Horizon League Volleyball Weekly Release #1
Aug. 20, 2007
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The 2007 Horizon League volleyball season begins this weekend as all nine teams are in action in various tournaments across the country.
Milwaukee Picked to Win League Crown
Milwaukee has been picked to win its fifth consecutive Horizon League championship in preseason voting by the League's nine head coaches.
The Panthers received 58 points and five first place votes. Cleveland State came in second with 52 points and one first place vote, while Valparaiso finished with 50 points and two first place votes. UIC placed fourth with 47 points and one first place vote. Green Bay took fifth with 34 points; the Phoenix were followed by Loyola in sixth place (30 points) and Wright State in seventh place (24 points). Butler was tabbed eighth and Youngstown State finished ninth with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Six 2006 Horizon League All-League members return
Ruth Boscaljon (Youngstown State), Leanne Felsing (Milwaukee), Beth Greulich (Cleveland State), Katarina Nedeljkovic (Illinois-Chicago), Betty Slinger (Green Bay), Mel Synder (Cleveland State) all return in 2007 after being named to the 2006 Horizon League All-League Team.
Milwaukee Panthers
(2006: 24-5 overall, 13-1 Horizon League)
Milwaukee joined Notre Dame as the only school in League history to win four consecutive conference titles in 2006. In the Horizon League championship, the Panthers continued their success as they won the tournament title to become the first team to capture both the championship and regular-season titles in the same season since Milwaukee accomplished the feat in 1998.
If the Panthers hope to capture a fifth straight Horizon League title, they will have to find away to replace four starters from last season's squad including 2006 Horizon League Player of the Year Cheryl Hegemann. UWM also will see a change at the top as long-time assistant coach Susie Johnson will take over as head coach. Johnson replaces former head coach Kathy Litzau, who in 14 seasons on the bench posted a record of 271-152.
UWM will rely on senior Leanne Felsing to lead the way. In 2006, Felsing earned All-America Honorable Mention and All-League honors as she averaged 1.68 kills, 3.23 digs and 10.32 assists per game.
The Panthers open the 2007 season at 8 p.m. on Aug. 24 against in-state foe Wisconsin as part of the Inn Towner Invitational. The invitational will also place Milwaukee against Syracuse (11 a.m.) and Gardner-Webb (6 p.m.) on Aug. 25. The two-day tournament will take place in Madison, Wis.
UIC Flames
(2006: 17-17 overall, 8-6 Horizon League)
In 2006, UIC made tremendous strides in establishing itself as one of the League's top teams as the Flames made their first-ever appearance in the Horizon League Championship title match.
This season, UIC will look to improve upon its successful campaign from a year ago as the Flames return four starters and seven letterwinners.
Senior outside hitters Amanda Kenny and Katarina Nedeljkovic are among the top returnees for the Flames in 2007. Last year, Nedeljkovic was selected to the All-League team, while Kenny earned All-Newcomer team honors. In addition, the UIC duo combined for 770 kills.
UIC opens the 2007 season at 6 p.m. on Friday against DePaul as it competes in the Chicagoland Challenge.
Following its match against the Blue Demons, the Flames will face either Northwestern or Loyola on Saturday. The two-day tournament will take place in Evanston, Ill.
In the event UIC meets Loyola in the second day of the tournament, the match will not count toward League play.
The Flames will also play host to the UIC Invitational from Sept. 7-8 in Chicago, Ill. North Dakota State, McNeese State and Elon will compete in the two-day tournament.
Cleveland State Vikings
(2006: 19-9 overall, 8-6 Horizon League)
Cleveland State has steadily improved as it has finished with an overall winning season in each of the past five years.
This season, CSU hopes to continue its winning trend under the direction of eighth-year head coach Chuck Voss. Prior to Voss' arrival in 2000, the Vikings had not finished a season above .500 in 16 years.
In 2007, the Vikings return five starters from last year's squad that posted a 19-9 overall record and an 8-6 League mark, which tied the Vikings for second in conference play. CSU opened the 2006 campaign by winning 10 of their first 12 matches.
Senior setter Mel Snyder and sophomore Beth Greulich highlight an impressive group of returning starters for the Vikings. Last season both Snyder and Greulich were named to the Horizon League All-League Team. CSU is the only school to have two All-League members return for the 2007 season.
