August 28, 2002

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . The 2002 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference volleyball season begins this weekend (August 30-September 1) as nine of the Conference’s 10 teams will be participating in tournaments across the country.

Six-time defending Conference Champion, Central begins defense of its reign at the three-day Pikes Peak Challenge in Colorado Springs, Colo. Coe begins its season at the Beach Blast Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Friday and Saturday. The other seven schools in competition during the opening weekend all start closer to home.

Loras and Wartburg are at the Elmhurst Tournament in Elmhurst, Ill., Buena Vista is at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Tournament, Dubuque is at the Dominican University Tournament in River Forest, Ill., and Upper Iowa is at the Wisconsin-River Falls Tournament in two-day tournaments. Cornell begins it season on Saturday at the Monmouth Invitational in Monmouth, Ill. Luther’s season does not start until the St. Mary’s (Minn.) Invitational on September 6-7.

In a preseason poll conducted of the Iowa Conference volleyball coaches, Wartburg edged Central by one point for the top spot. Both teams received three first place votes. Simpson finished third and received one first place vote. The complete Coaches Poll, in which seven coaches participated, is below.

Up-to-date composite Conference schedule, results and statistics are available on the volleyball home page of the Conference web site. For the most up-to-date team rosters, visit the volleyball home page of each schools’ athletic web site.

A complete team-by-team preview follows.

Buena Vista University Beavers
(9-18, 2-7 8th in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 5/5
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/5

About the Team: Last year’s Buena Vista team won nine games, more than it had in the previous three seasons. With five starters and 10 letterwinners returning, the 2002 Beavers should continue to show improvement. Of the 10 returning letterwinners, four are seniors and four are sophomores.

On the outside, three seniors and a sophomore will vie for playing time. Senior Marissa Simmons played in 82 games last season and ranked third on the team in digs (183) and fourth on the team in kills (119) and aces (22). Sophomore Allison Veak appeared in 40 games as a freshman, registering 51 kills and 61 digs. Kim Pohlman and BobbiAnn Ruba saw limited action as juniors but are expected to make an impact this season.

In the middle, senior Carla Billiet, junior Jess Grigg and sophomore Alison Olberding return with experience. Grigg averaged 1.21 kills and a team-high 1.23 blocks per game last season. Billiet averaged 1.33 digs per game and 0.87 kills per game last season. Olberding averaged 1.41 kills and 1.31 digs per game as a freshman.

Defensive specialist Becky Spangler, a junior, recorded 119 digs and 25 aces as a sophomore. Sophomores Kelli McCaulley and Rena Guikema will see action at the setter position.

About the Coach: Amy Sander enters her third season as the Beavers’ head coach. In her previous two years she has guided the team to a 12-37 overall record.

Coach Sander on her team: “We are looking for continued improvement. Our players have worked hard in practice and we are looking forward to the start of the season.”

Coach Sander on the Conference: “There are a number of talented teams that will battle for the Conference title. It should be a great year.”

Central College Dutch
(30-8, 8-1 T-1st in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 2/4
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/5

About the Team: Central’s 56-match Conference win streak ended last season but a first place tie during the regular season and the Conference Tournament title gave the Dutch their sixth straight Iowa Conference title. Central lost three four-year starters and a three-year starter to graduation and senior middle hitter Michelle Bruns, a two-time All-Region selection, is out indefinitely while recovering from a shoulder injury and a broken foot.

With Bruns, who led the Conference with 1.50 blocks per game, be unable to play, junior outside hitter Catie Ruefer will be the Dutch’s lone player with starting experience. Ruefer ranked third on the team with 2.81 kills per game. Central’s other top returnees include Kim Hughes, who could be called upon to replace three-time All-American setter Angie Nielsen, middle hitter Megan Recker, setter Stephanie Bearden, who was the team’s most valuable freshman last season, and outside hitter Jamie Stark. Hughes contributed 80 assists, 34 aces and 281 digs in 122 games last season. In just 47 games, Bearden had 119 assists.

Others expected to make an impact on the Dutch roster this season include returnees Jess Schulz in the middle, and Tara Rabe and Megan Scheetz on the outside. Scheetz had 27 aces in 69 games including 12 aces in 20 Conference games to rank tied for seventh in aces per game (0.60).

