CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced today the results of the 2022 American Rivers Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches).
| 2022 American Rivers Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2021 Record |
| 1. |
Coe (6) |
62 |
24-8 overall, 7-1 A-R-C |
| 2. |
Wartburg (2) |
54 |
29-1 overall, 8-0 A-R-C (Conference Champions) |
| 3. |
Dubuque |
46 |
12-18 overall, 4-4 A-R-C |
| 4. |
Loras (1) |
43 |
21-11 overall, 5-3 A-R-C |
| 5. |
Simpson |
36 |
8-15 overall, 4-4 A-R-C |
| 6. |
Central |
31 |
15-13 overall, 4-4 A-R-C |
| 7. |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
29 |
11-14 overall, 1-7 A-R-C |
| 8. |
Buena Vista |
15 |
10-10 overall, 3-5 A-R-C |
| 9. |
Luther |
8 |
2-24 overall, 0-8 A-R-C |
Coe is the coaches' choice to win the 2022 American Rivers Conference Volleyball title. The Kohawks were chosen first on six ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 62 points to take the No. 1 ranking. Wartburg, the 2021 conference champion, claimed the second spot with 54 points and two first place votes. The Spartans garnered 46 points to edge out Loras who was picked to finish fourth with 43 points, including one first place vote. Simpson sits in the No. 5 spot with 36 points and Central in sixth with 31 points. Nebraska Wesleyan, Buena Vista, and Luther finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Top 25 Polls: The AVCA Preseason Top 25 poll has not been released.
New Coaches:
- Will Baumann, Buena Vista - Baumann comes to Buena Vista after serving as a physical education instructor at Clarinda Community School. From 2017-18, Baumann served as the head volleyball coach where he was named the 2018 Coach and AD Magazine 40 under 40 Award Winner. After stepping away from the coaching ranks in 2018, Baumann established his own personal business 'Champions Approach,' where he personally delivered instructional camps throughout the state of Iowa and worked with coaches and athletes to optimize their potential. In just four years of existence, Baumann has worked with five championship teams and over 20 state tournament qualifying teams.
The Schedule: The season's first serves will fly over the net on Thursday, September 1st, with two American Rivers Conference schools in non-conference action. Nebraska Wesleyan will take to the court at Martin Luther College out of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in New Ulm, Minnesota while the University of Dubuque will host Cornell out of the Midwest Conference. The remaining seven teams will begin their 2022 campaign on Friday, September 2. Central College is partnering with Grinnell College to host an invitational that the Dutch and Buena vista will be playing in. Coe College will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to participate in the Kathryne Pals Legacy Invitational, hosted by St. Catherine. Loras, Simpson, and Wartburg are traveling to Whitewater, Wisconsin to participate in the Wisconsin Blast Invitational, hosted by UW-Whitewater. Rounding out the nine A-R-C institutions, Luther will take the court at the Macalester Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The 2022 conference schedule begins on Tuesday, September 13 with Luther traveling to Coe. Six other schools will start conference play Wednesday, September 14 with Buena Vista traveling to Wartburg, Dubuque hosting Loras, and Nebraska Wesleyan hosting Simpson. Central opens conference play on Wednesday, September 21 when they travel to Storm Lake to take on the Beavers. The American Rivers Conference season is an eight-game round robin schedule finishing on Wednesday, October 26.
Conference Tournament: At the conclusion of the regular season conference schedule, the top six teams move onto the 2022 conference tournament. The tournament begins Tuesday, November 1st with the 4/5 seeds and the 3/6 seeds meeting at the higher seeded home court. On Thursday, November 3rd, 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 highest seeded team remaining on Saturday, November 5th. The winner of the 2022 American Rivers Conference Tournament will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
| 1st |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: DeAnn Akins (17th season, 317-198)
2021 Record: 24-8 overall, 7-1 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 2nd
Starters Returning: 5
Starters Lost: 2
All-Conference Returning: Kate Tidman (Sr./OH), Madi Parson (Sr./OH), Grace Lueken (Jr./MH)
All-Conference Lost: Elli Teeple, Majda Suljic
DeAnn Akins - "We are looking forward to another competitive A-R-C and non-conference schedule. We are very excited about our returners bringing a lot of experience and leadership, as well as our newcomers adding depth and energy." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Kate Tidman - OH (Sr.) |
115 sets played // 414 kills // 3.60 kills/set // 41 aces // 37 blocks |
| Madi Parson - OH (Sr.) |
116 sets played // 353 kills // 3.04 kills/set // 67 aces // 3.71 digs/set |
| Grace Lueken - MH (Jr.) |
116 sets played // 2.38 kills/set // 33 aces // 50 blocks |
| Gracie Urbatsch - MH (So.) |
116 sets played // 2.43 kills/set // 66 blocks |
| Kristen Wilson - RS (Jr.) |
71 sets played // 23 blocks |
| 2nd |
|
Wartburg College
