Tommie Sports - Volleyball

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November 11, 2008

NCAA Regional Volleyball

Saturday Nov. 15

Championship Match

St. Benedict def. Concordia-Moorhead, 3-1 (27-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-17)

All-Tournament Team UW-Eau Claire: Jenna Weber UW-LaCrosse: Brianne Stankus Concordia-Moorhead: Anna Tinkham, Jenna Green St. Benedict: Beth Hanson, Andrea Millerbernd, Emma Jaynes

Most Outstanding Player: Emma Jaynes, St. Benedict ---

(Greg Smith photo/gsmithsports.com)

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RECAP: Junior Emma Jaynes had 16 kills and 22 digs and freshman Chelsie Sobiek had 17 kills and 17 digs to lead the third-seeded College of St. Benedict to a 3-1 victory over Concordia-Moorhead in Saturday night's NCAA Division III regional volleyball championship match in St. Paul at UST's Schoenecker Arena.

The Blazers (29-6) won 27-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-17. They will play in next week's eight-team national finals in Bloomington, Ill., -- the programs first trip to the NCAA finals in 18 seasons since a third-place NCAA finish in 1990.

Coach Michelle Blaeser's 14-player team, which has no seniors, tied for second in the MIAC race and lost a conference home playoff match to the league's sixth seed last week before reeling off a 3-0 run at this weekend's regional.

The Blazers scored the final three points of the first and second sets to pull out close wins. Concordia (22-6) counced back to win 25-21 in the third set, but the Blazers controlled the final set. Beth Hanson had 56 assists and 17 digs for the Blazers. Amber Wortz had 25 digs and Andrea Millerbernd had 22 digs. Calleigh Brown added 13 kills.

Katie Vohnoutka had 12 kills and 11 digs and Anna Tinkham had 33 digs for the Cobbers.

St. Benedict was 0-3 on UST's campus in 2007 with 3-0 losses to Bethel in the regional, and to St. Thomas in the MIAC regular season and playoffs. But the Blazers finished 7-0 at St. Thomas this year, with a 4-0 mark in the Iowa-Minnesota Border Battle in October, and the regional wins over Simpson, UW-Eau Claire and Concordia.

The Blazers scored the final three points of the first and second sets to pull out close wins. Concordia (22-6) bounced back to win 25-21 in the third set, but the Blazers controlled the final set.

Beth Hanson had 56 assists and 17 digs for the Blazers. Amber Wortz had 25 digs and Andrea Millerbernd had 22 digs. calleigh Brown added 13 kills.

Emma Jaynes was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player (Greg Smith photo gsmithsports.com)

Click here for live audio webcast:

http://www.cord.edu/dept/sports/broadcast.php

Set 1

Blazers score last three points, win 27-25... Blazers led 24-21 but Cobs had 4-0 run... Cobs hit .220 Katie Vohnouka five kills, Anna Tinkham 11 digs.. CSB's Emma Jaynes six kills, .500 attack%; Bethe Hanson 13 assists, four digs

Set 2

Blazers score last three and win 25-23, lead 2-0 in sets

Set 3

Cobbers rally to win 25-21

Set 4

Blazers lead 19-13, win 25-17

Friday Nov. 14

Semifinals Recap:

Conference opponents No. 18-ranked Concordia and No. 23-ranked St. Benedict used Friday victories to advance to Saturday's championship match of the Division III Volleyball Regional Tournament hosted in St. Paul by the University of St. Thomas.

The fourth-seed Cobbers (22-5) scored a 3-0 win over UW-LaCrosse, while the third-seed Blazers (28-6) rebounded from a first-set loss to top UW-Eau Claire, 3-1. The winners play Saturday at 7 p.m. for a trip to the eight-team national finals.

The Cobbers, who took fourth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings, and the Blazers, who tied for second, lost their first post-season matches at home on Nov. 4 in the MIAC playoffs, but won for the second consecutive day at UST's Schoenecker Arena to reach the NCAA sweet 16.

In their previous meeting this season, St. Benedict won a five-set victory at Concordia on Nov. 1.

