Gophers Hawaii Bound

#3 posting 9.3.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MORE TUESDAY RESULTS
AAA
Fergus Falls beat Brainerd in a sweep ruining Jared Diem's coaching debut with the Warriors. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal (plus 3 more results) and Brainerd Dispatch.

Waseca beat Albert Lea 3-1. From the Albert Lea Tribune.

AA
Pierz swept Crosby-Ironton plus four other area results in the Brainerd Dispatch.

Crookston swept Red Lake Falls. From the Crookston Times.

In a rivalry game across state lines it was Breckenridge beating Wahpeton, ND 3-1. From the Wahpeton Daily News.

Perham beat Detroit Lakes 3-1. From the Detroit Lakes Tribune.

A
New York Mills trailed 2-0 to Staples-Motley before rallying for a 3-2 victory. From the Perham Enterprise.

PREVIEW
Perham and New York Mills are previewed in the Perham Enterprise.

LATE RESULTS
Stillwater split last week with a win over Kennedy and a loss to Apple Valley. From the Lake Elmo Leader

BIG 10 UPDATES
Minnesota is off to Hawaii for their tournament this weekend. Teams there include Hawaii, Wyoming and Cincinnati--with former Lakeville North player Kelsey Brandl.

Illinois Setter Hillary Haen talks second half approach vs. Oregon in the Illini Blog.

Purdue travels to Ball State in Muncie, IN for their next tournament.

Bucky's Buddies Kids Clinic will be held next Tuesday in Madison, WI.

MORE D1
Colorado State is off to Oregon State this weekend.

BEACH IS NOT CLOSED
Labor Day has come and gone, but the action on the beach is still going on. You can register for the 2008 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball on September 26-28 on East Beach in Santa Barbara, California.
The US 21u teams are competing in the FIVB Under-21 World Championships on Sept. 3-7 in Brighton, England.

Next up: later tonight with an out & about

Week 4 Minnesota HS Volleyball Poll, SE MN Previews

#2 posting 9.2.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL POLLS
Here is the 4th Minnesota High School Poll this year:
Shakopee dropped on spot to #3 in AAA. Marshall dropped one spot in AA to #3.
Lakeville North takes the biggest move up in AAA from #4 to #2. Burnsville dropped out of the top 10.
In AA East Grand Forks makes their debut at #10. Wadena-Deer Creek fell out of the top 10.
In A Minneota moved up two spots. There were no additions or subtractions.

Top 10 Poll—Sep 1, 2008; 4th poll
AAA
1. Chaska (11) 206
2. Lakeville North (2) 190
3. Shakopee 185
4. Eastview 178
5. Woodbury 155
6. Waconia 115
7. Andover 110
8. St. Michael/Albertville 88
9. Eden Prairie 86
Alexandria 86
Others: Blaine (37), Burnsville (24), Owatonna (17), Wayzata (13), Apple Valley (8)

AA
1. Jordan (8) 120
2. St. Cloud Cathedral 103
3. Marshall 102
4. Belle Plaine 95
5. Stewartville 88
6. Hibbing 85
7. Jackson County Central 69
8. Delano 63
9. Pipestone Area 49
10. East Grand Forks 25
Others receiving votes: Caledonia (13), Perham (12), Wadena-Deer Creek (7), Yellow Medicine East (6)

A
1. Bethlehem Academy (7) 134
2. Windom Area 124
3. Belgrade/Brooten/Elrosa (1) 112
4. Wabasha-Kellogg 105
5. Mabel-Canton 91
6. Minneota 77
7. Ada-Borup 75
8. SW Christian 72
9. Mayer Lutheran 65
10. Meadow Creek Christian 33
Others: Lake of the Woods (18), Win-E-Mac (13), Martin County West (13), Renville County West (9), SW Star Concept (8)

HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEWS
Kate Horihan of Mabel-Canton is featured in the Rochester Post Bulletin. She is on track to be MCs all time leader in kills, and blocks.
Plus the RPB previews the volleyball scene in Southeast Minnesota with a look at the Hiawatha Valley, Three Rivers, Southeast conferences and capsules of all the teams.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENT
North Dakota State is hosting the Doublewood Inn Tournament this weekend. UI Chicago, UTEP, and Northern Colorado will attend.

Next up: later today with results from Tuesday games. (no out & about however).

