UNI Pre-Season Coaches Pick

[Never Stressed]

Preseason Volleyball: Coaches Pick UNI to Repeat
Courtesy: The Valley
Release: 08/15/2007









Courtesy: The Valley
www.mvc-sports.com/


The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team has been tabbed as the league favorite for a second-consecutive season in the annual coaches’ preseason poll, receiving seven first-place votes. The Panthers tallied 97 points and were a solid favorite over second-place pick Wichita State (85 points, one first-place vote) and Creighton, who secured the remaining pair of first-place votes and 81 points overall.


Missouri State was selected in fourth place with 71 points, followed closely by Illinois State with 65.


The coaches look for another tight battle for the sixth spot in the conference race, as Southern Illinois (39) and Evansville (38), the same two squads battling it out in 2006, were separated by a single point in this season’s poll.


Bradley (33), Drake (28) and Indiana State (13) round out the final three positions in the poll.


Illustrating the depth of returning talent to The Valley, coaches have voted eight players representing six teams to the 2007 preseason all-MVC volleyball squad.


Preseason favorite UNI is represented by all-conference outside hitter Laura Rowen, who returns for her senior season.


Three Shockers were noted by the coaches. Defending MVC Player of the Year Sara Lungren is joined by all-MVC players Abby Harsh and Angela Jakubov on the preseason list.


Kelly Goc, a 2006 first-team all-league middle, represents the Creighton interests on the preseason squad along with Missouri State’s all-Valley senior setter Katelyn Panzau.


Illinois State lands junior setter Erin Lindsey and middle blocker M.C. Richmond on the squad to round out the coaches’ preseason picks.


The Valley will look to build on the success of a 2006 season that saw UNI and Missouri State capture opening-round wins in the NCAA Championship, the first time in league history that two teams advanced beyond the opening round in the same NCAA tournament.


The building blocks are in place as league teams return 53 starters and liberos (76 percent of starters), 11 of 13 first-team all-conference players and another four players who earned second-team honors. In all, 86 letterwinners return to MVC teams this fall, better than 70 percent of all players who saw the floor a season ago. Including redshirt players, better than 100 players will return for Valley teams this season.


UNI welcomes back five starters from a 28-8, 16-2 MVC (1st) team, including all-conference players Kristin Belzung (S) and Laura Rowen (OH). Belzung was the catalyst in helping the Panthers secure their 12th NCAA berth in school history, winning the MVC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. She led UNI to a first-round NCAA win over Winthrop.


Wichita State’s Sara Lungren returns looking to become the league’s fifth back-to-back Player of the Year after capturing the league’s top individual honor in her junior campaign. Lungren will have plenty of help as the Shockers return every player and add four redshirt freshmen and a sophomore transfer to last season’s 25-7, 15-3 MVC (2nd) squad that dropped a marathon five-game match in the conference tournament semifinal.


Creighton drew two first-place votes in the coaches’ poll and returns all six starters, plus the libero, from a 20-win team that claimed just the second MVC tournament win in school history. All-MVC middle blocker Kelly Goc leads a dangerous offensive attack directed by junior setter Korie Lebeda, whose 2,885 assists through two seasons put her on a career pace for a top-three all-time spot.


Missouri State, fresh off its first-ever NCAA Tournament win in a season that saw MSU become just the second program to top 1,000 wins, holds the fourth spot in the poll. Led by all-MVC setter Katelyn Panzau, the Bears return a senior trio of Panzau, Jamie Adams and Sara Thomas on offense looking to offset the losses of all-conference outside hitter Erin O’Connor and MVC Freshman of the Year Shanda Harper.


Illinois State holds the fifth spot in the coaches’ poll and returns all but one starter from last season’s squad that produced a late-season surge that included a sweep of the difficult Wichita State/Missouri State road trip on the season’s final weekend. Leading the Redbird attack are preseason all-conference players Erin Lindsey (S) and M.C. Richmond (MB).


Southern Illinois (39) earned the edge over Evansville (38) for the sixth position in the preseason poll. The Salukis and Purple Aces each return five starters from teams that battled into the league’s final match for the right to play at last season’s conference championship. Just one senior will dot the youthful SIU roster while UE’s five seniors look to return to the Valley tournament.


Bradley will feature a new look in 2007 with position changes as five new faces will hit the court for the final year at Robertson Memorial Field House.


Drake welcomes a solid recruiting class as the Bulldogs look to take the next step with four starters and the libero returning. Indiana State lost just one starter on a youthful squad that will feature 12 freshmen and sophomores.