In St. Benedict’s win over Eau Claire, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 28-26, the Blazers hit .234. Emma Jaynes had 15 kills and 25 digs, Beth Hanson had 53 assists and 10 digs, Chelsea Sobieck had 10 kills and 23 digs and Andrea Millerbernd had 21 digs.

Eighth-seed LaCrosse, which upset top-seed St. Thomas in five games on Thursday night, lost set one 25-22 and couldn’t stem the Cobber momentum in losing the final sets 25-16 and 25-18. The Cobbers hit .282, led by Katie Vohnoutka , who hit .435 with 11 kills. Amy Sykora had 20 assists and Anna Tinkham had 21 digs in a balanced attack.

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Match 2 -- 7 p.m.: Concordia def. UW-LaCrosse, 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-18)

Click here for live audio webcast:

http://www.cord.edu/dept/sports/broadcast.php

Set 1

Cobbers win 25-22

Set 2

Cobbers win 25-16... Cobs hitting .262 on match, Anna Tinkham 15 digs, Katie Vohnoutka six kills, .462 hit%, two aces, three digs.. UWL hitting .175, Brianne Stankus eight kills, 10 digs, melannie tate 16 digs

Set 3

Cobbers win 25-18... Cobbers hit .282, Katie Vohnoutka hit .435 with 11 kills; Amy Sykora had 20 assists, Anna Tinkham had 21 digs... UWL hit .177; Brianne Stankus hit .286 with 10 kills, 12 digs; Nina Walch 11 kills, Melannie Tate 18 digs

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Match 1 -- 4:30 p.m.: St. Benedict Blazers def. UW-Eau Claire Blugolds, 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 28-26

Box score: http://www.uwec.edu/athletics/vb/0809/stats/index.htm

Set 1

Blugolds win 25-23... Blugolds take 23-18 lead, hold off late Blazer run... Jenna Weber four kills, 1.000 hit%, three blocks; Katie Fox, Amy Freiborg four kills each... CSB: Emma Jaynes six kills, .364 hit%, five kills

Set 2

Blazers win 25-21, even match 1-1... Blazers took 18-11 lead, Blugolds pulled within 19-18, but Blazers score six of last nine points... Jaynes nine kills, 11 digs on match, Calleigh Brown six kills... UWEC Fox seven kills, Jenna Weber three blocks, six kills.

Set 3

Blazers win 25-21, take 2-1 lead in sets.. Blazers hitting .240, Jaynes 11 kills, 16 digs; Chelsea Sobieck eight kills, 16 digs, Calleigh Borwn nine kills... UWEC hitting .175, Fox 13 kills, Weber 10 kills, three blocks

Set 4

Blazers fight off set point serve trailing 25-26, win 28-26 to take match and advance to regional finals... Blazers led 23-19, were tied 24-24... Blazers hit .234... Jaynes 15 kills, 25 digs; Bethe Hanson 53 assists, 10 digs, thre blocks; Chelsea Sobieck 10 kills, 23 digs; Andrea Millerbernd 21 digs... UWEC got 21 kills by Katie Fox, 49 assists and 18 digs by Emily Haese, 11 kils, four blocks by Jenna Weber2008 NCAA

Division III Regional Volleyball Tourney

Nov. 13-15/St. Paul, Minn.

UST/Schoenecker Arena

$5 adults/#3 students

Single Elimination

Thursday action photos (scroll down to bottom) by Greg Smith (gsmithsports.com)

Thursday's Matches

--Match 1: 1 p.m., St. Ben's (27-6) def. Simpson (20-15), 3-1 (24-26, 25-10, 25-16, 25-15)

Box score: http://www.simpson.edu/storm/women/volleyball/SIM-CSB3.html

--Match 2: 3:30 p.m., UW-Eau Claire (24-11) def. Gustavus (26-5) 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-21)

Box score: https://www.uwec.edu/athletics/vb/0809/stats/index.htm

--Match 3: 6 p.m.: Concordia-Moorhead (21-5) def. Loras (32-5), 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 15-11)

Box score: http://depts.loras.edu/sports/womens/volleyball/lor-cc.html

--Match 4: 8:30 p.m.: UW-LaCrosse (28-11) def. vs. St. Thomas (28-3), 3-2 (25-22, 17-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13

