2011 MSOE women's volleyball preview
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Published: 08/19/2011 |
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The 2011 MSOE women’s volleyball team will be rely on experienced leadership from their upperclassmen as well as a freshman class that is eager to step in and contribute for the Raiders right away.
Senior libero/outside hitter Kathleen Collingbourne (East Dundee, Ill./Dundee-Crown) received NAC Honorable Mention status last season. Collingbourne is fourth all-time in MSOE history in digs (1,522) and service aces (119). Her 59 aces in 2010 are the fifth most for a Raider in a single season. She led the Raiders with 479 digs, 59 service aces and was second on the team in kills with 260. The 59 aces are the fifth most for a Raider in a single season. Collingbourne was second in the NAC for service aces and sixth for digs per set (4.09).
Middle hitter/right side hitter Kaylie Lenz (Fennimore, Wis./Fennimore), outside hitter Kayla Edler (Leaf River, Ill./Forreston) and setter/right side hitter Kassey Hoffmann (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) also will bring experience to the floor in their senior seasons. Last season, Lenz led the team in blocks with 45 and also had 172 kills while Edler was third for the Raiders with 185 kills.
“All the upper classmen need to take control and make this their team,” said head coach Adam Stikel. “Our strength this year is experience so we need to cash that in the form of wins.”
Junior outside hitter/middle hitter Stephanie Hasler (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) also garnered NAC Honorable Mention status and stands seventh in school history with 605 kills and 92 service aces. In 2010, Hasler led MSOE with 352 kills and was second in service aces (48), blocks (44) and digs (396). In the NAC, she finished sixth in points per set (3.65) and seventh in kills per set (3.01).
Outside hitter/right side hitter Julie Windish (Tinley Park, Ill./Marian Catholic) and defense specialist Brittany Leis (Watertown, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran) enter their third seasons with MSOE as well as right side/outside hitter Mollie Zuberier (Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago) returns for second year as a Raider. Leis averaged just over two digs per game during the 2010 season.
Coach Stikel will be looking for consistency from his team during the 2011 season.
“With our defense we are going to be able to stay in close games,” Stikel said. “The games where we are down six or seven points and have to take some risks are the ones which could potentially be a problem.”
The Raiders bring in a number of freshmen who will be a big part of this year’s team.
“We have six newcomers and several of them are expected to make an impact,” Stikel said. “We were able to see several of the ladies play before the season at club tournaments and defensively we are going to be a much better team and a lot of the new ladies are going to have a big impact on that.”
The team learned some lessons from last season and will look to use that knowledge this year.
“We learned to really just persevere and make games as long as possible,” Stikel said. “We condition and we can play long matches and still be strong so I think we learned to have a confidence in long matches that we are hoping to be okay and not run out of gas.”
MSOE’s season starts at the University of Dallas Invite Labor Day weekend in Texas. Also, the Raiders will take part in the Finlandia Tourney in Hancock, Mich. Sept. 16-17. The NAC season begins against Edgewood Sept. 15 in Madison, Wis. Last season, MSOE won six straight matches during the end of September and early October.
“We are going to have a lot of new ladies which is going to make practice more competitive and several of the more experienced players are going to have to fight for their spots and which in turn will make them better,” Stikel said. “We are definitely excited as a coaching staff about this year’s squad.”
