CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the 2019 American Rivers Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2019 American Rivers Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2018 Record |
| 1. |
Dubuque (6) |
62 |
24-9, 6-2 Conference (Tournament Champions) |
| 2. |
Wartburg (3) |
58 |
18-12, 7-1 Conference (Regular Season Champions) |
| 3. |
Coe |
45 |
20-11. 5-3 Conference |
| 4. |
Luther |
44 |
15-17, 5-3 Conference |
| 5. |
Loras |
41 |
19-10, 4-4 Conference |
| 6. |
Central |
25 |
12-19, 1-7 Conference |
| t-7. |
Buena Vista |
17 |
13-12, 4-4 Conference |
| t-7. |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
17 |
9-16, 2-6 Conference |
| 9. |
Simpson |
15 |
8-19, 2-6 Conference |
Dubuque is the coaches' choice to win the 2019 American Rivers Conference Volleyball championship. The Spartans were chosen first on six ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 62 points to take the No. 1 ranking. A season ago, Dubuque finished second in the regular season standings and claimed the 2018 A-R-C tournament title to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Wartburg, the conference's regular season champion a year ago, garnered three first place votes and 58 total points to rank second in the poll. Coe edged out Luther for the third spot with 45 points to Luther's 44. Loras was close behind in fifth with a total of 41 points and sixth place went to Central with 25 points. The six-team conference tournament field would feature the Spartans, Knights, Kohawks, Norse, Duhawks, and Dutch if the preseason poll was the determinant. Finishing tied for seventh in the poll were Buena Vista and Nebraska Wesleyan, while Simpson totaled 15 points to finish in ninth. These three teams will look to jostle their way into the top six for a qualifying spot to the American Rivers Conference tournament.
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Top 25 Polls: Not released at the time of publication.
New Coaches: No new coaches in 2019
The Schedule: The season's first serves will fly over the net on Friday, August 30, with all nine American Rivers Conference schools in non-conference action. Buena Vista will take to the court at Northwestern-St. Paul, playing in the Kathryne Pals Legacy Invite. Central will open the season In Forest Grove, Oregon, playing in the Oregon Trail Classic. Coe will join BVU at Northwestern-St. Paul's Kathryne Pals Legacy Invite. Dubuque and Luther head to Saint Mary's University (Minn.) to compete in the Sugar Loaf Classic. Loras will compete in the Forester Invitational at Lake Forest and heading south will be Nebraska Wesleyan, as they are slated to play at the Austin College Invite in Sherman, Texas. Simpson will travel east to the Illinois College Invite in Jacksonville, Ill. and Wartburg heads to Holland, Michigan for the Hope College Invite.
The 2019 Conference schedule begins on Tuesday, September 18 with four league match-ups. Buena Vista will host Nebraska Wesleyan while Simpson heads to Pella for a match with the Dutch. Dubuque travels to Coe the conference season opener and Luther host Wartburg. Loras opens conference play on Tuesday, September 24 with a home match against Coe. The American Rivers Conference season is an eight-game round robin schedule finishing on Wednesday, October 30.
Conference Tournament: At the conclusion of the regular season conference schedule, the top six teams move onto the 2019 conference tournament. The tournament begins Tuesday, November 5th with the 4/5 seeds and the 3/6 seeds meeting at the higher seeded home court. On Thursday, November 7th the winner of the 4/5 opening round game will travel to the No.1 seed, while the 3/6 winner will make the trip to the No. 2 seed. The championship match-up will be held at the home venue of the higher seeded team on Saturday, November 9th. The winner of the 2019 American Rivers Conference Tournament will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
| 1st |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: April Elsbernd (11th season, 155-182)
2018 Record: 24-9 overall, 6-2 Conference
2018 Finish: 2nd (Conference Tournament Champions)
Returning All-Conference: Kara Wright (2018 MVP, OH., Sr.), Kate Messino (2018 FOY, S., So.), Rylee Andresen (2018 Honorable Mention, MH., Sr.)
