2011 William Penn Volleyball Preview
William Penn Women's Athletics
2010 record: 25-21 (4-4 MCC, T-4th)
Starters returning/lost: 2/4
Letterwinners returning/lost: 7/7
Notable returners:
Brittany Rohling Sr. Thayer, Kan.
(Honorable-mention all-MCC, 330 kills, 97 digs, 168 blocks)
Katherine Stumberg Sr. Williamsburg
(358 assists, 21 aces, 152 digs)
Jeanette Cunningham So. Mt. Orab, Ohio
(132 kills, 63 digs, 116 blocks)
Alanna Connors So. Libertyville, Ill.
(31 kills, 25 aces, 358 digs)
Notable losses:
Emily Stanton
(Four-time all-MCC, career leader in kills)
Morgan Bailey
(All-MCC)
Caitlin Hadden
(All-MCC, career leader in digs)
Krista Pettit
(All-MCC)
Notable newcomers:
Lacey Taylor Jr. Cedar
Katie Rielly Jr. Oskaloosa
Christa Subbert Sr. Stanton
Dayna Sammons Fr. Menomonee, Wis.
The William Penn volleyball squad enters this fall with several new faces and many holes to fill as it looks to make 2011 a memorable one.
An injury-plagued 2010 season (25-21 overall, 4-4 Midwest Collegiate Conference) is in the rearview and fourth-year head coach Jeremy Wise is now entering the future with a new crew.
Last year’s team sprinted out to a 14-4 start, but the injury bug caught up to William Penn and took a huge bite out of Wise’s starting lineup and his key reserves as well.
“Last year we had a freakish string of injuries that derailed most of our season,” Wise said. “Thankfully, we were able to regroup for the playoff push and made our second trip to the MCC Championship match in three years.”
Seven of the ten players who started games last year have departed and the program now faces the dilemma of having to create chemistry and identity quickly. Offseason recruiting has brought in several prized area players and a high number of other Iowans to give the Lady Statesmen a local flavor.
“We finished below our team goals last year and that fueled our offseason workouts and focus,” Wise said. “The team is determined to return as a power in the conference and make another trip deep into the postseason.”
“We relied on some veteran players in the spring to re-focus the squad and increase our mental game,” Wise added. “When you combine that with a large and very talented crop of newcomers we reloaded with this year, I am anxious to get into the gym and put all the puzzle pieces in place.”
“Our fans may have several new faces and names to learn, but they should expect the same exciting brand of volleyball in 2011,” Wise said.
Outside Hitter
Three prep standouts return to the area this year eager to compete for the outside hitter position.
Lacey Taylor (Jr., Cedar, Iowa Western CC) and Katie Rielly (Jr., Oskaloosa, Des Moines Area CC) are back in the region for their last two years of collegiate competition and both look forward to playing in front of lots of family and friends again.
“The homecomings for Lacey and Katie should be great as they look ready to hit the floor running this fall,” Wise said. “Both players can run our offensive attacks while providing good ball control in serve reception and on defense. They each have a strong ace-producing serve to go along with their added bonuses of experience, competitiveness, and leadership.”
A more familiar face to Penn Gymnasium is Christa Subbert (Sr., Stanton, Stanton HS). The school’s all-time leading scorer on the basketball court shook off a bit of rust this spring and returns to the volleyball court as she finishes her degree.
“Christa still has a tremendous feel for the game and is prepared to become the same elite player on the volleyball court as she was in basketball,” Wise said.
Returners Katy Hingtgen (Sr., West Des Moines, Dowling Catholic HS) and Jennifer Sourice (Sr., Vertou, France, Shorter) could also compete for the time, although Hingtgen is more likely to be seen on the opposite side.
“Katy has good ball control and places her shots nicely,” Wise said. “Jennifer had a great spring and improved in all areas of the game to complement a strong jump serve.”
Right Side Hitter
Hingtgen and fellow returning senior Katie Zunick (Sr., Kokomo, Ind., Kokomo HS) are expected to be the squad’s top two returners on the right side.
Zunick connected on 45 kills in addition to 30 blocks as a junior.
“Katie has been asked to play lots of middle hitter for us the last two seasons due to our lack of height as well as injuries,” Wise said. “She will focus solely on the right side this year, though, and hopes to add a big block and a hard offensive swing to our lineup.”
Fellow returners Hillary Fisher (Jr., Tucker, Ga., Tucker HS) and Corrie Bailey (So., Fayetteville, Ark., Home School) will add depth, while newcomer Courtney Kennedy (Fr., Moville, Woodbury Central HS) also plans to fight for playing time.
“After dealing with injury-plagued freshman and sophomore years, we hope Hillary can contribute more on the right side this fall,” Wise said. “Corrie learned a lot last year and will give us solid depth at this position. Courtney contributes a good block and serve.”