Box score: http://www.tommiesports.com/vlbl/stats/uwl-ust.htm

Live audio webcast: www.mnsportsnetwork.com

Friday's Matches

Player pic --Match 5: 4:30 p.m., St. Benedict (28-6) def. UW-Eau Claire (24-12), 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 28-26

Box score: http://www.uwec.edu/athletics/vb/0809/stats/index.htm

--Match 6: 7 p.m., Concordia-Moorhead def, UW-LaCrosse, 25-22, 25-16, 25-18

Saturday's Championship

--Match 7: 7 p.m.: St. Benedict def. Concordia, 27-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-17

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NCAA Links:

NCAAsports.com Volleyball page:

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-volley/ncaa-w-volley-body.html

NCAA Statistics page:

http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings?sportCode=WVB

Division III national bracket:

http://www.ncaa.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncaa/sports/w-volley/auto_pdf/2008d3volleyball2

Oshkosh Regional:

http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/2008OshkoshVolleyballRegional

Wittenberg Regional:

http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/athletics/volleyball/08ncaaChampionships/

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Team Notes

Concordia "Cobbers"/Moorhead, Minn.:

PHOTOS: Top to bottom, Abby Scheel, Anna Tinkham, Jenna Green

--Concordia is 20-5 on the season. Of those five losses, four have been in five sets. In all four of those five-set losses, the Cobbers went down 2-0 before rallying back to tie the match at 2-2 and then eventually falling in the fifth set.

--Concordia has won at least 20 matches in six of the past seven seasons.

--Concordia is making their eighth overall trip to the NCAA Tournament and sixth Player Pic straight. The Cobbers are 3-7 in their previous seven trips and have never made it past the second round. The Cobbers advanced to the second round in 2004 and 2006.

--Concordia is 0-3 against the other seven teams in this year’s regional. The Cobbers went 0-3 against the other three schools from the MIAC and have not played the other four teams in the regional. The Cobbers lost 3-0 at home to St. Thomas on Sept. 24 and then lost in five sets at Gustavus on Oct. 24 and at home to St. Ben’s on Nov. 1.

--Concordia has been ranked in the top 25 of the nation for the entire year and was ranked as high as 12^th on Oct. 21. The Cobbers have been ranked in the top 25 of the nation for 53 consecutive weeks not counting preseason polls. That is a school and conference record for longest time spent in the top 25 of the nation. The last time CC was not ranked was on Sept. 8, 2004.

--Concordia is 7-0 in neutral site matches this season and 4-0 at Schoenecker Arena. The Cobbers went Player Pic 4-0 at the Border Battle Tournament in October beating Central, Simpson, Coe and Wartburg – all teams from the IIAC. CC is also 14-1 in matches played away from home in 2008.

--Concordia has won 13 of their 20 matches this season in three-set sweeps. Two other wins came in four sets and the remaining five victories came in five sets.

--Concordia won 10 straight matches from Sept. 27 through Oct. 21. The 10-match winning streak marked the third time in the past four seasons that CC has put together at least a 10-match winning streak.

--Concordia has three seniors on this year’s roster. Those three have been to the NCAA playoffs all four seasons and have been ranked in the top 25 of the nation for their entire careers. They have a combined record of 83-21.

--Concordia senior Anna Tinkham (Fisher, Minn.) leads the team in digs this season (468) and was named Player Pic to the MIAC All-Conference Team last week. She holds the program record for digs in a career and digs in a single season. She currently has 1,232 digs in her career and last season had 601 digs to set the school record for digs in a season. Tinkham was named the MIAC Tri-Defensive Player of the Year in 2007.

--Cobber senior Abby Scheel (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Academy) also earned MIAC All-Conference honors this season. It is the second straight year she has earned the award. Scheel led the team in blocks and was third in kills in both overall and conference matches. She had 72 total blocks on the year and 27 in the 11 MIAC matches. Scheel has 322 total career blocks and is eighth on the school’s all-time block list.

--CC freshman Jenna Green (Dilworth, Minn./D-G-F HS) was named the MIAC Rookie of the Year. Green led the team in kills, was second in digs and third in blocks. She has 257 kills in her first collegiate season as well as 313 digs and 38 blocks

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Gustavus "Gusties"/St. Peter, Minn.