SW MN Challenge Brackets, 48 Away from 1000

#1 posting 8.28.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SW MN CHALLENGE
A number of the teams that were in the state tournament last year are in the SW MN Challenge tournament this fall (Marshall, Andover, Lakeville North, STMA, Hopkins, Woodbury, & Owatonna). Six of the eight teams in the Class AAA state tournament field are entrants in the tournament.

The 2008 SWMN Challenge is the largest high school volleyball tournament in the history of Minnesota volleyball. Each team will play two matches on Friday and three matches on Saturday.

The 32-team field also includes three teams from North Dakota (Bismarck Century, West Fargo, Fargo South) and one team from South Dakota (Sioux Falls Washington). The 32 teams have over 150 state tournament appearances between them.

The 3rd Annual Southwest Minnesota Challenge will be played at the new Marshall High School and at Southwest Minnesota State University in the Recreational/Athletic Facility.

Here are the brackets for the SW MN Challenge.

BIG 10 NEWS
The Gophers will be in Omaha this weekend at the Bluejay Invitational hosted by Creighton.

Michigan State will be at the Nike Legend Tournament at Oklahoma.

The Wisconsin Badger continues their video countdown series with Faye McCormack interviewing fans. Brittney Dolgner is 48 kills away from 1000 kills.

OTHER D1 NEWS
Charlotte will travel to North Carolina Central for their first tournament.

Colorado State hosts the Hilton Classic.

Portland is at the Holiday Inn Classic at Montana State.

LATE WEDNESDAY RESULTS
Rochester JM beat Northfield 3-1. Alyssa Rushton had a hand in 17 of the JM points. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

LATE TUESDAY RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOL
I already linked the Marshall story on the Tigers win at Alexandria. Here is the focus on the Cardinals. Underwood swept West Central. Parkers Prairie swept Verndale. Sari Noga had 12 kills for PP. All from the Echo Press.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NDSCS beat Ridgewater in five. From the Wahpeton Daily News.

PREVIEWS
D2
Mary has a demanding schedule and is picked for 11th in the Northern Sun. Plus thumbnails on all the Northern Sun teams. From the Bismarck Tribune.

Next up: later tonight with an out & about

Berg Returns, Henning Verbals

#1 posting 8.28.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COACHING NEWS
Former Gopher Lindsey Berg will return to be a consultant to the Gophers. From the StarTribune.

There are four new coaches in the West Central coverage area: New London-Spicer, Yellow Medicine East, Central Christian and Morris.

BIG 10 NEWS
Indiana has named Juli Pierce and Erica Short captains. The Hoosiers will be at Long Beach State this weekend.

Ohio State held their Scarlet & Gray scrimmage yesterday. The Buckeyes have bonded by giving back.

Wisconsin players talk about their goals for the 2008 season on their countdown video feature.

Purdue will host the Mortar Board Premier. Kansas State, Tennessee State and Duke will attend.

MORE D1 NEWS
The Green swept the White in Marshall's scrimmage. Megan Carlson of Andover had 5 kills for the White.

WANTED: Northern Iowa will have open tryouts on September 2.

South Carolina is off to Las Vegas for the UNLV tournament.

Portland is headed to the Montana State Tournament.

North Dakota State will head to Montana. Hitter Kristen Hille of Sauk Rapids talks to the Fargo Forum. The Bison has also received a verbal from Libero Andrea Henning of Kettle Moraine Lutheran in Wisconsin.

FEATURE & PREVIEWS
D2
Ashley Nachreiner of MSU Mankato is a senior leader for the Mavericks. Nachreiner is from Round Rock, TX, but has New Ulm connections. From the Mankato Free Press.

D3
St. Olaf is hoping to continue their late season success in 2007 to start 2008.

In the UMAC, Northwestern, MN is tabbed to be the top team in their preseason polls. Bethany Lutheran is picked for fourth.

HIGH SCHOOL
Detroit Lakes will return a veteran team. From the Detroit Lakes Tribune.

Park Rapids season will depend on how quickly they adjust. From the Park Rapids Enterprise.

Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg's volleyball team recently bonded by the camp fire. From the West Central Tribune.

LATE RESULTS
Here is the Waseca win over Rochester Lourdes. From the Waseca County News.

Stillwater beat Bloomington Kennedy in a sweep. Emily McDonough had 14 kills for the Ponies. From the Stillwater Gazette.

