes Laura Evans as its new head coach in 2014, replacing Jill Jolliff, who led the program for 21 years. Evans most recently served as an assistant coach at Colorado Christian University and previously was an assistant at Augsburg College (Minn.). The Blue Devils return three seniors, including Morgan Denny and Karley Wiensch, who have both started since their freshman years. UW-Stout has five home matches on its 2014 schedule - four in October.
UW-Superior is attempting to finish above the .500 mark for the third straight season, which would tie a program record for consecutive winning seasons. Senior Keely Deadrick had 1,119 assists a season ago - a mark that ranks fourth on the school’s single-season list. She is second on the career chart with 3,104. The Yellowjackets will play 16 of their first 18 matches away from home in 2014.
2014 Preseason Predictions--Voted on by WIAC Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors
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2013 Record |
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1. UW-Stevens Point |
35-5 overall, 7-1 WIAC |
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2. UW-Whitewater |
27-12, 5-3 |
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3. UW-Eau Claire |
21-15, 6-2 |
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4. UW-Oshkosh |
22-11, 4-4 |
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5. UW-La Crosse |
15-15, 5-3 |
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6. UW-Platteville |
15-19, 3-5 |
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7. UW-River Falls |
16-15, 3-5 |
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8. UW-Stout |
15-15, 2-6 |
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9. UW-Superior |
17-14, 1-7 |
Team Tidbits
UW-Eau Claire
Head Coach: Kim Wudi; 8th season at UWEC; 171-81
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/7
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/2
Returning All-WIAC: None
UW-La Crosse
Head Coach: Lily Hallock; 3rd season at UWL; 28-33
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/3
Returning All-WIAC: Crystal Ziegler, Sr., OH (2012-Honorable, 2013-Honorable)
UW-Oshkosh
Head Coach: Brian Schaefer; 11th season at UWO; 273-91
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 14/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/2
Returning All-WIAC: Katelyn Malcheski, Jr., OH (2012-Honorable, 2013-First); Mandy Trautmann, Jr., Libero (2013-Honorable, 2013-All-Def.)
UW-Platteville
Head Coach: Deb Schulman; 27th season at UWP; 613-343
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/4
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/2
Returning All-WIAC: Jennifer Schmidt, Jr., OH/MH (2013-Honorable)
UW-River Falls
Head Coach: Patti Ford; 23rd season at UWRF; 511-292
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/7
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/1
Returning All-WIAC: None
UW-Stevens Point
Head Coach: Abbey Sutherland; 5th season (2nd at UWSP); 79-52 (overall) / 35-5 (at UWSP)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 12/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/1
Returning All-WIAC: Emma Brunkhorst, Jr., MB (2013-First); Alexis Hartman, Sr., S (2011-First, 2012-First, 2013-Player of the Year); Krista Loos, So., OH (2013-Honorable); Hannah Picel, Jr., DS/L (2012-All-Def., 2013-All-Def.)
UW-Stout
Head Coach: Laura Evans; 1st season at UWST; 0-0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/3
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/2
Returning All-WIAC: Morgan Denny, Sr., MH (2012-Honorable); Karley Wiensch, Sr., S (2013-Honorable)
UW-Superior
Head Coach: Lynne Deadrick; 12th season at UWS; 163-203
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/9
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/6
Returning All-WIAC: Keely Deadrick, Sr., S (2013-Honorable)
UW-Whitewater
Head Coach: Stacy Boudreau; 13th season (10th at UWW); 349-111 (overall) / 279-74 (at UWW)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 17/3
Starters Returning/Lost: 7/0
Returning All-WIAC: Kim Frei, Sr., S (2012-Honorable, 2013-First); Alivia Holman, Sr., MB (2011-First, 2013-First); Kelsey Nobilio, Sr., L (2012-First, 2012-All-Def., 2013-First, 2013-All-Def.); Kristen Ruchti, Sr., MB (2012-First, 2013-First)
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