The Vikings' 2007 schedule begins at 10 a.m. on Aug. 24 against Bradley in the Rocket Classic. Following its match with BU, CSU will meet IUPUI at 5 p.m. that evening. In addition, the Vikings will face Xavier (noon) and Toledo (7:30 p.m.). The two-day tournament will be played in Toledo, Ohio.
Green Bay Phoenix
(2006: 15-15 overall, 8-6 Horizon League)
After being selected seventh in the 2006 Horizon League Preseason Coaches' Poll, Green Bay surprised everyone by collecting eight conference wins to tie for second place. The eight wins in League play were the most the Phoenix had totaled since 2003 when they posted a 10-4 mark.
This year Green Bay returns five starters and 10 letterwinners from the 2006 squad.
Senior Betty Slinger returns to the squad in 2007. Last season, Slinger led all Division I individuals with 11 triple-doubles. Junior outside hitter Abby Bergsma also returns to the Phoenix after being named to the all-tournament team at the 2006 Horizon League Championship.
Green Bay is slated to play at least the majority of its 2007 season in the Phoenix Sports Center. There is a chance that the Phoenix could move into the brand new arena inside the Kress Events Center late in the season.
The Phoenix open their 2007 campaign in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. at 1 p.m. on Saturday as they compete against Siena in the Super 8 Chippewa Classic. Later on that evening, Green Bay will meet Robert Morris at 5 p.m. The two-day tournament will conclude the following day as the Phoenix faces Central Michigan at noon.
Wright State Raiders
(2006: 14-17 overall, 8-6 Horizon League)
During the past two seasons, Wright State has steadily improved. In 2005, the Raiders advanced to the championship match despite being seventh seed in the Horizon League Championship, and in 2006 WSU tied for second place in the League standings, while improving its win total by four matches.
This year, the Raiders will look to build on their success from the two previous seasons. In 2007, WSU returns five starters and nine letterwinners. Those nine letterwinners accounted for 73 percent of the kills, 63 percent of the digs and 89 percent of the blocks for WSU in 2006.
Among the returnees is senior Tara Geegan, who last season was one of three Raiders to post 300 or more kills in 2006 (310). Geegan is one of four WSU seniors.
The Raiders also welcome three newcomers to the squad including freshman outside hitter Jessica Woods. Woods comes to WSU after she was named the Gatorade Nevada Volleyball Player of the Year as a high school senior.
WSU opens the season at 6 p.m. on Friday against Kentucky as it competes in the UNI Invitational. Following their match against the Wildcats, the Raiders will meet Northern Iowa (1:30 p.m.) and Western Michigan (6 p.m.) on Saturday. The two-day tournament will be held in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Loyola Ramblers
(2006: 14-16 overall, 7-7 Horizon League)
Loyola enters the 2007 season with the difficult task of replacing a three graduated seniors whose names now appear in the Rambler record book.
Third-year head coach Marcie Bomhack will look to a collection of experienced seniors and talented newcomers to replace the departed seniors from 2006.
LU's 2007 roster welcomes four freshmen and two Division I transfers, who will be eligible for competition this fall, meaning that nearly half of the roster has changed from last year.
LU will hope senior outside hitter Keily Zins can improve upon her impressive 2006 season where she led the team with 300 kills and was third on the squad with 327 digs. In addition, Zins has career totals of 790 kills and 795 digs. She will aim to become the eighth player in Loyola history to reach the 1,000 mark in both categories.
The Ramblers also return senior middle hitter Shelby Henriksen. In 2006, Henriksen finished third on the team in kills with 242.
LU opens the 2007 season at 8 p.m on Friday against Northwestern as it competes in the Chicagoland Challenge. On the second day of competition, the Ramblers will face either DePaul or UIC on Saturday.
In the event LU meets UIC in the second day of the tournament, the match will not count toward League play.
Butler Bulldogs
2006: 8-22 overall, 3-11 Horizon League)
Butler will look to its young talent to help rebound from an 8-22 season. The Bulldogs are led by lone senior Michelle DeGeeter. Throughout her career at BU, DeGeeter has proven to be one of the most consistent players on the squad. The outside hitter was second on the team in kills (2.79), digs (2.75) and blocks (1.01) per game.