LeRoy-Ostrander beat Lanesboro 3-1. Kaylee Bunne had 15 kills for the Cardinals. From the Austin Daily Herald.

Thief River Falls beat Crookston in four. From the Crookston Times.

New York Mills beat Frazee 3-1. Hannah Rutten had 14 kills for NYM. From the Perham Enterprise.

Next up: later today

Bluejay Invitational Preview, Late Tuesday Results

#2 posting 8.27.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COLLEGE NEWS
TOURNAMENTS
Ohio State hosts the Sports Imports Classic this weekend.

#16 Minnesota travels to Omaha for the Bluejay Invitational hosted by Creighton. Here are some recent blog entries by the Gophers.

Northern Iowa travels to Boca Raton Florida for the Florida Atlantic Invitational.

South Dakota State is in the Blue Raider Bash at Middle Tennessee State.

Virginia is at the James Madison Days Inn Invitational.

SCRIMMAGE
Marshall holds a Green & White scrimmage today at 6 pm.

PREVIEWS
D1
Marquette is set for the season.

Marshall's Thundering Herd is previewed.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Rochester's season outlook is previewed in the Rochester Post Bulletin.

LATE HIGH SCHOOL RESULTS
TUESDAY
AAA
Here is the New Ulm Journal story on the Hutchinson sweep of New Ulm.

Little Falls swept Pierz. Katie Hochsprung had 11 kills for the Flyers. Plus two other area summaries. From the Brainerd Dispatch.

AA
Breckenridge beat Rothsay 3-1. From the Wahpeton Daily News.

A
Alden-Conger beat Medford 3-1. Haley Johnson had 14 kills for AC. From the Albert Lea Tribune.

Cleveland edged New Ulm Cathedral 3-1. Two of the games were decided by two points. Plus three other recaps. From the New Ulm Journal.

EVEN LATER
Perham beat Bemidji in their season opener 3-0 on Friday. From the Perham Enterprise.

Next up: later tonight with another out & about

Big 10 and Local Previews

#2 posting 8.26.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COLLEGE PREVIEWS
D1
BIG 10
The Sharon Dingman era opens for Iowa at Alabama this weekend.

All Big 10 teams start their seasons this weekend.

Ohio State holds their Scarlet and Grey scrimmage on Wednesday at 7:30 pm.

Who is most likely to be a celebrity? For Wisconsin it is Faye McCormack (video feature). You can also meet freshman Elle Ohlander.

OTHER D1
Lindsey Vortherms is back for North Dakota after missing the entire 2007 season due to injury. From the Grand Forks Herald.

D2
St. Cloud State will rely on sophomores. From the St. Cloud Times.

D3
Emma Jaynes leads the College of St. Benedict. From the St. Cloud Times.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Ridgewater is looking to get back to nationals for the fourth straight season. From the West Central Tribune.

LATE WEEKEND RESULTS
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Rochester won the Fergus Falls Tournament with wins over Northland, Itasca and Anoka-Ramsey. Ashley King had 27 kills for Rochester on the day. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

HIGH SCHOOLS
Prepvolleyball.com has these Minnesota teams ranked in their poll: Chaska at 19, Eastview at 40, St. Michael-Albertville at 71, Marshall at 89, and Shakopee at 92.

Next up: more news.

21 Straight

#3 posting 8.25.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

PREVIEWS
International Falls is optimistic on the upcoming season. From the International Falls Daily Journal.

MONDAY RESULTS
Maranatha defeated Minneapolis Henry 3-0 (25-18, 25-2, 25-8) Monday night. After a side out, the Mustangs' Lauren Sepp served up 21 points in a row in game two with 9 aces in the run. She had 12 aces for the night.
Henry's only moment came in game one on a seven point run with Shoua Vang serving up six points, including two aces, to make it 22-16.

Next up: tomorrow

Football Connections, Olympic Afterglow

#1 posting 8.25.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

VOLLEYBALL & FOOTBALL
The StarTribune does a feature on Burnsville Middle Tori Dixon. Football fans will know her father David--former lineman for the Vikings.
The StarTribune also has their volleyball preview out with top 10 metro teams, top 10 players and important matches to come.

Former MSU Mankato football coach Jeff Jamrog was hired at Nebraska, but his daughter Liz Jamrog stayed behind to finish her senior year at Mankato Loyola.

RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOL
Late Friday: Lakeville South swept Rochester Century. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

Hermantown beat Duluth Marshall 3-0. Video from KBJR in Duluth.