Team (First-Place Votes) Points
UNI (7) 97

Wichita State (1) 85

Creighton (2) 81

Missouri State 71

Illinois State 65

Southern Illinois 39

Evansville 38

Bradley 33

Drake 28

Indiana State 13









Preseason All-MVC Team

Player, Team Pos. Cl. Ht. Hometown/High School
Kelly Goc, Creighton MB Sr. 6-2 Ralston, Neb./Ralston

Abby Harsh, Wichita State S Sr. 5-11 Newton, Kan./Newton

Angela Jakubov, Wichita State MB Jr. 6-1 Maize, Kan./Maize

Erin Lindsey, Illinois State S Jr. 5-7 Eureka, Mo./Eureka

Sara Lungren, Wichita State OH Sr. 6-4 Caldwell, Kan./Caldwell

Katelyn Panzau, Missouri State S Sr. 5-11 Belleville, Ill./West

M.C. Richmond, Illinois State MB Jr. 5-11 St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh

Laura Rowen, UNI OH Sr. 6-0 Hansell, Iowa/Hampton-Dumont

[BearClause]

I thought this was UNI:

[Phaedrus]

Dude, you're making me hungry!!! Can you find uni at UNI?

[BearClause]

phaedrus said:

Dude, you're making me hungry!!! Can you find uni at UNI?

Got bored waiting for a simulation run to complete, so I looked it up. Ironically enough, uni doesn't appear to be on the menu of what I think is the only sushi bar in Cedar Falls. It would be so appropriate.



Soho opens unique sushi/deli combination
www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2005/07/15/news/metro/1d982ce104c88c6c8625703f004aa22c.txt

[freeballer2]

espresso and sushi? that's a first.
too bad no. iowa won't advance out of the ncaa second round.

[Phaedrus]

freeballer2 said:

espresso and sushi? that's a first.
too bad no. iowa won't advance out of the ncaa second round.

What you want separate ethnic restaurants? Put them together, saves on space and saves on time. How about General Tso's chicken with grappa?

[BearClause]

phaedrus said:

freeballer2 said:

espresso and sushi? that's a first.
too bad no. iowa won't advance out of the ncaa second round.

What you want separate ethnic restaurants? Put them together, saves on space and saves on time. How about General Tso's chicken with grappa?

The menu also mentions it's a combination sushi bar and deli. The sandwiches were on the first page. I guess the owner was looking to make the most of his resources.

So if I do end up checking UNI volleyball, I might end up making a stop at this place. However - the prices seem almost obscene. I though the Midwest was supposed to have cheap eats.

[redrooster]

freeballer2 said:

espresso and sushi? that's a first.
too bad no. iowa won't advance out of the ncaa second round.

Pretty early to make that call, don't you think? Perhaps they won't if they get the world's worst draw like last year--Nebraska at home?!? They have a very competitive pre-season schedule...should have a better idea in a few weeks.

[doc]

UNI will be very good and I would expect the Top 4 teams in the Valley to have some pre-season success. The first weekend of the NCAA's is all about matchup's and home court. To say UNI won't get past second round at this point is ridiculous. Interesting that Creighton got 2 votes. Look for the Valley to get two teams in the tourney again.

[keek]

bearclause said:

phaedrus said:

Dude, you're making me hungry!!! Can you find uni at UNI?

Got bored waiting for a simulation run to complete, so I looked it up. Ironically enough, uni doesn't appear to be on the menu of what I think is the only sushi bar in Cedar Falls. It would be so appropriate.

I don't think they have eel in Cedar Falls. ;D I do think that if UNI's veteran front row plays with the intensity they finished the season with (Aschoff was amazing against Nebraska), they will definitely make it to the 2nd round (barring another early meeting with Nebraska).

[BearClause]

palakika said:

bearclause said:

Got bored waiting for a simulation run to complete, so I looked it up. Ironically enough, uni doesn't appear to be on the menu of what I think is the only sushi bar in Cedar Falls. It would be so appropriate.

I don't think they have eel in Cedar Falls. ;D I do think that if UNI's veteran front row plays with the intensity they finished the season with (Aschoff was amazing against Nebraska), they will definitely make it to the 2nd round (barring another early meeting with Nebraska).

BTW - "uni" is sea urchin. The word for eel is "unagi" which is universally cooked and probably comes in some sort of preserved packaging. I saw unagi on that menu.

Well - good luck to Northen Iowa. Maybe one of these days I can have uni while visiting UNI. ;D

[keek]

bearclause said:

palakika said:

I don't think they have eel in Cedar Falls. ;D I do think that if UNI's veteran front row plays with the intensity they finished the season with (Aschoff was amazing against Nebraska), they will definitely make it to the 2nd round (barring another early meeting with Nebraska).

BTW - "uni" is sea urchin. The word for eel is "unagi" which is universally cooked and probably comes in some sort of preserved packaging. I saw unagi on that menu.

Well - good luck to Northen Iowa. Maybe one of these days I can have uni while visiting UNI. ;D

Ah, yes, sea urchin. I stand corrected. Eel or sea urchin, Cedar Falls is a great town, and they have an incredible volleyball venue at UNI in the McLeod Center! Check it out!