Newcomers include juniors Raegan and Lindsay Schultz, both of whom are coming off strong junior varsity seasons and All-American track seasons, and freshmen Haley Yarkosky, Lisa Kirby, Teresa Reineke, Katie Pedersen and Kristin Hancock.

Central is ranked 10th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. Among the teams ranked in the AVCA Top-25, the Dutch are scheduled to play 12 during the season including #4 Washington (Mo.) and #20 Whitworth (Wash.) in the season opening Pikes Peak Challenge.

About the Coach: Head Coach Megan Clayberg enters her 12th season at Central and begins the year with a .791 winning percentage (348-92), second among active Division III coaches.

Coach Clayberg on her team: “We have such athletic players this year, we just need to find where they can contribute the best and the soonest. The nice thing (about the Dutch schedule) is the high level of competition will give us a gauge of where we’re at. I’m hoping we’re bold enough to make changes and mix and match during those early matches. We need to find out who our gamers are.

“Our hope is that every time we step on the floor, we find a way to get better than we were the time before. If we keep doing that, we’ll get to where we need to be.”

Coach Clayberg on the Conference: “It’s going to be a dogfight. Simpson and Wartburg will be very good. If you base it just on returning players, Wartburg has the best team coming back. But Simpson will be tough and Loras finished last season well.”

Coe College Kohawks
(19-16, 3-6 7th in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 5/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/1

About the Team: With five seniors returning to the starting line-up, Coe has one of the more experienced teams in the Conference. Leading the group of returnees is All-Conference setter Karry Jannie, who led the team with 1120 assists and 421 digs. She also added 58 aces (second on team), 46 blocks (tied for third) and 106 kills.

Middle hitters April Elsbernd and Sara Notle along with outside hitter Nikki Rowland and setter/defensive specialist Angie Witte also return to the Kohawks starting line-up. Elsbernd led the team with 94 blocks, ranked second with 340 kills and 354 digs. Rowland led the team with 354 kills, was tied for third with 46 blocks, third with 312 digs and fourth with 50 aces.

Notle ranked second on the team with 86 blocks and third with 324 kills. Witte was second with 165 assists, third with 54 aces and fourth with 285 digs.

Senior hitter Laura Haas and sophomore defensive specialist Liz Schoendienst were valuable contributors last season. In 95 games, Haas had 129 kills, 42 assists and 29 blocks. Schoendienst had 247 digs in 107 games as a freshman.

About the Coach: Heather Nail, a 2000 graduate of Wartburg College, begins her first season as head coach of the Kohawks. A former IIAC All-Conference performer, Nail served as an assistant coach at Wartburg during the 2001 season.

Coach Nail on her team: “The athletes have worked very hard developing an offense and staying committed to defense. Determined and dedicated would be two words that describe the Coe volleyball team. They are tired of being at the bottom of the Conference.”

Coach Nail on the Conference: “There are many talented coaches and athletes working to accomplish one goal. Another difficult road for many, but only one will win. It is going to be another competitive year.”

Cornell College Rams
(9-22, 1-8 9th in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 5/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/1

About the Team: Middle hitter Lindsey Mesner has graduated after leading the team with 271 kills and 107 blocks but Cornell’s other five starters and 10 letterwinners are back. Two juniors and three sophomores make up the five returning starters to the Rams’ line-up. Junior outside hitter/setter Jennifer Martin recorded a team-high 819 assists along with 107 kills and 56 blocks in 112 games last season. Junior outside hitter Jill Masonholder had 224 kills, 26 aces and 45 blocks in 103 games.

Sophomore defensive specialist Dana Serafini finished second on the team with 254 digs and 29 aces. Outside hitters Amanda Wiegand and Brittny Kaalberg round out the group of returning starters. Wiegand had 168 kills and 37 blocks in 93 games while Kallberg had 106 kills and 23 blocks in 78 games.

The lone returning senior this season is setter/defensive specialist Christy Artemakis, who registered 56 assists and 21 digs in limited playing time last season. Juniors Sarah Wille and Kori Sims and sophomores Emily Fitzgerald and Jamie Wallace all saw action off the bench last season.