Returning Starters: 6
Starters Lost: 1
April Elsbernd - “We hope to build on the momentum from last fall through the leadership of our five seniors and the experience of our returning players. The Spartans will be tested early against top regional programs to prepare for the tough A-R-C opponents we will face later in the season. As always, conference matches will be a battle with every team fighting for the title in 2019." |
| Players to Watch: *Returning Players Only |
| Kara Wright - OH (Sr.) |
109-sets played // 414-kills // 398-digs // 59-blocks |
| Kate Messino - S (So.) |
116-sets played // 37-aces // 357-digs // 3.08-digs/set |
| Rylee Andresen - MH (Sr.) |
107-sets played // 246-kills // 51-blocks // .83-blocks/set |
| Grace Strawser - L (Sr.) |
114-sets played // 32-aces // 398-digs // 3.49-digs/set |
| 2nd |
|
Wartburg College
Co-Head Coach: Jennifer Walker (22nd season, 484-251) & Doug Frazell (7th season, 145-53)
2018 Record: 18-12 overall, 7-1 Conference
2018 Finish: 1st (Regular Season Champion)
Returning All-Conference: Kylie Bildstein (2018 First Team, MB, Jr.), Katie Foster (2018, 2017 First Team, L, Jr.), Jayme Willemssen (2018 Honorable Mention, RS, So.)
Returning Starters: 5
Starters Lost: 2
Jennifer Walker - “We will be returning a much more experienced squad than we started with in 2018. After graduating a large class from the season before, we took a lot of bumps and bruises through the first part of our 2018 season. This provided us with a lot of “learning moments” in September from which our team improved significantly. Our 2019 spring season was positive and productive and we hope to use that as a springboard for this fall. We are excited to get the 2019 season started and to see how the 2019 A-R-C season shakes out. It should be another competitive, tight-race season in the A-R-C.” |
| Players to Watch:*Returning Players Only |
| Katie Foster - L (Jr.) |
82-sets played // 30-aces // 462-digs // 5.63-digs/set |
| Kylie Bildstein - MB (Jr.) |
106-sets played // 251-kills // 2.37-kills/set // 103-blocks |
| Jayme Willemssen - RS (So.) |
104-sets played // 242-kills // 2.33-kills/set // 60-blocks |
| Lexi Groe - OH (Jr.) |
87-sets played // 123-kills // 1.41-kills/set // 26-blocks |
| Dani Johnson - MB (Jr.) |
77-sets played // 103-kills // 1.34-kills/set // 38-blocks |
| 3rd |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: DeAnn Woodin (14th season, 271-171)
2018 Record: 20-11. 5-3 Conference
2018 Finish: t-3rd
Returning All-Conference: Elli Teeple (2018 First Team, S, So.)
Returning Starters: 2
Starters Lost: 5
DeAnn Woodin - “Another year brings even greater battles for A-R-C volleyball this fall. Every squad has solid returners, along with talented newcomers. We will have a very competitive non-conference schedule as well, so we are excited to get started and watch our team continuing to develop together." |
| Players to Watch: *Returning Players Only |
| Elli Teeple - S (So.) |
103-sets played // 32-aces // 251-digs // 2.44-digs/set |
| Morgan Kluesner - OH (Jr.) |
107-sets played // 254-kills // 2.37-kills/set // 35-aces // 271-digs // 45-blocks |
| 4th |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Brittany Sisk (2nd season, 15-17)
2018 Record: 15-17 overall, 5-3 Conference
2018 Finish: t-3rd
Returning All-Conference: Sam Sixta (2017 First Team, S, Sr.)
Returning Starters: 2
Starters Lost: 4
Brittany Sisk - "The Norse are looking forward to the 2019 season to build on the progress that was made in the program last fall. We understand that there are some very important roles to fill in both our offense and defense, we are going to look different then we have in the past; and this group is ready to be challenged and continue to work hard to build the foundation for success. We are very much looking forward to our returner’s ability to share their experience and lead positively with our large freshman class. As it was last year, I know our conference will remain competitive throughout the entire 2019 season, we are excited to continue to work hard to compete with every tough opponent we face this year.” |
| Players to Watch: *Returning Players Only |
| Sam Sixta - S (Sr.) |
116-sets played // 43-aces // 292-digs // 2.52-digs/set |
| Paige Yontz - OH/DS (Sr.) |
10-aces // 62-digs // 12-blocks |
| Brooke Greenwood - OPP (Sr.) |
113-sets played // 62-blocks // .55-blocks/set |
| Paige Steward - MB (Jr.) |
6-blocks // 3-digs |
| 5th |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: Jenna Ness (7th season)
2018 Record: 19-10 overall, 4-4 Conference
2018 Finish: t-5th
Returning All-Conference: Krystal Tranel (2018 First Team, L , So.)
Returning Starters: 5
Starters Lost: 3
Jenna Ness - “We are excited to get this season underway and to compete this fall. As always we expect our conference to be very competitive every week.” |
| Players to Watch: *Returning Players Only |
| Krystal Tranel - L (So.) |
112-sets played // 27-aces // 517-digs // 4.62-digs/set |
| Kayla Kinney - OH (Sr.) |
224-kills // 2.73-kills/set // 198-digs // 2.41-digs/set |
| Kelly Boge- MB (Sr.) |
111-sets played // 229-kills // 71-blocks // .64-blocks/set |
| Abby Allgeyer - OH (Sr.) |
124-kills // 22-aces // 107-digs |
| 6th |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Jeanne Czipri (3rd season, 21-43)
2018 Record: 12-19 overall, 1-7 Conference
2018 Finish: 9th
Returning All-Conference: Krissa Larson (2018 Honorable Mention, OH, So.)