The Bulldogs also welcome back All-Newcomer team member Porshia Allen. Allen, who will be a sophomore in 2007, was very impressive as a freshman as she led the squad with 2.94 kills per game and was third on the team in digs (2.23) and blocks (0.72).
Junior defensive specialist Nina Inic also returns for BU. Last season, Inic was one of the top defensive specialists in the Horizon League as she ranked seventh in the conference with 4.09 digs per game, including a League-best 5.85 digs per game in League matches.
BU opens its 2007 slate in Coral Gables, Fla., at the Green and Orange Challenge. The two-day tournament will place the Bulldogs against Jacksonville (4 p.m./Friday), Hofstra (10 a.m./Saturday) and Miami (Fla.) (7:30 p.m./Saturday).
On Aug. 31-Sept. 1, the Bulldogs will play host to the Butler Invitational in Indianapolis, Ind.
Youngstown State Penguins
(2006: 10-22 overall, 1-13 Horizon League)
Youngstown State opened the 2006 season on a positive note as it captured six of its first 11 matches, but as the League slate began, the Penguins' inexperience began to show as they dropped 10 of the next 12 matches.
Despite its 1-13 League record, YSU did show flashes of what the future may bring as it defeated Wright State, who finished second in the League standings, 3-2 at home.
This season, the Penguins will once again feature a young team with 10 underclassmen among the 13 players on the squad.
Among the returnees is sophomore Ruth Boscaljon, who last season was an all-League pick and Co-Newcomer of the Year. In her rookie campaign, Boscaljon set the YSU freshman kills record with 363. The previous mark was held by Jessica Fraley, who collected 360 in 2004.
Fraley also returns to the squad after missing part of the past two seasons because of injury. She is the lone senior on this year's team.
The Penguins open 2007 at the Temple Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa. The two-day event will match YSU against La Salle (11 a.m./Friday) Lehigh (5 p.m./Friday), Rider (9 a.m./Saturday) and Temple (1 p.m./Saturday).
YSU does not compete at home until its Sept. 21 meeting with Cleveland State.
Valparaiso Crusaders
(2006: 23-12 overall, 7-3 Mid-Continent)
The addition of Valparaiso University increases the League's volleyball membership to nine teams. The Crusaders previously competed in the Mid-Continent Conference where they finished either first or second in each of the past six years.
Last season, Valpo posted a mark of 23-12. The Crusaders opened and finished the 2006 season on a strong note as they won 10 of their first 15 matches and closed out the year by capturing seven of their last eight matches.
Valpo returns 10 letterwinners and four starters from last year's squad, including senior middle blocker Nicole Schulz. In 2006, Schulz enjoyed a breakout junior season for the Crusaders as she eclipsed the school record for hitting percentage by 23 points, posting a mark of .334.
The Crusaders also welcome back sophomore Angie Porche. As a freshman, Porche became the first freshman in 14 years to lead Valpo in kills (480).
The Crusaders open the season at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 24 against Miami (Ohio) as part of the Redbird Classic in Normal, Ill. The second day of the tournament will match Valpo against Illinois State (8 p.m.)
Valpo also will play host to the Popcorn Classic on Sept. 6-8 and will welcome Marshall, Indiana and Western Michigan.
What to watch for in 2007
-Milwaukee will be in search of its fifth straight regular season title.
-UWM head coach Susie Johnson will begin her first year at the helm of the Panthers. Johnson spent the previous 10 seasons as an assistant.
-Valparaiso head coach Carin Avery is just 19 victories away from 200 in her career.
-UIC senior Katarina Nedeljkovic will look to lead the League in service aces for the third-consecutive year. Green Bay's Janelle Tomlinson (2000-2003) is the only other player to lead the League in that category three years in a row.
-Nedeljkovic also needs just 23 service aces and 433 kills to reach the League's all-time top 10 in both categories.
-UWM junior Becky Peters has been named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week four times in her career. The all-time player of the week leaders are Christy Peters (Notre Dame) and Janelle Tomlinson (Green Bay) with six.
-Milwaukee's Leanne Felsing will look to become the school's first two-time All-American since 1985 after earning honorable mention honors from the American Volleyball Coaches' Association a season ago.
