Women's Volleyball Season Preview 2009
With the graduation of Allie Sowinski, the school's all-time career leader in kills, the 2009 MSOE women's volleyball team will have a tough road ahead of them. They return just two of last year's starting six and play a strong non-conference schedule.
Returning starter for the Raiders are Hayley Mc Enerney (Mt. Prospect, Ill. / Hersey) and Jackie Bertram (Schofield, Wis./ Newman Catholic). Mc Inerney a 5-8 transfer from UWM, led the team in assists with 650, and will be the sparkplug to run this year's offense. Jackie Bertram, a 6-1 junior returns to be a force in the middle for the Raiders. In 2008, Bertram had 107 kills in 99 games played.
Also playing a key role for the Raiders in 2009 is Kathleen Collingbourne (East Dundee, Ill. / Dundee-Crown). The 5-6 libero played in 105 games and averaged 4.25 digs per game. Look for sophomore outside hitter Kayla Edler (Leaf River, Ill./ Forreston), middle hitter Kaylie Lenz (Fennimore, Wis./Fennimore) and right side hitter/ setter Kassey Hoffman (Mukwonago, Wis./ Mukwonago) to see increased playing time in the starting lineup.
For the Raiders to compete for the Northern Athletic Conference title, Coach Adam Stikel will need to rely on freshman to play vital roles this year. The future looks bright for Stephanie Hasler (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./ Sheboygan Falls) and Julie Windish (Tinley Park, Ill./ Marian Catholic) to compete for starting positions at outside and right side positions, respectively.
As in past seasons, the Raiders head to Minnesota to play in the Sugar Loaf Classic, hosted by St. Catherines University. The Raiders will also play a series of tri-matches and quadrangular events in the Kern Center this season.
The conference will be a tough challenge for the Raiders as improving programs such as Wisconsin Lutheran and Concordia-Chicago will compete with NAC powerhouses Concordia-Wisconsin and Lakeland for the championship title. As the season progresses look for the combination of youth, talent and experience to help lead MSOE to battle for a conference title come playoff time.