Wille is the most experienced of the quartet having seen action in 69 games, recording 177 kills and 77 blocks (second on the team). She led the team with 2.57 kills and 1.12 blocks per game from her middle hitter position. Fitzgerald appeared in 54 games with 82 kills and 13 blocks, Sims had 54 kills and 32 blocks in 51 games, and Wallace had 49 kills and 10 blocks in 37 games.

About the Coach: Jeff Meeker begins his first season as the Rams’ head coach. In four seasons as head coach at Iowa Wesleyan, he led the tigers to a 61-65 record and was named Midwest Classic Conference Coach of the Year in 1997. Under Meeker’s leadership, Iowa Wesleyan improved from nine victories in his first season to 20 in his final season.

Coach Meeker on his team: “We have our work cut out for this season, but we plan to work extremely hard to work our way up the ladder. We have a solid core of returning players, complimented by a handful of newcomers that have the potential to make positive impacts on our squad.”

Coach Meeker on the Conference: “Everyone who is familiar with NCAA Division III volleyball in the Midwest is familiar with the high level of competition in the Iowa Conference. It is a tough, yet exciting Conference to be a part of, as there promises to be some great matches throughout the season.”

University of Dubuque Spartans
(20-13, 7-2 T-3rd in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 3/3
Letterwinners Returning: 6

About the Team: Dubuque must overcome the loss of five seniors including three starters from the 2001 squad. The biggest loss to overcome will be that of two-time All-Region middle blocker Greta Pemsl, who graduated with five school records. The Spartans must also overcome the loss of All-Conference outside hitter Betsy Jennings.

The lone senior on the 2002 team is setter Krista Anderson who set a school record with 1,200 assists a season ago. Her 10.5 assists per game was tied for fourth in the Iowa Conference. Also back are junior defensive specialist Nicole Essman and sophomore outside hitters Michele Barkley and Kylie Mostaert. Barkley led the team with 525 digs and was fifth in the Conference with 4.29 digs per game as a freshman.

Transfers Marci Bouchey and Kristin Nicoline will challenge for playing time while bringing maturity and experience to the roster. Sophomore Taylor Foltz and freshman Jodi Thomas will see action in the middle while freshmen Jillian Bouchey and Lauren Sandrik will fight for playing time on the outside. Freshmen Cassie Wancho and J Browning will provide depth at the setting position.

About the Coach: Stacey Ruff enters her second season as the Spartans’ head coach. In her first season, she led Dubuque to a 20-13 overall record and a third place tie in the Conference with a 7-2 record.

Coach Ruff on her team: “The returning starters should provide us with the leadership that is needed to compete at the highest levels. With a solid recruiting class, there will be competition for each position, which will give the team depth and a strong mental attitude. Though there are many newcomers this season, the Spartans look to once again challenge for the Conference title and another NCAA playoff bid.”

Coach Ruff on the Conference: “The Iowa Conference looks again to be very strong this year. Look for Simpson, Central and Wartburg to be duking it out at the national and regional level, while Dubuque, Luther and Loras give them a run for the Conference title.”

Loras College Duhawks
(22-13, 5-4 5th in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 3/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/6

About the Team: Two-time First Team All-Conference middle hitter Shannon Leonard leads a group of three starters returning to the Loras line-up. That group also includes junior defensive specialist Jen Wernimont and sophomore outside hitter Allison Naddy.

Leonard is Loras’ all-time career blocks leader, entering the season with 402 blocks. Last season she led the Duhawks with 149 blocks and 312 kills. Wernimont had 39 aces and 291 digs in 85 games. Naddy, who broke into the starting line-up at midseason, had 208 kills, 30 aces, 174 digs and 33 blocks in just 65 games.

Junior setter Kristen Anderson will be called upon to replace the school’s all-time assists leader, Sara Tropp. Anderson spelled Tropp the last two seasons and contributed 206 assists, 15 aces and 51 digs in 20 games last season.

Senior Alicia Nosbisch saw extensive action at the outside hitter position finishing second on the team with 332 digs and recording 177 kills, 24 assists, 29 aces and 49 blocks.

