2010 UMAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. 46 Points - College of St. Scholastica (4 First Place Votes)
2. 45 Points - Northwestern College (3)
3. 38 Points - University of Minnesota, Morris (1)
4. 26 Points - Martin Luther College
5. 25 Points - Northland College
6. 24 Points - Bethany Lutheran College
T-7 10 Points - Crown College
T-7 10 Points - Presentation College
ST. PAUL -- Momentum is swaying towards the College of St. Scholastica. After winning the 2009 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Volleyball Tournament in November, the Saints are the league coaches' preseason prediction to win the conference title in 2010. St. Scholastica edged last year's regular season champion, Northwestern College, by a point in the poll, earning four first place votes.
The Saints, who finished last year's campaign with a 10-4 conference record, return UMAC Rookie of the Year #Paige Hardy# and honorable mention setter #Sarah Kurtovich# in 2010. Hardy started 26 matches last season for the Saints while leading the team with 355 kills. The now-sophomore was second on the team with 451 digs while recording 30 aces from behind the service line in 2009. Kurtovich had a similar story last season, playing in 30 of the team's 32 matches while earning 20 starts. Defensive specialist #Nikki Hughes# also returns after playing in all 32 matches last season. St. Scholastica will have to replace some valuable leadership from last year as first team All-UMAC selection
Megan Baartman (Andover, Minn./Andover HS) is now gone along with honorable mention choice
Rebecca Udermann (Rosemount, Minn./Rosemount HS). The Saints incoming class includes #Anna Zyvoloski#, who transferred from nearby University of Minnesota-Duluth. Zyvoloski started all 32 matches for the Bulldogs last season and was second on the team with 322 kills and 219 digs.
Northwestern earned three first place votes to go along with 45 points in the poll. While the Eagles have won each of the last three UMAC regular season championships, its team will look significantly different in 2010. While the Eagles lost two-time UMAC Player of the Year Steph Koth and four other starters to graduation, a solid core of players from those championship teams return, hoping to lead Northwestern to a fourth straight title and the NCAA postseason. Chelsea Koth, a 2009 first team all-conference award winner, will headline the team's offense this season from the outside hitter position. Koth led the team in kills per set in 2009 and has had significant playing experience since her freshman season. Koth is joined up front by Elissa Sandstrom and Greta King, who each started their share of matches last year. Captaining the Eagles' ship in 2010 is senior setter Leah Kostek, who has been a starter in head coach Beth Wilmeth's system since her freshman year. Kostek tallied 613 assists in Northwestern's 6-2 offense in 2009. As a team, Northwestern maintained a .189 attacking percentage last year.
The University of Minnesota, Morris, who took third place in the poll with 38 points, will look to take its next step in 2010 after finishing 9-5 in UMAC play a year ago. Third-year head coach Chad Braegelmann has high expectations for his team, which returns all of its starters from the end of last season. The returning experience will be invaluable for the Cougars this fall, as 19 of the 20 players on the roster are in just their first or second season with the program, 17 of which are freshmen and sophomores. Two of those young players are Stephanie Schmiesing and Allie Humphrey, who each return after all-conference freshman seasons. They combine with Megan Theis, another All-UMAC performer, as the core up front for the Cougars this fall. Returning to run the offense in 2010 will be junior Natalie Thomas, who piled up 670 assists last season. With better than seven assists per set, Thomas finished third in the UMAC and was one of just four players with over 400 assists in conference games.
Martin Luther College took fourth place in the poll with 26 points, leading a pool of three teams that finished within two points of one another. The Knights are coming off of a 7-7 conference record in head coach Rebecca Cox's first season of 2009. Martin Luther returns a number of key performers in 2010 as Cox begins her second year in the program and hopes to build off last season's fifth place finish in the UMAC standings. The Knights return two All-UMAC honorees in Emily Boldt and Renee Peters. Boldt led Martin Luther in kills and blocks from her middle hitter position, while Peters paced the team in digs from the libero spot. Other returning players with significant playing experience include outside hitter and setter Jaime Eternick, who finished second on the team in kills and assists last season, as well as outside hitters Katelyn Hauf, Amanda Burk and Jennifer Draeger.
Northland College finished right behind Martin Luther with 25 points. The LumberJills look to return to postseason play after coming off of their third place finish in 2009, which was a school best. Northland is also under a second-year head coach in Heidi Smith, who has started to transform the Northland program in less than 12 months of being on the job. Smith lost some big names like Chelsea Lundgren and Miranda Reichert to graduation, but welcomes back seniors Laura Fisher and Carrie Dohlman to the court. Fisher, a 2009 all-conference selection, led the team with 288 kills last year while leading the UMAC in attacking percentage. Dolhman's leadership and intensity will be a huge asset to the Northland's large contingent of underclassmen. Also returning for the Jills are sophomores Erin Roembke and Megan Zynda, juniors Emily Pudlo, Brittany Krenik, Sam Stanfield, Gabby Jukkala, and Sam Bona, who will be joining the LumberJill volleyball team this year as a sophomore.
Bethany Lutheran College is the third member of that 4-5-6 mix, finishing just two points shy of Martin Luther and a point below Northland. For the second straight year, the Vikings are under new leadership as Sue Forrey takes over the team's head coaching duties after the departure of Mike Walters. Forrey's squad features all but one starter from the 2009 season, including setter Nicole Jones, who was an all-conference honorable mention pick last year. Jones' 2009 numbers saw the now-senior averaging 7.49 assists per set. Bethany Lutheran's top three leaders in kills in Emily Schrupp, Laura Holt and Vanessa Harkins also return to the lineup to improve on their team's record from a year ago. Forrey has recruited some promising new talent to fill the void of First Team All-UMAC selection Laura Parochka and beyond. Erin Evans, a three-time all-conference player at the high school level, is one of those newcomers who could make an immediate impact.
Crown College and Presentation College each received 10 points in the poll, tying for seventh place. Crown will look to a solid group of six returners to help lay the foundation for the program. Head coach Kimmie Moehring hopes to find the right combination of starters to help lead the 2010 team to success in the UMAC. Moehring will be looking for two key returners, juniors Naomi Anderson and Trisha Birr to lead the team both on and off the court with their experience and leadership. Birr, who enters her second season at Crown, will look to be an offensive threat. Last year, Birr's season ended in early October due to injury. Despite only playing four weeks of the 2009 campaign, Birr finished ninth amongst all UMAC players in attacking percentage at .222. Anderson, who enters the 2010 season as a two-year starter, led last year's team with 176 kills and 43 blocks at 43.
Presentation returns three experienced players from the 2009 season including senior Amanda Feist and sophomores Kelsey Schmidt and Amber Sandoz. Feist had 109 kills with 33 blocks and 20 aces last year, while Schmidt tallied 518 assists and 181 digs to her name. Helping the Saints this season will be incoming freshman Brynn Olson, whose Arlington, S.D. team finished as the state runner-up in 2009. Newcomer Tina Boldt is another Arlington product, who earned high all-conference honors during her high school career.
All eight UMAC teams will be in action beginning on Sept. 1, with the conference schedule commencing on Sept. 24. At the conclusion of the 2010 regular season, the league's top four squads will participate in the now-very important UMAC Conference Tournament on Nov. 3 and 6. For the first time in 2010, the UMAC Tournament champion will receive an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament.
