2008 Preview: Volleyball eyes another NCAA run

Can the St. Thomas volleyball team take the next step?

Coach Thanh Pham saw his 2007 Tommies come within two points of a trip to the eight-team national tournament. St. Thomas' five-game loss in the regional final to UW-Whitewater looked even better seven days later when the Warhawks lost a 15-13 decision to Washington (Mo.) in the deciding fifth game of the NCAA Division III championship match.

UST's 28-5 final record included a 14-0 mark vs. conference opponents. Pham was honored as Region and MIAC Coach of the Year. The Tommies likely will start out ranked in the top 12 nationally in the AVCA top-25 ranking as they look to extend a streak of being included in 34 consecutive polls.

Pham returns four starters -- led by senior All-American Katie McCaffrey and sophomore setter Emily Foster -- plus at least five others with varsity experience. UST also has a Division I transfer leading another promising recruiting class. St. Thomas has 34 players expected for tryouts which begin Aug. 15.
 
St. Thomas will look to reach the NCAA tournament for the fourth year in a row. In the conference, UST's prime challenges are expected to again include Concordia-Moorhead, Bethel, Carleton and St. Ben's.

In the last eight seasons, St. Thomas volleyball teams have compiled a 225-76 record, with five MIAC regular-season championships. The Tommies have had seven All-Americans in the last six seasons.

McCaffrey also will be a candidate for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as she has a 3.86 grade-point average.The 6-foot, Fort Colllins, Colo., native was named MVP of the eight-team Iowa-Minnesota Border Battle earlier in October. She has helped her team to an 87-19 record in 340 career games, with a .335 attack%, 849 kills, 137 digs and 379 blocks. McCaffrey finished the 2007 season with 466 kills and 176 blocks while hitting .404 in 118 games. The All-MIAC honoree ranked in the top five in NCAA Division III in hitting at .404 and was in the top 10 in blocks per game with 1.49.

Foster was named region Freshman of the Year. She had 19 double-doubles last season in assists and digs and ranked in the top 10 in Division III in assists per game.

Pham's tryouts were his toughest yet and he said he had to cut some talented prospects. The Tommies have 16 players back from the varsity and JV. Sophomore Lauren Wagner, a 2007 Cretin-Derham Hall grad, played last season at Division I Fairfield. The 10 freshmen who survived the tryouts include eight Minnesotans -- Lauren Carisch of Benilde-St. Margaret; Taylor Cross of Hill-Murray; Kate Lasher of Wayzata; Ashley Maher of Hutchinson; Laura Musselman of Rochester Lourdes; Molly Noble of Eden Prairie; Bri Peters of Stillwater; and Ali Vandercook of Henry Sibley. Others in the freshman class are Wisconsin natives  Kate Caflisch of Oshkosh Lourdes and Alice Biver of Rice Lake.

The Tommies got a jump start to their fall camp with a nine-day trip to Italy last June. UST played two exhibition matches on the first overseas trip in the program's history.

UST also received a team academic award from the AVCA for the fifth time in the last seven seasons for having a team grade-point average above 3.30 for the 2007-2008 school year. St. Thomas, Wittenberg and NCAA champion Washington (Mo.) were the lone teams ranked in the top 15 in the final AVCA poll to make this elite academic list.

St. Thomas starts its season with an Aug. 29-30 trip to play in the LaCrosse Invitational. The Toms also have weekend tournaments at Augsburg, at Trinity (Tex.) and at Simpson (Iowa), and will play host to the Iowa-Minnesota Border Battle, where they will face the top four finishers from the 2007 Iowa Conference standings. The San Antonio trip will include matches against Division III powers Trinity (Tex.) and Carthage.

St. Thomas' conference opener is Sept. 17 at home vs. St. Olaf.

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PHOTOS: Top right, Katie McCaffrey; Bottom right, Emily Foster

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St. Thomas (2007: 28-5 overall, 14-0 MIAC)

2007 Final National Poll Ranking: 11th

2007 NCAA Postseason Finish: Region Finalist

2007 Conference Finish: 1st (MIAC regular season & tournament champion)

Returning Starters/Letterwinners: 4/10

Top Returners:
--Emily Foster (SO, S, 5-10, 2007 Region Freshman of the Year)
--Katie Kremer (SR, Lib, 5-3)
--Katie McCaffrey (SR, MB, 6-0, 2007 first team All-America)
--DeJurnett Prioleau (SR, MB, 6-0)

Top Newcomers:
--Lauren Wagner (SO, OH/OPP, 5-11), transfer from Division I Fairfield; 2007 Cretin-Derhan Hall grad

Top Players Lost:
--Kristin Storrs (Grad, OH/OPP, 5-11), 3X All-MIAC, 1,100-plus kills, 300-plus blocks
--Katie Zazverskey (Grad, OH, 5-9)
--Aly McConnell (Grad, DS, 5-1)

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