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RIPON, Wis. – A new team will headline the 2012 Midwest Conference (MWC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll with Cornell receiving eight first place votes and 98 total points in its first year back in the MWC.

Cornell, a charter MWC member, is back in the conference after playing for the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) since the 1997 season. The Rams have won the MWC Championships twice with the last time coming in the 1988 season.

In 2011 St. Norbert swept the MWC Championships winning both the league crown and the tournament en route to earning a NCAA Tournament bid. The Green Knights picked up the other three first place votes and earned 93 points for a projected runner-up finish. Monmouth (80 points) and Lake Forest (71) were picked to also make the MWC Tournament while Lawrence was just outside the top-4 with 64 points. Carroll (52) and Grinnell (51) were separated by only a point for sixth place with Ripon earning 36 points in eighth place. Illinois Col. (29), Beloit (20) and Knox (11) round out the 11 team poll.

All but two 2011 All-MWC award winners return to the court for the 2012 including Player of the Year Catherine Guido (St. Norbert). The six other All-MWC First Team returnees are Chelsey Widdop (Monmouth), Cori Cooper (Lake Forest), Danielle Remy (St. Norbert), Tia Rupnik (Lake Forest), Michelle Eberhardy (Carroll) and Mollie Murdock  (Monmouth).

Voting is done by the MWC head volleyball coaches. Each coach votes for the ten other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (ten points for first, nine for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.



2012 MWC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll

Place	Team (First Place Votes)	Points
1	Cornell (8)	98
2	St. Norbert (3)	93
3	Monmouth	80
4	Lake Forest	71
5	Lawrence	64
6	Carroll	52
7	Grinnell	51
8	Ripon	36
9	Illinois Col.	29
10	Beloit	20
11	Knox	11

 
































Team Previews:

1. Cornell Rams
2011 Record: 28-6, 5-3 IIAC
Returning All-IIAC First Team: 2
Returning All-IIAC Second Team: 1

Cornell is back in the MWC for the first time since 1996 and aims for its first league title since 1988 under 11th year Head Coach Jeff Meeker. The Rams had an outstanding season in 2011 with a 28-6 overall record which propelled them to an IIAC Tournament title and a berth into the NCAA Tournament. Kathleen O’Connor headlines the offense with a 3.67 kills per set average and served up 54 of the Rams’ 222 service aces. Sabrina Hargis set the table for the offense with 1,021 assists (8.44 per set) while Taylor Dicus had a 2.99 kill per set average in her freshman year and was tops in the IIAC with 159 total blocks. Defensive specialist Kylea Weber finished third in the IIAC with 4.72 digs per set with O’Connor (2.76 d/s) strengthening the defensive unit.

2. St. Norbert Green Knights
2011 Record: 26-8, 9-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 2
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

St. Norbert rolled through MWC play last season to a perfect 9-0 record, winning a MWC Championship and the MWC Tournament finishing the year with a 26-8 mark. Bethani Thibodeau welcomes back three All-MWC selections including 2011 Player of the Year Catherine Guido. The Green Knights finished in the top-3 of every major statistical category and had three players top the charts in the individual statistics for 2011. Guido led all players with 811 digs and 6.87 digs per set while also serving up 28 service aces. Fellow first team recipients Danielle Remy (2.77 k/s) and Breanne Brocker (2.55 k/s) rank second and third, respectively, in hitting percentage with teammate Heidi Spies (1.71 k/s) leading the entire conference. Remy also led the league with 145 blocks which averages out to 1.24 per set and Abby West will control the offense after 719 assists a year ago. 

3.  Monmouth Fighting Scots
2011 Record: 10-19, 7-2
Returning All-MWC First Team: 2
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Monmouth strives to make the MWC Tournament for the third straight season and capture its second tournament title in three years under 2010 MWC Coach of the Year Kari Shimmin. Shimmin returns a veteran team to the floor headlined by Chelsey Widdop and Mollie Murdock who were both named to the All-MWC First Team in 2011. Widdop finished third in the MWC with 3.15 kills per set while also checking in at eighth with 4.05 digs per set with Murdock dishing out 8.15 assists per set which ranked fifth in the league. Claire Hermie will compliment Widdop and Murdock from the front line as she had 77 blocks (22 solo) and averaged 1.81 kills per set.

4. Lake Forest Foresters
2011 Record: 15-14, 6-3
Returning All-MWC First Team: 2
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Lake Forest came one match short of capturing a MWC Tournament title and aims to earn a NCAA Tournament bid under first-year Head Coach Heather Noll. Noll replaces 2011 MWC Coach of the Year Jennifer Saylor and returns three All-MWC performers in Cori Cooper (first team), Tia Rupnik (first team) and Molly McCloskey (second team). The Foresters finished the season ranking either first or second in hitting percentage, kills and assists and work to continue that trend this season. Cooper (3.91 k/s) and McCloskey (3.86 k/s) finished first and second, respectively, in the MWC in kills per set with Cooper owning a .221 hitting percentage, good for fifth in the league. Rupnik had 507 digs to lead the team and ranked fifth overall with 4.92 digs per set while also finishing fourth with 0.32 service aces per set. Setters Tori Drasler (5.22 a/s) and Torie Pasiewicz (3.82 a/s) will once again give the Foresters a one-two punch to set up the high profile offense.