NAIA
Waldorf split a pair of matches at Mount Marty. They lost to Dakota State 3-2 and beat the hosts 3-1.

Jamestown won twice on Saturday in Dickinson beating Rocky Mountain College and Montana Tech 3-1. Darci Purath of Red Lake Falls had 17 kills on the day for Jamestown. From the Jamestown Sun.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MN West split a pair of matches on Saturday. The Bluejays beat Highland College 2-1 and then lost to Harper College 2-0. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

OLYMPIC WRAP
USA Men's Indoor Volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon picked up the gold--a time of celebration in a time of mourning the loss of his father in law Todd Bachman. Phone calls were made back home to celebrate with his wife Elisabeth Bachman. From the StarTribune.

If you have news, go to my profile and email me.

Next up: later today with Monday results

Jamestown, Marshall Split, MD Eastern Shore #1

#2 posting 8.23.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COLLEGE RESULTS
Jamestown split the first two matches of the year at the Dickinson State tournament losing to Carroll College and beating MSU Western. Samantha Revering of Fergus Falls had 13 kills against MSU Western. From the Jamestown Sun.

SCRIMMAGE
Michigan State will hold their Green & White scrimmage today at 4 pm.

It was a 2-2 tie Marshall's second Green & White scrimmage. Andover's Megan Carlson played on both teams. She assisted on two blocks in the scrimmage with 5 kills and 13 digs.

SCHEDULES
Indiana will take part in Hoosier Hysteria again this year.

MEET THE FRESHMEN
The Wisconsin Badgers continue with their freshman feature. Today's subject is Janelle Gabrielson.

POLLS
Maryland Eastern Shore is #1 in the preseason MEAC poll. Holliday Eller of Benilde-St. Margaret's and Chanita Wesley of Breck play for MD ES.

Next up: later today with another out & about

Rocori Gets the Early Bird, Friday Results

#1 posting 8.23.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

FRIDAY RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOL
AAA
Rochester JM beat Kenyon-Wanamingo 3-1. From the Rochester Post Bulletin and the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

Northfield slipped by Faribault in a fiver with the final game 16-14 despite the fact Faribault led 13-5. From the Faribault Daily News.

Moorhead held Monticello to 16 points in each game in a sweep over Monticello. From the Fargo Forum.

Rocori won the Albany invitational. You will need to scroll, scroll, scroll to get to the information in the St. Cloud Times.

Red Wing stopped Hastings in a fiver rallying from a 2-0 deficit. From the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

AA
Wabasha-Kellogg went five games to beat Caledonia. Game five was 15-8. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

Worthington swept Fulda behind middle Martha Awal. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

Redwood Valley swept Springfield in the opener for both. From the West Central Tribune.

YME trailed 2-0 before rallying to take the next three games against MACCRAY. From the West Central Tribune.

Perham swept Bemidji in the opener for both. From the Perham Enterprise.

A
Westbrook-Walnut Grove beat TMB 3-1. From the Marshall Independent.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MN West lost a pair of matches to Lake Michigan CC and Vincennes CC in Chicago. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

PRESEASON PREVIEWS
Kasey Loeslie is back for SW MN State after a year off due to injury. From the Marshall Independent.

Blue Earth has experience back and high expectations. From the Faribault County Reporter.

Crookston needs to replace 13 2008s. From the Crookston Times.

OLYMPICS
The American Men's indoor volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon talks about his mother in law Barbara Bachman and the success of the team in the face of the tragedy.
The investigation into the Bachman death satisfies the US Olympic Committee. The verdict--the attacker was mentally ill and the Bachman's weren't specifically targeted. From the StarTribune.

The American Women's indoor volleyball team has exceeded expectations. Also from the StarTribune.

Next up: more news

#1 Chaska Wins, Olympic Triumphs

#2 posting 8.22.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

LATE THURSDAY RESULTS
AAA: #1 Chaska held Mankato West to 13, 12, and 13 in a sweep. From the Mankato Free Press.

Owatonna beat New Prague in a sweep. The Huskies Jordan Spatenka had 19 kills. From the Owatonna People's Press.

A: Rushford-Peterson beat Lewiston-Altura 3-1.

In college action: Waldorf swept a pair of contests yesterday in a triangular in coach Paul Meyer's debut. From the Mason City Globe Gazette.