Junior defensive specialist Aimee Reichel and sophomore middle blocker Abigail Dunsworth saw limited action in 2001 but were key contributors. Reichel had 82 digs and seven aces in 25 games while Dunsworth had 15 kills and 12 blocks in 19 games.

Junior transfer Stephanie Price and freshman Ashley Zimmerman are expected to contribute to the Duhawks’ line-up this season.

About the Coach: Brian Lamppa begins his fourth season as the Duhawks’ head coach. He has guided the team to a 65-39 record in his previous three years.

Coach Lamppa on his team: “We hope to be competitive and be towards the top at the end.”

Coach Lamppa on the Conference: “I believe the Conference will be as strong as ever and I see it getting stronger.”

Luther College Norse
(18-13, 4-5 6th in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 2/4
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/3

About the Team: Luther’s nine returning letterwinners have a strong balance with three seniors, three juniors and three sophomores back from the team that advanced to the semifinals of the Conference tournament last season.

Senior middle hitter Molly Vanderstoep and junior setter Katie Kuhlman return to the starting line-up. Vanderstoep had 156 kills and 21 aces in 94 games. Kuhlman, who ranks fourth on the school’s all-time assist list, had a team-high 1,070 assists last season to go along with 29 aces and 193 digs.

A quartet of outside hitters, a middle hitter and a setter round out the returning letter winners. Seniors Leah Thomsen and Courtney Kuehl are joined by sophomores Molly Ness and Amanda Stratton on the outside. Junior Heidi Berg returns in the middle and sophomore Kim Distin returns with setting experience.

Thomsen had a team-high 50 aces, ranked third with 291 digs and 74 blocks, and fifth with 181 kills in 102 games last season. Kuehl saw action in 40 games registering 54 kills. Ness, the team’s rookie of the year last season, had 133 digs and 13 aces in 71 games. Stratton had 78 kills in 40 games. Distin recorded 52 assists, 27 digs and 16 blocks in 18 games while Berg contributed in 10 games.

Several freshman are expected to see action in the Luther line-up this season including middle hitters Autumn Fahning, Amily Lynch, Alyson Nienhaus, Megan Santjer and Katie Willenborg; and outside hitters Katie Hopp and Beth Roland.

About the Coach: Ellen Drewes-Stoen begins her 24th season as the Norse head coach. In her 23 seasons, she has led the school to a 428-329 record. During her tenure, the Norse have posted 17 winning season including five with more than 20 victories.

Simpson College Storm
(18-16, 8-1 T-1st in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 5/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/2

About the Team: Simpson ended Central’s 56-match Conference winning streak last season and earned the top seed in the Conference Tournament but were upset by Wartburg in the semifinals and finished third in the Tournament. With that experience, the Storm will look to win their first Conference title since 1994.

Jessica Nauman, a three-time All-Conference performer, is among the five returning starters which include three seniors and two sophomores. She finished last season with a team-high 95 blocks (tied) and finished second in kills (493) and aces (56). Senior setter Amy Anderson led the team with 793 aces and was third with 309 digs and 36 aces. Senior outside hitter Katie Weisz had 257 kills (third on team), 55 blocks and 130 digs while sophomore outside hitter Shannon Stewart had 226 kills, 385 digs and 47 blocks. Sophomore middle hitter Jamie Cusick contributed 179 kills and 77 blocks.

Senior middle hitter Annika Gustafson, junior setter Liz Whims, junior defensive specialist Jen Dooley and sophomore outside hitter Jen Gergen all came off the bench last season. Gustafson tied Nauman for the team lead with 95 blocks and ranked fourth with 238 kills in 130 games. Whims had 757 assists (second on team) and 247 digs in 130 games. Dooley had 34 digs and four kills in 26 games. Gergen had 34 kills, 52 digs and six blocks in 15 games.

Simpson has a tough schedule this season as it could play nine teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason Top-25 including three of the top four teams (#1 LaVerne, #2 Wisconsin-Whitewater and #4 Washington, Mo.).

About the Coach: 2001 Iowa Conference Coach of the Year Lana Smith enters her fourth season as the Storm’s head coach. She has posted a 52-49 career mark in three years.