Head Coaches: Jennifer Walker (25th season, 544-262) & Doug Frazell (9th season, 205-64)
2021 Record: 29-1 overall, 8-0 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 1st
Starters Returning: 1
Starters Lost: 6
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: Kylie Bildstein, Katie Foster, Zaiah Quirk, Claire Marsh, Jayme Willemssen
Jennifer Walker/Doug Frazell - "Part of the excitement and challenges of athletics is that every season is different. The 2022 season will be quite different for us than our 2021 season. We will have new faces in the line-up who are ready to compete and make their mark on Wartburg volleyball. We can't wait to get back in the gym with this year's team! The quality of competition continues to improve in the A-R-C. Last year's match-ups were exciting and hard-fought. We anticipate that the 2022 season will once again bring that same level of rivalry and intensity each time we step on the court against our conference opponents. It should be another fun season in the A-R-C!" |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Natalie Clayberg - OH (Sr.) |
84 sets played // 46 kills // 19 aces // 58 digs |
| Caroline Kluesner - L (Sr.) |
105 sets played // 360 digs // 3.43 digs/set // 38 aces |
| Emerson Kracht - S/RS (Jr.) |
None available |
| Allison Feigenbaum - MH (So.) |
83 sets played // 142 kills // 1.71 kills/set // 55 blocks |
| Abby Hamann - OH (So.) |
None available |
| 3rd |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: April Elsbernd (14th season, 193-211)
2021 Record: 12-18 overall, 4-4 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 4th
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 2
All-Conference Returning: Darby Hawtrey (Gr./OH), Emma Powell (Jr./OH), Grace Hintz (Jr./OH)
All-Conference Lost: None
April Elsbernd - "The Spartans are eager to get the 2022 season underway! Combining experience at each position along with the lessons learned during the tough 2021 season, our returners are ready for another challenging schedule against some of the best teams in the Midwest. Our team leaders are looking forward to welcoming a talented group of newcomers, and to build upon the established culture of trust and belonging. This current group of student-athletes have demonstrated tremendous growth and resilience these past few years which should enable them to compete against another strong American Rivers Conference field." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Darby Hawtrey - OH (Gr.) |
96 sets played // 309 kills // 3.22 kills/set // 27 aces // 28 blocks // 213 digs // 2.22 digs/set |
| Grace Hintze - OH (Jr.) |
8 sets played // 3 kills |
| Kaylynn Murray - S (Sr.) |
77 sets played // 358 assists // 4.65 assists/set // 18 aces |
| Emma Powell - OH (Sr.) |
118 sets played // 374 kills // 3.17 kills/set // 32 aces // 362 digs // 3.07 digs/set // 35 blocks |
| Katie Wright - DS/L (Jr.) |
108 sets played // 418 digs // 3.87 digs/set // 29 aces |
| Ashlee Adler - OH (Jr.) |
89 sets played // 149 kills // 25 blocks |
| 4th |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: Kristy Duncan (3rd season, 27-14)
2021 Record: 21-11 overall, 5-3 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 3rd
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 4
All-Conference Returning: Sara Hoskins (Jr./S)
All-Conference Lost: Krystal Tranel, Lyndsi Wilgenbusch, Liz Fleckenstein
Kristy Duncan - "We are eager to see the level of play our returners set in the gym and welcome the additional depth which a dynamic new group of Duhawks will provide our squad. We are looking forward to seeing some new faces on the court as we combine our experienced returners with talented and eager newcomers. The American Rivers Conference is an incredibly competitive league which will once again display a high level of parity and will make for an exciting and intense A-R-C season." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Sara Hoskins - S (Jr.) |
122 sets played // 1,176 assists // 9.64 assists/set // 31 aces // 445 digs // 3.65 digs/set // 50 blocks |
| Olivia Smith - MB (Sr.) |
120 sets played // 107 kills // 75 blocks // 0.63 blocks/set |
| Cat Gleason - MB (So.) |
118 sets played // 211 kills // 40 aces // 71 blocks // 0.60 blocks/set |
| Sam Stoffregen - DS (Sr.) |
122 sets played // 315 digs // 2.58 digs/set // 43 aces |
| Talia McAtee - DS (Sr.) |
106 sets played // 248 digs // 2.34 digs/set // 22 aces |
| 5th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Kekailoa Palea (3rd season, 10-21)
2021 Record: 8-15 overall, 4-4 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 6th
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 1
All-Conference Returning: Jessica Jacobs (Sr./MH), Marissa Salber (Sr./S), Iman Ghalibaf (Jr./L)
All-Conference Lost: None
Kekailoa Palea - "I am extremely excited for this season as I am every season but I truly feel that we are transforming into the competitive program that we want to be in the A-R-C. All our girls are continuing to buy in to the culture and because they are we are attracting high level talent to the Simpson program" |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Jessica Jacobs - MH (Sr.) |
82 sets played // 340 kills // 4.15 kills/set // 25 aces // 15 blocks |
| Marissa Salber - S (Sr.) |