PREVIEWS
HIGH SCHOOL: Mayo is the team to beat in Rochester. The Rochester Post Bulletin has previews/capsules and schedules of the four Rochester teams.

Albert Lea, Alden-Conger, Glenville-Emmons, Maple River and United South Central all scrimmaged on Wednesday.

D1: North Dakota State is nursing a few injuries. From the Fargo Forum.

Northwestern is looking for their 4th NCAA trip in seven years.

NAIA: Jamestown will be transitioning to a new setter this season. From the Jamestown Sun.

OLYMPICS
The USA Men's indoor volleyball team beat Russia in five last night with the fifth game going to the Americans 15-13. There are post game quotes. Coach Hugh McCutcheon is balancing his responsibilities as coach with responsibilities of family after the stabbing of his father in law Todd Bachman. From the Star Tribune.

The American Women's indoor volleyball team will face Brazil in the gold medal game. The Americans reached the final after a revenge sweep of Cuba.

Marquette coach Patti Rolf talks about her 1996 Olympic Line judging experience. Rolf also talks about Misty May-Traenor, a player she coached.

FIRE
There was a fire at Prior Lake after the volleyball game last night. No one was injured. From the StarTribune.

RE-OPENING
North Dakota State's Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse is re-opening on Monday at 3 pm with the public invited to join in.

SCRIMMAGE
Purdue will host a scrimmage Saturday at 3 pm.

Wisconsin will host a scrimmage Saturday at 7 pm. The event starts at 5 pm with a fan fest.

Texas Christian will scrimmage their alumni Saturday at 7 pm.

Ohio will hold their Green & White scrimmage Saturday at 4 pm.

Virginia will hold their Blue & Orange scrimmage Saturday at 3 pm.

BADGER VIDEO
Today the Badger Video feature looks at favorite Wisconsin memories.

MEDIA DAY
Colorado State has something to prove with a #17 ranking.

POLLS
D1: Northern Iowa is picked for second in the Missouri Valley Conference.

D3: St. Thomas is #8 in the D3 National poll. UW Eau Claire is tabbed for 19th. From WEAU.

Buena Vista is picked for 7th in the IIAC.

CAPTAINS
Jen Malcom and Kaylee Manns are the Iowa State captains this season.

Next up: later tonight with another Out & About

Minnesota High School Season Opens

#1 posting 8.22.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

OPENING RESULTS
AAA
In case you missed it I reported on the Andover five game upset of St. Michael-Albertville last night.

Farmington swept Austin in a Section 1 match. From the Austin Daily Herald.

AA
Virginia swept Two Harbors.

A
LeRoy-Ostrander swept Hope Lutheran. From the Austin Daily Herald.

PREVIEWS
Grand Rapids return to the Iron Range Conference has created a conference tournament. Plus the Duluth News Tribune looks at five players to keep an eye on.

Bemidji will need to replace Courtney Bitter from last year's 21-7 team. From the Bemidji Pioneer.

Worthington has experience with 10 seniors on the squad. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

Austin is optimistic on their chances this season. From the Austin Post Bulletin.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
5 games
Lauren Cipperly, Andover 22 kills vs STMA 3-2
Katherine Harms, St. Michael-Albertville 22 kills vs Andover 2-3
3 games
Katie Habeck, Farmington 19 kills vs Austin 3-0

Next up: later today with olympic and college reports.

Carlson Verbals, Gold on the Beach, Going for Gold Inside

#1 posting 8.21.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

CARLSON VERBALS
Ariel Carlson of Alexandria has veballed Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi on August 16th. Ari is a 6-1 MB/RH from Alexandria, MN - who has played the last two JO season for M1 18-1s and M1 17-1s, and has trained in the USA Volleyball A1 Development Program at Colorado Springs, CO for the last two summers. Ari is listed in the Breakdown's Fab 50 Seniors for this upcoming season and also as one of the Top 5 Right Sides.

Carlson is the 15th overall player from the Minnesota 2009 class to verbal and the 11th headed to a D1 program.

PREVIEWS
HIGH SCHOOL
A veteran Mankato East team is being led by new coach Kari Rodman. From the Mankato Free Press.

The Fargo Forum has capsule reviews of the eight teams in the Fargo area including Moorhead, DGF, and Park Christian.

D2
Bemidji State looks to improve under second year coach Laurie Bitter. Joining her this year is her daughter Courtney. From the Bemidji Pioneer.