Upper Iowa University Peacocks
(2-28, 0-9 10th in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 6/0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/1

About the Team: Despite returning all six starters and eight letterwinners from last season, Upper Iowa remains one of the younger teams in the Iowa Conference. Half of the returning letterwinners are sophomores.

The two seniors on the team include middle hitter Billie Hunt and outside hitter Janna Thomas. Hunt tied for the team lead with 57 blocks, ranked second with 197 kills and third with 288 digs. She also recorded 20 aces. Thomas led the team with 45 aces and 363 digs and ranked third on the team with 190 kills.

Junior Renee Reuter returns as a starting outside hitter and classmate Sheena Henrichs came off the bench as a middle hitter. Reuter led the team with 203 kills, ranked fourth in digs (267), blocks (36) and aces (29). Henrichs was tied for the team lead with 57 blocks and also recorded 86 kills in just 65 games.

The Peacocks strength is their sophomore class which includes returning starters Amy Nelson (outside hitter), Lisa Piotrowski (setter) and Mary Streeter (middle hitter). Another sophomore, Anissa Evans saw action last season off the bench.

Nelson ranked second on the team with 345 digs, third with 30 aces and fourth with 154 kills. Piotrowski had a team high 750 assists, and also contributed 42 aces (second on team) and 231 digs (fifth on team). Streeter ranked third on the team with 52 blocks and fifth with 138 kills in only 88 games. Evans, in 65 games, had 71 assists (second on team), 77 digs and 12 aces.

About the Coach: Sarah Storms enters her third season as head coach of the Peacocks. In her previous two years, the team has posted a 10-49 record.

Coach Storms on her team: “We have worked really hard in preseason and will be surprising some teams this season. Having all six starters returning will benefit the team with experience and leadership.”

Coach Storms on the Conference: The Iowa Conference is always competitive from the top to the bottom. You need to show up to play every night to avoid an upset. There is not one team in the Conference that is not exciting to play, you never know what is going to happen from night to night.”

Wartburg College Knights
(28-8, 7-2 T-3rd in IIAC)

Starters Returning/Lost: 7/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/4

About the Team: Six starters return for Wartburg, a team that has won 57 games in the last two seasons. Among the returning starters are outside hitters Dia Dohlman, an All-Conference and All-Region selection last season, and Jamie Garbes. Dohlman set a school record with 511 kills and 1,370 attack attempts. Garbes finished the season second on the team with 469 kills and showed her versatility with 36 aces and 46 blocks.

Junior Amy Kueker, a Second Team All-Conference performer last season, set a school record with 511 digs and was one of three Wartburg players ranked in the Conference top-10 in kills (Dohlman was fourth, Garbes was fifth and Kueker was ninth). Senior Jessica Mennan returns at the middle hitter position where she recorded 178 kills and 55 blocks despite injuries limiting her play. Sophomores Ranae Grafft and Erika Slack along with transfer Amanda Nelson will vie for playing time at the middle hitter spot. Grafft contributed 112 kills, 172 digs and 37 blocks last season.

Senior Angie Hulse set a school record with 1,462 assists from her setter position. Sophomore Sarah Olsen had 60 assists in limited playing time as a freshman and will compete for more playing time this season.

The rule change adopted by the NCAA that allows a team the use of a libero as a back row player with unlimited substitutions allows senior Denise Dietz the ability of being on the floor for each rotation. Despite a late season injury, she finished third on the team with 334 digs.

Wartburg is ranked eighth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. The Knights are scheduled to play eight of the teams ranked in the AVCA preseason Top-25 during the season including co-#17s Elmhurst and St. Olaf at the Elmhurst Tournament on August 30-31.

About the Coach: Jennifer Walker enters her fifth season as the Knights’ head coach. She enters the season with a 98-34 career mark at Wartburg and a 101-66 overall career coaching record.

Coach Walker on her team: “Our team is not a big team in physical size, but is very athletic. We should be very aggressive on our back row defense as well as offensively at the net. Working together as a team will be key to this year’s success. We are experienced with four seniors, three juniors and two sophomores returning for the 2001 squad.”

Coach Walker on the Conference: “The IIAC will be very competitive again in 2002. Wartburg and Simpson return more starters than other teams, but you can never count out Central. They always seem to put together competitive teams.”