Returning Starters: 5
Starters Lost: 2
Jeanne Czipri - “We absolutely love competing in the American Rivers conference… we have to show up every night against every opponent, every set, so it is always a battle. We made some big strides in 2018, but we are really eager to see our seniors step up to lead this group going into this fall. We are excited to see how experience will help some of our underclassmen and how our upperclassmen will use that as well.” |
| Players to Watch: *Returning Players Only |
| Krissa Larson - MF (So.) |
99-sets played // 296-kills // 108-digs |
| Tori Van Velzen - MH (Sr.) |
93-sets played // 106-kills // 90-blocks // .97-blocks/set |
| Hana Edgerton - MF (Sr.) |
111-sets played // 144-kills // 16-aces // 59-blocks |
| Erin Dilger - MH/RS (Sr.) |
106-sets played // 195-kills // 1.84-kills/set // 42-blocks |
| Landry Luhring - S (So.) |
112-sets played // 205-kills // 41-aces // 411-digs // 3.67-digs/set |
| t-7th |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Rayna Cain (8th season, 99-96)
2018 Record: 9-16 overall, 2-6 Conference
2018 Finish: t-7th
Returning All-Conference: None
Returning Starters: 4
Starters Lost: 4
Rayna Cain - “The Prairie Wolves are eager to start the 2019 volleyball season! We are excited about the strength of our returners and the impact our incoming players will make within the NWU Program this season. Without a doubt, the A-R-C will be another exciting year of matches resulting in a fight to the conference tournament!" |
| Players to Watch: *Returning Players Only |
| Hannah Bellinghausen - OH (Sr.) |
86-sets played // 211-kills // 2.45-kills/set // 30-blocks |
| Anna Gottsch - S (Sr.) |
39-sets played // 89-digs // 5-aces |
| Cora Svoboda - MH (Jr.) |
89-sets played // 152-kills // 1.71-kills/set // 58-blocks |
| Cassidy Plooster - S (So.) |
73-sets played // 32-aces // 157-digs // 2.15/digs/set |
| Kelsie Stovall - DS/L (Jr.) |
45-sets played // 10-aces // 96-digs // 2.13-digs/set |
| t-7th |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Aubrey Havlichek (2nd season, 13-12)
2018 Record: 13-12 overall, 4-4 Conference
2018 Finish: t-5th
Returning All-Conference: Summer Goss (2018 First-Team, L, Sr.), Sydney McLaren (2018 Honorable Mention, OH, So.)
Returning Starters: 4
Starters Lost: 4
Aubrey Havlichek - "Coach Aumann and I are excited following a challenging first season here at BV. The conference remains competitive and I’m anxious to see how all teams adjust following the graduation of key players. We are looking forward to the continued growth of our program and have a lot of expectations set for our incoming kids as we work to build a strong program culture, and I am confident our returners will help us do this while fighting with a competitive edge.” |
| Players to Watch: *Returning Players Only |
| Summer Goss - L. (Sr. |
92-sets played // 28-aces // 471-digs // 5.12-digs/set |
| Sydney McLaren - OH. (So.) |
299-kills // .218-attack% // 268-digs // 21-blocks |
| 9th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Lana Smith (21st season, 335-324)
2018 Record: 8-19, 2-6 Conference
2018 Finish: t-7th
Returning All-Conference: Hannah Lester (2018 Honorable Mention, 2017 First Team, MH, Sr.)
Returning Starters:
Starters Lost:
Lana Smith - “We are excited for the 2019 season. We bring back some experience this year and are working to put ourselves in a terrific position to compete and challenge at a high level each match. The A-R-C will be a fun league to follow this fall as all teams will be very competitive." |
| Players to Watch: *Returning Players Only |
| Hanna Lester - MH (Sr.) |
92-sets played // 220-kills //.241-attack% // 38-blocks |
| Alyssa Mathews - S (Sr.) |
100-sets played // 913-assists // 30-aces // 245-digs |
| Megan LeMay - MH/OH (So.) |
98-sets played // 188-kills // .203-attack% // 25-aces // 53-blocks |
| Ariana Martinez - L (Jr.) |
100-sets played // 437-digs // 17-aces |