POLLS
D1: Colorado State is 17th in the D1 AVCA poll.
Creighton is picked for third in the Missouri Valley.

D2: UM Duluth is 8th in the D2 AVCA poll.

D3: Bethel has received votes in the D3 AVCA poll.

SCRIMMAGE
D1: Iowa State will hold a clinic and then scrimmage on Saturday in Ames. The scrimmage starts at 1 pm.

Betsy (Spicer) Brookbank (Illinois '99) will return for the Illinois scrimmage on Saturday at 7 pm.

D2: The SW MN State women's volleyball team will hold its annual late show scrimmage tonight. From the Marshall Independent.

CC: Defending NJCAA D3 national champ Central Lakes will scrimmage their alumni on Saturday at noon. From the Brainerd Dispatch.

ON LINE CHAT
Washington State women's volleyball coach Andrew Palileo will hold an online chat on August 25. Readers can submit questions.

MEDIA
Michigan State held their media day yesterday. They also have a preseason video preview.

BIG 10
New Hawkeye coach Sharon Dingman says Iowa will not be outworked.

The Wisconsin Badgers feature "Meet the Freshman" look at Kelsey Maroney.

NOTEBOOK
In the NCAA Notebook: Penn State will not have an easy path to repeating this year.

OLYMPICS
GOLD:
Americans Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor have repeated as beach volleyball Olympic champions. They defeated the host Chinese pair of Jie Wang and Jia Tian 21-18, 21-18. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

GOING FOR GOLD:
The American indoor women's volleyball team got revenge against Cuba in the semifinals in Beijing in a sweep. Earlier in the tournament The Americans lost to Cuba. Former Gopher Lindsey Berg is a reason the squad is playing in their first gold medal game since 1984.

The American indoor men's volleyball team edged out Serbia in five games. Coach Hugh McCutcheon is an important part of the win. Player Lloy Ball states:

"Obviously, from a tactical and technical standpoint, it's an enormous help to have the guy who has been leading us. But just to know that when we look over there, our fearless leader — our captain, our general — who has been in every battle we've had in the last quad (four-year cycle), is there to get our back again."

McCutcheon missed the first few games in the Olympics after the stabbing death of his father in law Todd Bachman of Lakeville. From the Pioneer Press.

Next up: later today with the first of the out & abouts this year.

Mewhorter, Dixon, and Haugen

#2 posting 8.19.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

METRO VOLLEYBALL PREVIEWS
Ari Mewhorter of Blaine is ready for the season after sitting out last year with a knee injury.

Burnsville will rely on setter Abby Olson and Middle Tori Dixon to fire up the Blaze.

Minneapolis Southwest is hoping to be the first Minneapolis City team to get to the state tournament since 1985. Breanna Haugen is their Middle and she is going to be a Gopher.

All the above from the StarTribune.

Next up: tomorrow morning

Finkel Verbals, Summit League Picks

#1 posting 8.19.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

VERBAL
DS Maggie Finkel of Chaska has verballed Winona State.
Finkel played with Northern Lights 17-1s.
Finkel is the 14th player from the 2009 Minnesota class to verbal and the 4th headed to a D2 program.

POLL
The volleyball poll is out this week. The #1s haven't changed. BBE is #3 in A. From the West Central Tribune.
#1s: AAA Chaska; AA Jordan; A Bethlehem Academy.

PREVIEWS
HIGH SCHOOL: Red Wing will look to win their first Missota game in two years. From the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

D1: North Dakota State is picked for third in the Summit League. Oral Roberts is tabbed for first. South Dakota State, the defending champs, are picked for fifth. Former coach Andrew Palileo is now at Washington State and the roster has changed. The Jackrabbits are looking forward, not back. From KELO (with video).

Portland is 8th in the West Coast Conference. MB Jennifer Sheedy from Totino-Grace plays for the Pilots.

There are other previews from Furman (Pamela Gehrke of Eastview is a Libero there).

South Carolina has released their schedule. Bridget Denson-Dorman has moved to SC from UConn. Their roster has been updated.

GONE
Freshman Jordan Haverly of Nebraska has left the team. Haverly is from Rockford Keith Country Day in Illinois. From the Omaha World-Herald.

BIG 10 NEWS
RADIO: You will be able to listen to Indiana Volleyball games free on the internet.

Q&A: Wisconsin has a feature Meet the freshman. First up is Sally Shumaker.