5. Lawrence Vikings
2011 Record: 13-19, 5-4
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 2

Lawrence fell one game shy of playing in the MWC Tournament and is in search of the first MWC Championship in school history under seventh year Head Coach Matt Schoultz. Schoultz has to deal with the loss of All-MWC First Team selection Clare Bohrer but welcomes back a pair of second team selections in Kathleen Rowland and Diane McLeod. McLeod led the MWC with an 8.98 assists per set average, also contributing 190 digs and 38 blocks. Rowland anchors the defense after finishing fourth in the conference with 5.55 digs per set and also had 27 service aces. Shannon McLain will be a key piece for the Vikings in 2012 after averaging 2.33 kills per set and 1.02 digs per set to go along with 40 blocks. Emma Kane (2.62 d/s, 1.90 k/s) and Kate Rosenbalm (1.74 d/s) rounds out a strong returning core for the Vikings.

6. Carroll Pioneers
2011 Record:  13-16, 5-4
Returning All-MWC First Team: 1
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Becca Saal welcomes back every single player from her 2011 roster that finished sixth in the MWC with 13 overall wins led by All-MWC selection Emily Cecka (second team). Cecka was second on the team averaging 2.68 kills per set while finishing fourth in the conference with 90 total blocks (35 solo). Emily Goebert had 290 kills on the season also contributing 320 digs with teammate Samantha Derynda coming back to set up the offense, finishing the 2011 campaign with the most assists in the league (912) and second best assist per set average (8.77).

7. Grinnell Pioneers
2011 Record: 9-17, 6-3
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

A year after missing the MWC Tournament the Pioneers were back to form in 2011 under the watch of Jackie Hutchison and aim for the first MWC Championship in school history. All-MWC Second Team selection Michelle Briggs leads Grinnell after finishing tops on the team with 240 kills and finishing second in the league with 1.04 blocks per set. Outside hitter Claire Weidman compliments Briggs on the offensive side of the net after averaging 2.15 kills per set and also collecting 171 digs and 32 blocks. Lindsay Fujimoto is the top returning defensive piece after having 210 digs in 2011 and will be a big part in replacing setter Olivia Wilks (8.21 a/s, 2.22 d/s) and digs leader Kate Duran (3.41 d/s) who were both lost to graduation. Grinnell finished last season second best in the conference with 1.98 blocks per set as the team had six different players with 30 or more total blocks.

8. Ripon Red Hawks
2011 Record: 6-22, 2-7
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Ripon will be playing for a return trip to the MWC Tournament for the first time since 2009 and will do so with a lineup that is nearly identical to the 2011 roster under head coach Katie Carrier. The Red Hawks only lost one graduating senior last year, setter Andrea Zak, but have plenty of depth to make a run at a MWC Championship. All-MWC Second Team selection Karlye Wehner headlines the 2012 roster after averaging 2.65 kills per set and 2.37 digs per set last year. While the Red Hawks will miss Zak’s production (425 assists, 119 digs) they will be able to lean on Lisa Aguilar (151 assists) and Kristy Oglesby (204 assists) to fill the void while Aguilar also adds 194 kills and 333 digs from a year ago. Brianne Milroy finished sixth in the MWC with 4.25 digs per set and Megan Detlor brings back 130 kills and a team-high 46 blocks.

9. Illinois Col. Lady Blues
2011 Record: 5-19, 3-6
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Illinois Col. looks for its first trip to the MWC Tournament since the 2006 season and head coach Rachel Rohn will have an experienced group back as the Lady Blues lost only one player to graduation. Brittney Burgess (2.40 k/s), Megan Moore (1.27 k/s) and Alese Speckhart (1.51 k/s) all come back to fuel the offense with Maurissa Moulton (5.04 a/s) and Cassie Jarvis (2.54 a/s) returning to set the table. The Lady Blues led the entire league in service aces with 1.80 per set led by Speckhart (0.46 sa/s, led MWC) and Burgess (0.32 sa/s, fifth in MWC). Kayla Birdsell averaged 6.46 digs per set in 2011, which was good for second in the league, with teammate Missy Norville ranking fifth in blocks with 0.83 per set.

10. Beloit Buccaneers
2011 Record: 2-21, 2-7
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Beloit aims to bounce back after winning only two games last season to get back to the MWC Tournament which they had won in 2010. Head Coach Dawn Redd lost only three seniors to graduation and brings back a strong nucleolus to compete in 2012. Outside hitter Rachel Skoza is back after leading the team with 150 kills and 2.03 kills per set while also collecting a team-high 38 blocks. Middle Molly Schulting (1.53 k/s) also returns to strengthen an offense that finished eighth in the conference in kills while Slavish was at the top of the list for the Bucs with 2.63 digs per set. Libero Julianne Gruenhagen led the team with 3.69 digs per set in her freshman year with Carolyn Stransky bringing back 134 digs and 586 assists. 

11. Knox Prairie Fire
2011 Record: 2-23, 0-9
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

After only winning two contests in 2011 first year Knox Head Coach Shayla Chalker will take a young team to the court that features only two seniors and seven players who are either freshman or sophomores. The Prairie Fire has to replace Kelly Ricketts who led the team with 189 kills and look towards Kaylie Prince to help fill the void. Prince was right behind Ricketts with 129 kills and averaged 2.31 digs per set in 78 sets. Outside hitter Brittany Wisniewski had 201 digs and averaged 3.14 digs per set and Kristin McDonald had 125 digs to lead the defense. Katie White topped Knox with 24 blocks (12 solo) while McDonald will be the most experienced setter coming back after 104 assists in 2011.