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PHOTOS: Top, Bridget Burtzel; below, Emily Klein

--The four losses this season are the fewest losses by a Gustavus squad since 1976 when the Gusties finished the season 21-4. Two of the four losses have come against St. Thomas with the other two losses were against St. Olaf and Division I North Dakota.

--Gustavus has a 3-2 record against regional tourney opponents with wins over UW-La Crosse (3-1 on Sept. 5), St. Benedict (3-1 on Oct. 22), and Concordia (3-2 on Oct. 24). The Gusties have not faced Simpson, Loras, or UW-Eau Claire this season.

--The Gusties have a 7-0 record against opponents on a neutral court and are 17-2 against non-conference opponents. The two non-conference losses came against North Dakota and St. Thomas in the post-season.

--Gustavus appeared in the Bison/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll for the first time since 1986 Player pic when it appeared in the Sept. 16 poll ranked 22nd. The Gusties have appeared in the poll every week since that date and are currently ranked 17th, their highest ranking of the season.

--The Gusties are 24-0 when they outblock their opponents or have a higher hitting percentage than their opponents. Gustavus is 2-4 when it has fewer blocks than the opposing team or has a lower hitting percentage than the opposing team.

--As a team, Gustavus is ranked in the top 20 of four Division III statistical categories, including 16th in assists per set at 11.76 and 19th in kills (12.7), digs (19.1), and blocks (2.3) per set.

--Thirteen of the Gusties’ 26 wins have been in straight sets, while eleven wins have come in four-set matches. Player Pic

--Coach Eckheart has established a regular player rotation this year as seven players have played in at least 106 of the 109 possible sets.

--Libero Emily Klein is the three-time MIAC Defensive Player of the Year. She holds every dig record in program history including career digs (2,321), digs in a season (649), and digs in a match (48). This season she has 647 digs and just 40 receiving errors in 656 opportunities.

--Meghan Gehring has tallied 29 solo blocks and 105 block assists for 134 total blocks. Last season, Gehring compiled 104 total blocks on 20 solo blocks and 84 block assists. She is the first Gustie to record 100 blocks in consecutive seasons since Linnea Arvidson had 134 blocks in 1999 and 104 in 2000.

--First-year Angela Ahrendt is the daughter of Gustavus Hall of Fame volleyball player Linn Erickson Ahrendt, who was a member of the four national tournament Gustie teams from 1983-86.

--Three Gustie players are ranked in the top 25 of three national statistical categories. Libero Emily Klein is 11th in digs per set at 6.1. Setter Bridget Burtzel is 13th in assists per set at 10.48, while middle hitter Meghan Gehring is 22nd in blocks per set at 1.23.

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Loras "Duhawks"/Dubuque, Iowa

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PHOTOS: Jenny Dzuibla (top) and Kate Russell

--This 2008 appearance marks Loras’ first trip to the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championships.

--Loras has made one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the nation, going from a ninth-place conference finish in 2oo7 to first place this fall.

--Ther Duhawks have won 15 matches in a row, and three of their four defeats have come in five sets.

--Loras is 10-0 in road matches this season and 16-4 on neutral courts.

--Loras also claimed its first Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. Loras won the Player pic regular season title, going 8-0, then won the IIAC Tournament with a semifinals win over Luther (3-1) and a finals win over Simpson (3-1). Loras won one previous IIAC tournament title in 1990.

--Teresa Kehe is in her third season as head coach of the Duhawks. She won IIAC Coach of the Year honors. Her career record entering this week is 65-40. Kehe won 33 matches in her first two seasons combined before reaching 32 this season. She is 13-11 in the Iowa Conference in her career and 2-1 in Iowa Conference Tournament matches.

--Loras had four players selected to the All-IIAC Teams. Senior Jenny Dziubla was Player pic named conference MVP and a first-team selection (her third consecutive on that team). Sophomore outside hitter Kate Russell was also on the first team. Senior middle Betsy Neverman earned second-team honors. Sophomore libero Morgan Murphy was Honorable Mention.

--Assistant coach Ashley Rogers is a Dubuque native and 2008 graduate of Wartburg College. While Rogers never competed in the tournament as a player, she was a four-time first team All-Iowa Conference selection and a 2007 1^st Team AVCA All-American.