BLOG: Badger Audra Jeffers has a blog posting. More about the canoe trip.

OLYMPICS
St. Benedict's volleyball team has been have caught Olympic fever according to Rajkowski's column in the St. Cloud Times.
The American men finished pool play undefeated with a sweep of Japan. The team is coached by Hugh McCutcheon, son in law of Todd Bachman who was murdered in Beijing.

Next up: tomorrow

Carlson's Good Start, D2 Outlook

#1 posting 8.16.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEWS
Mankato West will rely on middle Jessica Henke. From the Mankato Free Press.

D1 POLLS
Wisconsin is 12th in the preseason volleyball Magazine poll.

BIG 10
Ohio State is picked for 9th in the Big 10.

PRESEAON D1 OUTLOOKS
Colorado State is picked to win the Mountain West Conference. Tessa Nelson of Tracy-Milroy-Balaton plays with CSU.

Cincinnati is picked for third in the Big East. Kelsey Brandl of Lakeville North is on the Cincinnati roster.

Megan Carlson of Andover had a good start in Marshall's Green vs White scrimmage with 14 kills to lead all players.

Ohio has finished one week of practice.

Washington State has named Emily Rooney of Red Wing as one of their three captains.

D2 OUTLOOKS
The NCAA has released the 10 teams and 10 players to watch this fall. Two teams from the Northern Sun--UM Duluth and Concordia St. Paul make the list. Three players from the Northern Sun make the list: Maria Gangelhoff (UMD), Maggie McNamara (Concordia-SP); and Ashley Nachreiner (MSU Mankato).

D3 PRESEASON START
D3 starts their practices today.
St. Thomas looks to make another deep run in the D3 playoffs.

Here are preseason previews of UW Superior from the Superior Daily Telegram. UWS has hired Chelsea Meierotto (UM Duluth) and Anne LeBard (UW Superior) as assistant coaches.

COACHING NEWS
UI Chicago has two new assistants, one of which is Tim Walenga, a volunteer, who received his master of arts in athletic administration from Minnesota State University-Mankato in 2001.

OLYMPICS
The American women beat China in five games. Both head coaches are Chinese. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Both former Gophers Lindsey Berg in indoor, and Nicole Branagh on the beach continue their successful run in the Olympics.
Branagh and Youngs advanced to the quarterfinals with a sweep of Cuba.

Hugh McCutcheon, the USA men's volleyball coach has returned to the bench. This was the first time he was back at the helm since the attack that killed his father in law Todd Bachman. From the StarTribune.

BACHMAN UPDATE
Barbara Bachman has returned to Minnesota to continue her recovery from the attack suffered last weekend. Bachman is at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. From the StarTribune and Rochester Post Bulletin.
Elisabeth Bachman, Barbara's daughter, has also returned home.

Next up: tomorrow, unless news breaks

Big 10 Previews

#1 posting 8.15. 2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

PREVIEWS
NCAA
The NCAA has released 10 players to watch this fall. They also have 10 teams to watch.

BIG 10
The Big 10 has released their preseason predictions for team finishes and player awards.

Defending NCAA champ Penn State is the heavy favorite for first. Nicole Fawcett and Megan Hodge were unanimous All Big 10. PSU had five players make the 12 member team. Expectations are high for the Nittany Lions.

The Gophers are tabbed for second. Lauren Gibbemeyer (Cretin-Derham Hall) and Brook Dieter (Bloomington Kennedy) were named preseason All Big 10.

Wisconsin was named third. Brittney Dolgner was a unanimous preseason Big 10 choice too. In the Badger Countdown series the players talk about playing at the fieldhouse in front of the fans.

Purdue is picked for fourth.

Illinois is selected for fifth.

Michigan State is eighth.

New Ohio State coach Geoff Carlston does a Q&A. The Buckeyes are the 9th pick in the preseason poll.

BIG 12
Iowa State is picked for 6th in the Big 12.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Riverland is previewed in the Austin Post Herald.

RULE CHANGES
The Badger Blog looks at the new Rule Changes, the biggest one is moving the game from 30 points to 25.

TRANSFER
Bridget Denson-Dorman has transferrd to South Carolina.

Next up: tomorrow, unless news breaks

Northern Sun Outlook, Braegelmann's Return, B&Y

#1 posting 8.14.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL PRESEASON
Farmington has a strong core returning with Danielle Dombeck, Kirstee Rotty, and Katie Habeck. From the Farmington Independent.