Middle Hitter
Wise believes a pair of second-year players will once again hold down the positions they won in 2010 as Jeanette Cunningham (So., Mt. Orab, Ohio, Western Brown HS) and Brittany Rohling (Sr., Thayer, Kan., Neosho CC) return to man the interior. The middle may be counted on more than other spots in the early going as it is the only position in which the team returns starters.
Rohling accounted for 330 kills and a team-best 168 blocks last year (both are team highs for returners), while Cunningham contributed 132 kills and 116 blocks.
“Jeanette is a fierce competitor and excels in several areas of the game,” Wise said. “Brittany is a smart player who reads defenses well and has great shot placement.”
Directly behind the frontrunners will be newcomer Ana Gutch (Fr., Eddyville, Eddyville HS).
“Ana already knows our offense and also has the much-needed height to help our blocking game,” Wise said.
Chelsea Aschenbrenner (Fr., Agency, Cardinal HS) will supply depth in the middle as well.
“Chelsea brings great work ethic to the position as well as a positive attitude,” Wise said.
Setter
With both of their 2010 starting setters gone, the Lady Statesmen will have their hands full in filling the slot. Fortunately, Wise said the team’s backups stepped up during the spring and are ready to claim the reins.
Katherine Stumberg (Sr., Williamsburg, Kirkwood CC) shared time the last two seasons in a two-setter formation and posted 358 assists and 152 digs in 2010.
“Katherine brings the most experience and leadership to the position,” Wise said. “She needs to improve defensively, but if she does that, she could become a complete setter. Her strong serve will also start our offense.”
Matala Keiki (Jr., Waianae, Hawaii, Leeward CC) made her way across the Pacific to William Penn last year and gained great experience filling in when injuries occurred.
“Matala is a natural setter and has nice soft hands to locate the ball,” Wise said.
Newcomers Dayna Sammons (Fr., Menomonee Falls, Wis., Menomonee Falls HS), Ellen Hartmann (Fr., Orrville, Ohio, Dalton HS), and Lindsey Kimler (Fr., Dugway, Utah, Dugway HS) will also make cases to set this fall.
“Dayna has a great feel for the game to go along with the ability to make all our sets and is an impressive defensive player, too,” Wise said. “Ellen is a very quick and smooth setter who can get to about any pass. Lindsey will learn some college tempo sets this year. She is a very versatile athlete who will also run track.”
Allison Schulz (Fr., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS) may also do some setting this fall, but has a stronger chance to win time as a defensive specialist.
“Allison has good speed on defense which could help us keep more balls off the floor,” Wise said.
Defensive Specialist/Libero
The loss of Caitlin Hadden, the NAIA’s leader in digs a year ago, is just as important of a position to William Penn as the setter spot. There are fortunately several returning and new players to compete for the position with Alanna Connors (So., Libertyville, Ill., Libertyville HS) heading that group.
Connors dug 358 balls last season in a utility role.
“Alanna has played the right side her whole life, but she graciously accepted the move to defense last year,” Wise said. “She has done great in making the transition.”
Three other returners will also push to break into the libero position.
Jenny Wuertz (Sr., Crystal City, Mo., Crystal City HS) was consistent during the spring and turned some heads, while Kendyl Honeywell (So., Excelsior Springs, Mo., Excelsior Springs HS) and Rosemary Bailey (So., Fayetteville, Ark., Home School) will add depth on defense.
“Jenny will use her serve as a weapon to position herself for playing time this fall,” Wise said. “Kendyl and Rosemary gained playing time last year as they showed steady improvement.”
Also joining the mix is an individual who played prep ball just across the street at Oskaloosa High.
Jenna Medlin (Fr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS), who has club experience with Wise, should be more than prepared for the William Penn system this fall.
Stephanie Garcia (Jr., Weslaco, Texas, Weslaco East HS) may also train with the navy and gold this year.
Schedule
The Lady Statesmen open a road-laden 2011 slate with the Mount Mercy Tournament on August 26-27. Fans unfortunately will have to travel a bit to see William Penn in action as the squad only plays seven regular season home matches this fall. Highlighting the home schedule is a meeting with defending regular season MCC champion Viterbo on October 19 for Parents and Senior Night. Several Iowa Conference schools are also on the docket for in-state bragging rights.
Conference
The Queen Bees of St. Ambrose are the defending MCC Tournament champions, but Grand View and Viterbo did not make it easy for them in 2010. All three programs are projected to be at the top again this year, while William Penn hopes to be in the mix by season’s end.
“Each squad in the MCC has loaded up on talent this year and most schools return a large portion of their 2010 roster,” Wise said. “I expect there to be about four teams, including St. Ambrose, Grand View, Viterbo, and of course us pushing for the league crown.”
“Our team will add a few new attacks on offense and look to play at a fast pace,” Wise added. “We also want to become more consistent and aggressive on defense.”
“We have been working very hard since the end of last year and are coming off our best spring season yet. We look forward to mixing in a dozen new players to fill several voids. We should have a very competitive preseason camp to help us ‘RE-LOAD’ for another successful season.”