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Simpson "Storm"/Indianola, Iowa

PHOTOS: Tara Christensen (top), Whitney Oviatt

--Simpson is appearing in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament for the sixth time and for the second time in three years. The Storm have a 4-5 all-time NCAA playoff record.

--This will be the third time this season that Simpson and St. Benedict will be facing each other. The Blazers defeated the Storm 3-0 Sept. 20 at the Simpson Invitational and 3-0 at the IIAC-MIAC Border Battle Oct. 10. St. Benedict leads the all-time series 18-9.

--Concordia-Moorhead defeated Simpson 3-1 Oct.10 at the IIAC-MIAC Border Battle. The Cobbers lead the all-time series 7-4.

--Loras defeated Simpson twice in a span of four days last week including the I Player pic IAC Tournament finals. The Storm lead the all-time series 25-11.

--Simpson split a pair of matches with St. Thomas this season. The Tommies defeated the Storm 3-2 Sept. 19 during the Simpson Invitational. Simpson came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat St. Thomas 3-2 at the IIAC-MIAC Border Battle Oct. 11. The Storm lead the all-time series 11-8.

--Simpson defeated UW-La Crosse 3-0 Oct. 25 during the UW-Oshkosh Invitational. The Eagles lead the all-time series 10-7.

--Simpson is 3-8 against nationally ranked opponents this season.

--Storm senior middle hitter Jayna Fischbach became the 11th Simpson player to record at least 1,000 career kills this season. Entering this week's play she has moved to ninth in school history with 1,167 career kills. A four-year volleyball letterwinner and a three-year basketball letterwinner, Fischbach has appeared in five NCAA Tournaments in her career (three basketball, two volleyball).

--Simpson junior setter Tara Christensen was named first team All-Conference for the second consecutive season. She has moved into second place in school history in career assists with 4,128. She is 146 away from breaking the school record (Megan Amelse, 4,373, 1987-91).

--Simpson junior middle hitter Whitney Oviatt earned second team All-Conference honors this season, Player Pic she leads the Storm in blocks with 75. Oviatt is a softball letterwinner for Simpson and appeared in the 2008 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament for the Storm.

--Simpson junior libero Brittany Friesth has moved into second in on the Storm career digs chart with 1,681. A 2008 second team All-Conference selection, Friesth is 43 away from the school record (1,723, Amy Trowbridge, 1995-98).

--Simpson sophomore outside hitter Amy Schuster was selected second team All-Conference this season. She leads the Storm in kills with 355 and is third on the squad in digs with 301.

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St. Benedict "Blazers"/St. Joseph, Minn.

PHOTOS: Beth Hanson (top), Emma Jaynes

--This is the second straight NCAA appearance for the Blazers their 11th Logo overall. This will be head coach Michelle Blaeser’s third appearance in the tournament.

-St. Benedict has a record 4-3 this year against teams in this region. They swept Simpson twice, defeated Concordia 3-2 and beat UW-Eau Claire 3-0. CSB fell to St. Thomas 3-2 and 3-0, and lost to Gustavus 3-1.

--St. Benedict is currently ranked in a tie for 23^rd in the most recent Bison/AVCA Division III Coaches Player pic Top 25 poll. The Blazers' highest ranking this year was 19^th.

--Junior hitter Beth Hanson is ranked 32^nd in the nation in assists/set (9.92) in the most recent NCAA stats update. The Blazers as a whole are ranked 18^th in kills/set in the country (12.72) and 30^th nationally in match win-loss percentage (0.813).

--The Blazers had an 18-match win streak during the course of the season, during which they posted a 12-0 road/neutral record.

--The Blazers tied with Gustavus for second in the MIAC with a 9-2 conference record. Overall, CSB went Player pic 26-6.

--Hanson and junior outside hitter Emma Jaynes were both named to the MIAC All-Conference team. Hanson recorded 9.92 assists/set and 2.25 digs this season. Jaynes posted 3.23 kills/set, 3.23 digs/set and a .264 hitting percentage.

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St. Thomas "Tommies"/St. Paul, Minn.