PRESEASON OUTLOOK
NORTHERN SUN
The Northern Sun conference released their preseason picks and Concordia St. Paul is the favorite to take the title with 12 votes. CSP's Maggie McNamara has been named preseason player of the year. UM Duluth and MSU Mankato each had one vote for first and are picked for second and third respectively. UMD has a video report from the Northland's NewsCenter with Coach Boos and setter Katie Gangelhoff interviewed.
Southwest MN State is picked for 4th.
Bemidji State is picked for 11th.

BIG 10
Illinois held media day on Wednesday.

Indiana will hold Hoosier Hitter Clinics this fall.

New Wisconsin assistant coach Brian Heffernan blogs about the Badger coaching staff.

The Ohio State vs Northwestern match has been added to the Big 10 cable network list of games.

MIAC
St. Benedict is preparing for the start of their season.

COACHING NEWS
Chad Braegelmann has returned to UM Morris as volleyball coach. He is a 2000 grad from UMM. From the Morris Sun Tribune.

OLYMPICS
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Former Gopher Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs won their pool with a 2-1 win over Cuba in the Olympics.

Next up: when news breaks.

Brief Summer, Eskola Preseason All Conference

#1 posting 8.13.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

BRIEF SUMMER
The MSHSL might close the summer coaching window by as much as two weeks. From the StarTribune.
How did Molly Geske of Shakopee spend her summer? the StarTribune knows (toward the end of the first page).

PRESEASON OUTLOOKS
The ACC has made their preseason predictions. North Carolina has been picked for 4th. NC's libero Brianna Eskola of Columbia Heights has been selected on the preseason all Conference team.

UM Duluth opened practice yesterday hoping to take the next step and erase the memory of the last game last year. From the Duluth News Tribune.

FIRST MATCHES
Illinois will open their season on August 29 with the State Farm Classic when they hope to "Stuff Huff."

TELEVISION
There will be 23 Big 10 volleyball matches on cable, 20 on the Big 10 network this season.

BADGER COUNTODOWN
The Wisconsin Badger countdown looks at the balance between Academics and Athletics. Wisconsin also has a feature on volleyball director of operations Stephanie Schultz.

ROSTER
Bridget Denson-Dorman of Hopkins and Armstrong is not on the Connecticut roster.

Next up: tomorrow, or when news breaks. Thanks to the readers your help in hunting down news.

People Skills, Beach in Beijing and Chicago

#1 posting 8.12.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

CHASKA
The Hawks are #1 in the AAA poll. Six Lake teams are ranked or received votes. From the Chaska Herald.

FIRST PRACTICE
Farmington does the countdown on their first day. From the Farmington Independent.

SCRIMMAGE
Willmar will host a six team scrimmage on Thursday. From the West Central Tribune.

PEOPLE SKILLS
John Millea of the StarTribune gives a refresher course on people skills as the fall season started practice yesterday. In the article their is a photo of the defending AAA champs Shakopee at work.

COACHING NEWS
Becca Shane and Amanda Neubauer have been hired as assistants at North Dakota. Shane is a Concordia Moorhead and Detroit Lakes grad, and Neubauer has been an assistant at UM Crookston.

COLLEGE PREVIEWS
Kristen Hille is the only senior at North Dakota State, but the Bison have depth. From the Fargo Forum.
Wisconsin started their practices on Monday.
Creighton has their media guide online now.
Weber State is picked for third in the Big Sky.
Lindsey Clairmont, Katie Gangelhoff, and Sarah Wyffels will be UM Duluth's captains.

INSIDER
You can sign up for the volleyball insider on the Wisconsin Badgers site. Indiana has the Red Zone.

BEACH
Macalester players Marie Godwin (Chaska) and Majra Mucic (St. Louis Park) won the Under-20 USA Beach Junior Tour in Chicago, Illinois, on August 2.

OLYMPICS
Former Gopher and Olympic beach volleyball player Nicole Branagh has been devastated after the attack on her friend Elisabeth Bachman's father. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Branagh and Youngs beat the Germans in two on the beach.

BACHMAN
Barbara Bachman continues to improve from her injuries in Beijing. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The USA men's volleyball team defeated Italy 3-1 in the face of the tragedy.

Next up: when news breaks or tomorrow, whatever comes first