82 sets played // 634 assists // 7.73 assists/set // 20 aces // 216 digs // 2.63 digs/set |
| Iman Ghalibaf - L (Jr.) |
82 sets played // 331 digs // 4.04 digs/set // 75 assists // 21 aces |
| Elizabeth Conroy - MH (So.) |
70 sets played // 55 kills // 31 blocks |
| Blayne Koster - DS/OH (So.) |
78 sets played // 73 kills // 16 aces // 107 digs |
| 6th |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Jeanne Czipri (6th season, 57-73)
2021 Record: 15-13 overall, 4-4 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: t-4th
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 3
All-Conference Returning : None
All-Conference Lost: Krissa Larson, Landry Luhring
Jeanne Czipri - "The 2021 season displayed how truly competitive and strong our conference is, and I anticipate the 2022 season to be filled with even more heavily contested battles each week. Each program has such strong individual players, coaches, and teams, and we expect the 2022 recruiting classes to bolster the level of play for everyone. The Dutch will continue to focus on our processes, progress, and growth both on the court and off to help us make a move towards the top half of the conference. We made a big jump last fall in making the tournament for the first time in several years and want to build on that and find more success during the regular conference season and the post-season. The leadership that this senior class possesses has the ability to make a significant impact on the culture and competitiveness of our team." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Amanda Smith - S (Sr.) |
98 sets played // 498 assists // 5.08 assists/set // 12 aces // 121 digs |
| Natalie Gaszynski - OH (Sr.) |
96 sets played // 177 kills // 1.84 kills/set // 46 blocks // 71 digs |
| Rachel Pella - MH (Sr.) |
84 sets played // 140 kills // 1.67 kills/set // 15 aces // 46 blocks |
| Taryn Hintz - OH (Jr.) |
38 sets played // 58 kills // 1.53 kills/set // 16 blocks |
| Gracie Pierson - OH (So.) |
85 sets played // 156 kills // 1.84 kills/set // 23 aces // 19 blocks // 141 digs |
| 7th |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Rayna Cain (11th season, 132-123)
2021 Record: 11-14 overall, 1-7 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 8th
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 1
All-Conference Returning: Addie Thomas (So./OH), Nyah Chambers (Sr./MH)
All-Conference Lost: none
Rayna Cain - "We are eager to begin the 2022 season and looking forward to another competitive non-conference and conference schedule. Our program is loaded with tremendous talent this fall. We have several experienced athletes returning to the court and will look to them for leadership along with supporting a talented incoming class. The key to our success will be the ability to manage our Maxout Mindset the entire season." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Addie Thomas - OH (So.) |
88 sets played // 286 kills // 3.25 kills/set // 31 aces // 31 blocks // 102 digs |
| Kennady Klein - L (Sr.) |
88 sets played // 376 digs // 4.27 digs/set // 73 assists // 21 aces |
| Nyah Chambers - MH (Sr.) |
88 sets played // 110 kills // 30 aces // 45 blocks |
| Erica Hopping - S (Sr.) |
87 sets played // 491 assists // 5.64 assists/set // 45 kills // 22 aces // 186 digs |
| Sidney Hauptman - RS (So.) |
81 sets played // 148 kills // 23 blocks |
| 8th |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Will Baumann (1st season)
2021 Record: 10-10 overall, 3-5 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 7th
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 3
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: Sydney McLaren
Will Baumann - "Our volleyball team is looking forward to competing in a highly competitive conference this year. The main push this year at BVU is to get better every day, and make those around us better when we step into the gym, or the classroom."
|
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Taylor Wedemeyer - S (Sr.) |
72 sets played // 662 assists // 9.19 assists/set // 18 aces // 2.47 digs/set // 20 blocks |
| Rachel Brockney - MB (Jr.) |
71 sets played // 2.11 kills/set // 19 aces // 30 blocks |
| Courtney Johnson - MB/OH (So.) |
67 sets played // 1.43 kills/set // 37 blocks |
| 9th |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Brittany Sisk (5th season, 24-73)
2021 Record: 2-25 overall, 0-8 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 9th
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 2
All-Conference Returning: Sarina Storts (Jr./MB)
All-Conference Lost: None
Brittany Sisk - "We were an incredibly young team last year. We learned a lot about the game, our culture, and each other. Our team has put in a lot of hard work both on and off the floor, and we are excited to see the application of that hard work, and having some experience returning to our starting line-up this year." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Sarina Stortz - MB (Jr.) |
87 sets played // 221 kills // 2.54 kills/set // 53 blocks |
| Emma Kowalczyk - S (So.) |
53 sets played // 77 kills // 54 assists |
| Hannah LaBonte - MB (So.) |
75 sets played // 87 kills // 25 aces // 29 blocks |
| Brianna Highum - MB/RS (Sr.) |
59 sets played // 61 kills // 25 blocks |
