The University of Evansville volleyball team is back in action, returning to practice on Monday to prepare for its first match on August 27 against IUPUI at the Michigan State Tournament.
Returning strength and experience in every position, head Coach Mike Swan and the Purple Aces have set high expectations for the 2010 season. After finishing in the middle of the Missouri Valley Conference pack over the past several seasons, Swan and his team know that it’s time to raise the bar and step up to the challenge.
Swan hopes that the pre-conference schedule will prove to be a step in the right direction. The Aces will hit the road for two away invitational tournaments to start off the 2010 season. The first is at Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., and the second at Troy University in Troy, Ala. The August 28 match against Michigan State will mark the first time the volleyball team has competed against a Big 10 member since 2005.
The Aces will then return to Caron Center to host the UE Dunn Hospitality Tournament, bringing in Loyola, Murray State, and former UE assistant coach Manuel Concepcion’s Western Carolina Catamounts to round out the field.
“The pre-conference schedule puts us in a good situation to get some early wins and build our confidence going into MVC play,” said Swan. “We’ll also have some tough competition to help us learn and prepare. Hopefully we can come out strong and surprise some people.”
Leading the way are seniors Viera Rajcan and Emily Wandersee, who return to play their final season looking to set the bar high for the 2010 squad. Last season, Rajcan set a new career mark in kills with 12 against Memphis and Southeast Missouri. Rajcan will provide depth to the right side after moving from the middle.
Wandersee looks to continue to carry over her success from past years, as she has been named second team all-conference sophomore and junior year. The St. Louis native was first on the team with .265 attack percentage and 92 total blocks while ranking eight in the league in hitting percentage. Wandersee will provide experience and leadership at middle hitter.
A strong point of the Aces program is back row defense, and the 2010 roster features three defensive specialists. Junior April Lubrecht is the only returner to the position and the only one with collegiate experience. In 2009, Lubrecht played in every match and was third on the team with 2.81 digs per contest. Freshmen Katie Klages and Caitlin Wickes will further bolster the spot.
At setter, junior Ellen Sawin will get the offense running after playing and starting in all 30 games last season. Sawin currently ranks third in the UE single-season assists record with 1,242 in 2009 and sits ninth in the career list with 1,864 assists. Adding competition against the veteran at setter is freshman Jen Murphy.
Outside hitter returns the most experience of all the positions for the Aces with three from 2009, including Brooke Maher, Jessica Knackmuhs and Hannah Wilson. Maher has played in every match but two during her time at UE. The junior led the team last season with 20 service aces while placing second with 2.73 kills per set and 3.10 digs per set. Knackmuhs enters her second season after playing in 21 contests last season and posting a season-high nine kills against Indiana State, Wichita State and Southern Illinois. Playing in 27 games in 2009, Wilson earned her firs double-double of her collegiate career against CofC with 18 digs and 16 kills.
Middle hitter returns two letterwinners from last year’s team with Wandersee and junior Kaisi Nixon. Nixon ranked third on the team with 0.48 blocks per set while being the only Ace named to the Wright State Raider Challenge All-Tournament Team with a total of 25 kills and six blocks on the weekend. Joining Nixon will be freshman Rachel TenHoor to provide more power at the position.
Ranked 8th in preseason conference polls, UE will be faced with a tough Valley schedule, which includes Top 25 Northern Iowa. “The Missouri Valley is more competitive than ever, and it’s in anybody’s hands to win it,” Swan said.
