2009 Hope Regional Guide

ALSO SEE THE UW OSHKOSH REGIONAL GUIDE AND THE WASHINGTON REGIONAL GUIDE.

5 To Watch:
MH Liz Schnelle, Ohio Northern
S Andrea Helminiak, Hope
MB Rebecca Kamp, Calvin
OH Venessa Haase, Heidelberg
L Stephanie Ryding, North Central (Ill.)

Random Factoid:
No current Great Lakes Region team has ever won a national volleyball title.

Predicted Hope Regional final:
Hope over Ohio Northern

Predictions for the other regionals:
UW Oshkosh Regional: Being an Oshkosh grad, I once again abstain this year
Washington Regional: Carthage over Washington
Juniata Regional: Juniata over Eastern
Tufts Regional: UMass Boston over Clarkson
NYU Regional: NYU over New Paltz
Southwestern Regional: Southwestern over Emory
Redlands Regional: La Verne over Colorado College
Printable National Bracket
Interactive National Bracket

The Schedule (at DeVos Fieldhouse, Holland, Mich.):
Nov. 12
12:30 p.m. #3 Heidelberg (27-7) vs. #6 North Central, Ill. (34-4)
3:00 p.m. #2 Ohio Northern (27-3) vs. #7 Bluffton (27-5)
5:30 p.m. #4 Calvin (27-6) vs. #5 Wittenberg (24-7)
8:00 p.m. #1 Hope (30-3) vs. #8 Lakeland (23-12)
Nov. 13
4:30 p.m. #2 Ohio Northern (28-3) vs. #6 North Central, Ill. (35-4)
7:00 p.m. #1 Hope (31-3) vs. #4 Calvin (28-6)
Nov. 14
7:00 p.m. #1 Hope (32-3) vs. #2 Ohio Northern (29-3)

HOPE REGIONAL TEAM CAPSULES

No. 1 seed Hope (30-3, No. 1 in Great Lakes Region, No. 6 AVCA)
Location: Holland, Mich.
Nickname: Flying Dutch
Key wins: Webster (3-0), Washington (3-1), Mount Union (3-2), Wittenberg (3-1), Calvin (3-0)(3-2)
Losses: Ohio Northern (0-3), UW-Platteville (1-3), Calvin (1-3)
All-conference players (MIAA): Senior S Andrea Helminiak (Player of the Year), sophomore MH Jacie Fiedler (1st), junior MH Kara VandeGuchte (1st), senior L Kristen Johnson (2nd, Defensive Player of the Year), junior OH Cassidy Bulthuis (2nd)

Team Leaders
Kills: Jacie Fiedler 369, Cassidy Bulthuis 278, Kara VandeGuchte 269
Blocks: K. VandeGuchte 109, J. Fiedler 68, C. Bulthuis 52
Assists: Andrea Helminiak 1133, Greer Bratschie 117, C. Bulthuis 62
Digs: Kristen Johnson 563, Sara DeWeerdt 338, A. Helminiak 317
Aces: Traci Baker 38, C. Bulthuis 33, A. Helminiak 28

No. 2 seed Ohio Northern (28-3, No. 2 in Great Lakes Region, No. 5 AVCA)
Location: Ada, Ohio
Nickname: Polar Bears
Key wins: Heidelberg (3-0)(3-2), Calvin (3-0), Southwestern (3-0), Thomas More (3-0), Washington (3-0), Pacific Lutheran (3-0), Bluffton (3-1)(3-1), Calvin (3-1), Hope (3-0), Wittenberg (3-2), Maryville (3-0), Mount Union (3-0)
Losses: UW-Whitewater (2-3), Heidelberg (2-3), Mount Union (2-3)
All-conference players (OAC): Senior MH Liz Schnelle (Player of the Year), senior OH Renee Berry (2nd), junior OH Abby Schaller (HM), sophomore L Kasey Roeser (HM)

Team Leaders
Kills: Liz Schnelle 486, Abby Schaller 235, Renee Berry 224
Blocks: L. Schnelle 64, Lindsey Pruneski 47, R. Berry 34
Assists: Kelsie Zumberger 794, Kelly Smerekanich 385, R. Berry 99
Digs: Kasey Roeser 662, R. Berry 396, Liz Decima 218
Aces: A. Schaller 37, K. Roeser 34, L. Schnelle 31

No. 3 seed Heidelberg (27-7, No. 3 in Great Lakes Region, No. 19 AVCA)
Location: Tiffin, Ohio
Nickname: Student Princes
Key wins: Southwestern (3-1), Thomas More (3-1), New Paltz (3-1), NYU (3-1), Ohio Northern (3-2), Wittenberg (3-2), Webster (3-1), Mount Union (3-2)
Losses: Ohio Northern (0-3)(2-3), Calvin (2-3), Carthage (0-3)(0-3), UW-Whitewater (2-3), Otterbein (1-3)
All-conference players (OAC): Sophomore OH Venessa Haase (1st), senior S Morgan Magers (1st), junior L Brittany Donelan (2nd, Libero of the Year), senior MH Amanda Atchison (2nd), sophomore OH Jackie Reinhart (HM), head coach Jason Miller (Coach of the Year)

Team Leaders
Kills: Venessa Haase 355, Amanda Atchison 354, Jackie Reinhart 283
Blocks: Marian Bevington 77, Jacki Street 73, A. Atchison 57
Assists: Morgan Magers 1323, Brittany Donelan 32, Rachel Ferguson 28
Digs: B. Donelan 662, V. Haase 474, J. Reinhart 473
Aces: V. Haase 79, J. Reinhart 61, Suzy Street 31

