2007 CCIW Volleyball preview

NAPERVILLE , Ill. – The head volleyball coaches in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) recently picked the Carthage Lady Reds to win its fourth straight conference title in a recent preseason poll.

Carthage is the favorite for good reason. They return nine-of-15 letterwinners and five starters from a team that finished 29-5 (7-0 in the CCIW) and earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship, losing in the first round to UW-Eau Claire. CCIW Player of the Year Jori Simmons returns as the team’s middle blocker after earning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America honors a year ago. Also back are AVCA All-Midwest Regional setter Kelly Bauer and first-team all-conference outside hitter Ashley Kuehl.

2006 second-place finisher Illinois Wesleyan (24-12, 5-2) also returns plenty of talent including setter Jenna Passananti, a 2006 AVCA Third Team All-American. Passananti had a school-record 1,592 set assists and 51 service aces last season en route to earning team MVP honors. The Titans also return sophomore Katie Butson who earned CCIW Newcomer of the Year accolades last season after leading her team with 3.61 kills per game.

Elmhurst will look to rebound after going 16-19 (4-3 in the CCIW) in 2006. Middle hitter Morgan Jones returns after leading the Bluejays in blocks and averaged 1.72 kills per game. Returning players Sarah Nelson, Alison Friedrich, Mackenzie Wilson and Brittany Smith will all be looked upon at outside hitter to replace all-conference performer Carly Bearwald. Elmhurst does return both of its setters from a year ago in Kassie Soderstrom and Emily Hilliker. Both combined for over 1,300 assists last season.

North Central put together a very successful season in 2006, going 26-5 (4-3 in the CCIW) and winning five tournaments along the way. The Cardinals will look to continue that success behind a pair of veteran seniors in Maggie Kelly and CJ Heckman. Kelly was an AVCA All-Midwest Region honors last season as well as a first-team all-conference player at outside hitter. She led the Cardinals and the CCIW with 4.38 kills per game. Heckman was a second-team all-conference selection last season with 1,244 assists, 25 aces, 227 digs and 34 blocks.

Millikin (23-14, 3-4) returns senior middle hitter Rachel Cook, who was a first-team all-conference player last season. Cook needs just 343 kills to tie for No. 5 on Millikin’s career list and needs 126 blocks to tie for No. 5 on the school’s career list. Senior Jessica LeClaire is also back after 97 service aces in 2006. LeClaire had 667 assists last season and is on pace to move into No. 4 on Millikin’s career list.

Despite a sixth place finish in the conference, Wheaton (19-12, 3-4) still managed to earn a spot in the 2006 CCIW Volleyball Tournament with a 3-0 win over Elmhurst in the play-in round. The Thunder return a pair of all-conference players in junior outside hitter Mallory Sullivan and junior setter Annie Himmelhaver. Sullivan had 3.50 kills per game, while Himmelhaver led her team with 1,186 assists (10.50 per game) last season.

Augustana (6-24, 2-5) will look to junior setter Jamie Spolum who has started the last two seasons. She averaged 9.78 assists per game and earned team MVP and all-conference honors last season. Sophomores Angela Baumgartner and Marissa Banks will be looked upon at middle hitter this season. Baumgartner averaged 1.92 kills per game and a hitting percentage of .244, while Banks averaged 1.56 kills and 0.74 blocks in 2006.

Second-year North Park coach Coley Johnson returns a more experienced team in 2007. Junior setter Vanessa Davis, senior libero Natalie Darcy and senior outside hitter Susan Domenick all return. Davis had 834 set assists (7.72 per game) in 2006, while Domenick averaged 2.16 kills per game last season.