PHOTOS: Katie McCaffrey (middle), DeJurnett Prioleau (middle), Katie Kremer ((below)

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--No. 6-ranked St. Thomas is 8-2 so far this season vs. other teams in this regional. The Toms went 2-0 vs. St. Ben's and Gustavus; won 3-0 at Concordia; is 2-0 vs. Eau Claire; split a pair of five-sets decisions with Simpson; and lost in four sets at LaCrosse on the opening day of the season, although UST senior All-American Katie McCaffrey didn't play in that match.

--St. Thomas is in the NCAA playoffs for the 10th time (10-9 all-time record), and fourth year in row. Current assistant coach Dave Orren was the head coach in a span when UST qualified six years in a row from 1987-92, including regional final berths in 1990, 1991 and 1992. UST also has reached the region finals in 2005 and 2007.

--The Tommies beat St. Olaf and Gustavus last week in the conference playoffs and are 28-0 against Player pic conference opponents over the last two seasons. The Tommie seniors are 114-21 overall in their era.

--St. Thomas has been ranked in the AVCA top 25 for 41 consecutive polls since early in 2005. The Toms have been ranked in the AVCA coaches' top 10 all season and climbed as high as No. 5 in October.

--The Tommies have won nine in a row and 27 of their last 28 matches.

--UST has an 12-4 postseason record since 2005.

--UST has reached 24 or more victories for the sixth time in seven seasons. Since the 2000 season, St. Thomas has compiled a 253-78 record, with six MIAC regular-season championships. Player pic The Tommies have had seven All-Americans in the last six seasons.

--Thanh Pham was named MIAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his six seasons with St. Thomas. Pham is 75-12 vs. conference foes in his six seasons. UST swept the regular-season and playoff titles for the third time in four years.

--UST is 11-0 on the Schoenecker court this season after going 9-1 there last season. They also went 1-1 in the adjacent Fleldhouse.

--Senior Katie McCaffrey was named MIAC Player of the Year and is a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree with a 3.87 gpa in Math. On Saturday she surpassed 1,200 kills and 500 blocks on her four-year career. The Toms are 53-6 the last two years when she has played.

--UST senior libero Katie Kremer had 35 digs in Saturday's playoff finals and became the first MIAC player Player pic to surpass 2,500 career digs (2,525). She made All-MIAC and third-team CoSIDA Academic All-District (3.71 gpa in Biology).

--Sophomore setter Emily Foster was a repeat all-conference honoree and was the 2007 NCAA Region Freshman of the Year. Foster ranks in the top three nationally in assists per set.

--The 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.

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UW-Eau Claire "Blugolds"/Eau Claire, Wis.

PHOTOS: Abby Freiborg (top), Emily Haese

--Abby Freiborg was named the WIAC Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete and was also a first-team selection.

--Other All-WIAC selections this year include Emily Haese (first), Katie Fox (HM), Lindsey Smith (All-Defense), Kristen Moore (All-Sportsmanship)

--Kim Wudi was named WIAC co-Coach of the Year, leading the Blugolds to a Player pic WIAC co-championship in only her second season as head coach

--The Blugolds are 13-2 in their last 15 contests and only lost one match in the month of October

--Freiborg ranks fifth all-time on career attacks list with 3,067 and fifth with 216 service aces and fifth with 1,404 digs.

--Eau Claire had eight of its 11 losses come against ranked opponents this year, including five-set and three-set defeats to St. Thomas; five-set loss to Simpson Player pic and Oshkosh; and four-set losses to Wash. U. and Carthage. They also had early five-set defeats to Hamline and Macalester.

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UW-LaCrosse "Eagles"/LaCrosse, Wis.

PHOTOS: Amber Schoonover (top), Brianne Stankus

--UW-L is making its 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fourth in the last six years. The Eagles are 16-12 all-time in national tournamen

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t play. UW-L advanced to the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals in 2003 and 2004, falling to the University of La Verne (Calif.) in 2003 and Washington University (Mo.) in 2004. The Eagles were third in the national tournament in 1986.

--UW-L has recorded 14 straight seasons with at least 20 wins. The Eagles' 1,705 kills this year ranks eighth in single-season school history while their 5,211 attempts are fifth. UW-L also has 2,580 digs, fifth-most in single-season school history, and 1,561 assists, which ranks seventh in UW-L history. UW-L was 12-4 at home this year and are 4-3 on the road and 11-4 in neutral site matches.