No. 4 seed Calvin (27-6, No. 4 in Great Lakes Region, No. 11 AVCA)
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Nickname: Knights
Key wins: Thomas More (3-1), Southwestern (3-2), Heidelberg (3-2), Mount Union (3-0), Hope (3-1)
Losses: Ohio Northern (0-3)(1-3), Wittenberg (2-3), Hope (0-3)(2-3), North Central, IL (1-3)
All-conference players (MIAA): Sophomore MB Rebecca Kamp (1st), senior L Kelsey Sears (1st), sophomore MB Renee DeHaan (2nd), sophomore OH Erin Vander Plas (2nd)

Team Leaders
Kills: Rebecca Kamp 461, Erin VanderPlas 258, Lizzie Kamp 236
Blocks: R. Kamp 139, Renee DeHaan 108, E. VanderPlas 70
Assists: Nora Bruskewitz 963, Carolyn Nelson 280, two tied with 19
Digs: Kelsey Sears 581, Katie Corbett 337, Kelly Peterson 236
Aces: R. Kamp 50, K. Corbett 35, K. Sears 33

No. 5 seed Wittenberg (24-7, No. 6 in Great Lakes Region, No. 10 AVCA)
Location: Springfield, Ohio
Nickname: Tigers
Key wins: Calvin (3-2), Webster (3-2), Carthage (3-1)
Losses: Thomas More (2-3), Hope (1-3), Ohio Northern (2-3), Heidelberg (2-3), UW Oshkosh (0-3), Juniata (1-3), Trinity, TX (2-3)
All-conference players (NCAC): Senior S Erin Slattery (1st), senior MH Kate Snead (1st), sophomore MH Katie Sumner (1st), junior RS Amy Cox (2nd)

Team Leaders
Kills: Kimmie Dyer 212, Amy Cox 206, Katie Sumner 128
Blocks: K. Sumner 67, Kate Snead 66, A. Cox 64
Assists: Erin Slattery 537, Kendall Obreza 303, Jordan Mungovan 227
Digs: Christina Gilene 420, K. Dyer 302, Hannah Riley 203
Aces: E. Slattery 26, K. Dyer 23, two tied with 22

No. 6 seed North Central (Ill.) (34-4, No. 4 in Midwest Region, RV AVCA)
Location: Naperville, Ill.
Nickname: Cardinals
Key wins: Lakeland (3-1), Clarkson (3-0), Calvin (3-1)
Losses: Carthage (0-3)(0-3), Illinois IT (0-3), Wartburg (2-3)
All-conference players (CCIW): Senior L Stephanie Ryding (1st), freshman S Ryan Lally (2nd, Freshman of the Year), sophomore OH Crystal Wright (2nd), senior MH Christy Hermann (HM), senior RS Stacie Mokros (HM)

Team Leaders
Kills: Crystal Wright 393, Stacie Mokros 252, Jenae Harner 215
Blocks: Christy Hermann 79, S. Mokros 66, Ali Briner 58
Assists: Ryan Lally 1159, Alyssa Lantz 173, Stephanie Ryding 28
Digs: S. Ryding 828, Anna Wirtz 281, Jamie Drozd 223
Aces: S. Ryding 46, J. Drozd 45, A. Wirtz 32

No. 7 seed Bluffton (27-5, NR in Great Lakes Region, NR AVCA)
Location: Bluffton, Ohio
Nickname: Beavers
Key wins: (None)
Losses: Hamline (2-3), Clarke (2-3), Ohio Northern (1-3)(1-3), Marietta (0-3)
All-conference players (HCAC): Junior S Shauna Rowland (Most Valuable Player), sophomore OH Jenna Eshleman (1st), senior L Brittany Roth (1st), sophomore OH Nicole Wood (1st), head coach Steve Yarnell (Coach of the Year)

Team Leaders
Kills: Jenna Eshleman 370, Nicole Wood 294, Courtney Zimmerman 230
Blocks: C. Zimmerman 115, Heather Rodman 79, N. Wood 49
Assists: Shauna Rowland 1183, Allison Streicher 99, Brittany Roth 18
Digs: B. Roth 501, S. Rowland 353, J. Eshleman 344
Aces: Kayla Pickering 29, S. Rowland 27, J. Eshleman 24

No. 8 seed Lakeland (23-12, NR in Midwest Region, NR AVCA)
Location: Sheboygan, Wis.
Nickname: Muskies
Key wins: (None)
Losses: St. Norbert (0-3), U of Chicago (2-3), UW-Eau Claire (0-3), North Central, IL (1-3), Concordia, WI (1-3), Dominican (1-3), Carthage (0-3), St. Thomas (1-3), St. Catherine (1-3), Illinois Wesleyan (0-3), UW-Platteville (1-3), UW-Whitewater (0-3)
All-conference players (Northern AC): Senior OH Brittanie Paulus (1st), senior MB Kim Linger (1st), junior S Kristine Raeder (HM), head coach Chad Schreiber (Co-Coach of the Year)

Team Leaders
Kills: Brittanie Paulus 413, Kim Linger 350, Allison Davis 239
Blocks: K. Linger 95, A. Davis 82, Kaylyn Kasper 58
Assists: Kristine Raeder 1228, Hannah Ellis 72, K. Kasper 35
Digs: B. Paulus 544, Tonia Strebelinski 464, K. Raeder 368
Aces: K. Linger 64, K. Raeder 36, two tied with 22

-Ricky Nelson