--The Eagles earned victories in nine of their first 12 matches this season and won five of their last six prior to the NCAA Division III Tournament. UW-L is 3-4 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2008, recording a win over St. Thomas and a pair of victories over UW-Whitewater.

--UW-L earned a 3-0 (25-10, 25-20, 25-20) victory over UW-Whitewater in the WIAC Tournament Third-Place match November 8 at UW-Eau Claire. Amber Schoonover led the Eagles with 12 kills while Brianne Stankus and Nina Walch each finished with eight. Liz Schlobohm had 32 assists as UW-L hit .275 as a team with 38 kills and 10 errors in 102 attempts. Elizabeth Carlisle had a team-high 14 digs while Melannie Tate finished with 12. The Eagles had 8.0 team blocks, including 5.0 from Jenna Starck.

--Senior outside hitter Amber Schoonover and junior rightside hitter Brianne S Player pic tankus were both named to the 2008 All-WIAC First Team Tuesday. Schoonover has played in all 38 matches this year, averaging a team-leading 3.08 kills per set. She has a team-high 425 kills, which is tied for 10th in single-season school history. Schoonover had a career-high 19 kills vs. St. Scholastica (Minn.) September 5 and has recorded at least 10 kills in 25 of 38 matches. Her 425 kills and 1,244 attempts are both career-highs. Schoonover is third on the team with 450 digs in 2008, averaging 3.26 per set. She has double digit digs in 24 matches.

--Stankus became the seventh player in school history to earn three All-WIAC honors with her first team selection this year. She was named to the 2006 all-conference honorable mention team and to the 2007 first team. Stankus has played in all 38 matches in 2008, averaging 2.68 kills and 3.01 digs. She ranks second on the team in kills (373) and fourth in digs (419) while recording a team-best 45 aces. Stankus has double digit kills in 17 matches in 2008, including a season-high 19 vs. St. Scholastica (Minn.) September 6. She has finished with at least 10 digs in 23 matches.

--Senior outside hitter Nina Walch was selected to the All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team this year while sophomore libero Melannie Tate was one of four players named to the all-conference defensive team. Senior outside hitter Elizabeth Carlisle was chosen to the WIAC All-Sport Player pic smanship Team.

--Earning her first career all-conference honor, Walch leads UW-L with 106.0 blocks this year, including 48 solo. She is third in career blocks (421.0) at UW-L and tied for third in block solos (154). Walch has finished with at least 4.0 blocks in 13 different matches this season. She also ranks third for UW-L in kills with 350, an average of 2.54. Walch had a season-high 16 kills versus the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) August 29.

--Tate is fifth in the conference in digs per set (4.21) and leads UW-L with 590 overall. The 590 digs is fifth in single-season school history. She has recorded at least 10 digs in 30 of 38 matches, including a career-high 35 versus Viterbo University (Wis.) October 30. Tate is the only player to see action in all 140 sets for UW-L this year.

--Carlisle ranks second for UW-L in digs with 469, an average of 3.40 per set. She has recorded at least 10 digs in 23 of 38 matches, including a career-high 24 versus Carthage College (Wis.) October 25. Eleventh in the WIAC in digs per set this year, Carlisle is also fourth on the team in kills with 253.

--Head coach Sheila Perkins is in her 15th season at the helm of UW-L, compiling an overall record of 366-152 (.707). She is the winningest coach in school history and led the Eagles to 14 straight 20-win seasons and six NCAA III Tournament appearances in the last 12 years. UW-L went to post-season play in back-to-back years (1997, 1998) for the first time since the mid-’80s. Perkins is 468-263 (.640) in 21 years as a collegiate head coach.

--Perkins was named the 2003 WIAC Coach of the Year for the first time in her career after UW-L finished 33-6. She led the Eagles to a share of the school’s first conference championship since 1986 and claimed their first WIAC Tournament title in school history. UW-L was 31-7 in 2004 and made its second consecutive appearance in the national quarterfinals before falling to Washington University (Mo.). The Eagles finished ninth in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll.

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Thursday action photos below by Greg Smith (www.gsmithsports.com)

Action pic