2010 St. Thomas Regional Guide

Also see the Carthage Regional Guide and the Wittenberg Regional Guide

5 To Watch:
OH Kim Smisek, St. Olaf
S Emily Foster, St. Thomas
OH Jenna Green, Concordia-Moorhead
OH Kaimi Rocha, Whitworth
OH Kelsey Elman, Nebraska Wesleyan

Random Factoid:
This marks the third time in four years that St. Thomas has hosted a regional but the first at its new facility, the 180,000 square foot Anderson Athletic & Recreational Complex

Predicted St. Thomas Regional final:
UW-Eau Claire over St. Olaf

Predictions for the other regionals:
Carthage Regional: Washington over UW-Platteville
Wittenberg Regional: Wittenberg over Heidelberg
New York Regional: NYU over Coast Guard
Springfield Regional: UMass Boston over Springfield
Christopher Newport Regional: Christopher Newport over Colorado
Frostburg State Regional: Juniata over Case
Emory Regional: Emory over Thomas More

Printable national bracket
Interactive national bracket

Schedule at Anderson Athletic & Recreational Complex in St. Paul, Minn.
Nov. 12
12:30 p.m. #4 Concordia-Moorhead (24-6) vs. #5 Whitworth (17-6)
3:00 p.m. #1 St. Olaf (29-4) vs. #8 Northwestern (26-13)
5:30 p.m. #3 UW-Eau Claire (24-9) vs. #6 Nebraska Wesleyan (23-5)
8:00 p.m. #2 St. Thomas (28-6) vs. #7 Puget Sound (18-6)
Nov. 13
3:30 p.m. #1 St. Olaf (30-4) vs. #5 Whitworth (18-6)
6:00 p.m. #2 St. Thomas (29-6) vs. #3 UW-Eau Claire (25-9)
Nov. 14
4:00 p.m. #1 St. Olaf (31-4) vs. #2 St. Thomas (30-6)

ST. THOMAS REGIONAL TEAM CAPSULES

No. 1 seed St. Olaf (29-4, No. 2 in Central Region, No. 11 AVCA)
Location: Northfield, Minn.
Nickname: Oles
Colors: Black, old gold
Enrollment: 2,900
Founded: 1874
Key wins: Carthage (3-2), St. Thomas (3-1)(3-0), St. Scholastica (3-1), Wartburg (3-2)(3-0), Saint Mary’s-MN (3-2), UW-Whitewater (3-1), Saint Benedict (3-2)(3-2), Concordia-Moorhead (3-1)
Losses: Wittenberg (2-3), Washington (0-3), Ohio Northern (2-3), Bethel (0-3)
All-Conference players (MIAC): Senior OH Kim Smisek (1st), senior S Kelly Prunty (1st), senior MH Ariel Carlson (1st), HC Cindy Book (Coach of the Year)

Team Leaders
Kills: Kim Smisek 555, Ariel Carlson 296, Katie Wolfram 281
Blocks: A. Carlson 125, K. Smisek 79, Katie Henning 76
Assists: Kelly Prunty 1370, K. Smisek 39, Katie McDonald 36
Digs: Kristin Boyum 485, Kirstee Rotty 361, K. Smisek 355
Aces: K. Prunty 34, K. McDonald 30, K. Boyum 28

No. 2 seed St. Thomas (28-6, No. 3 in Central Region, No. 12 AVCA)
Location: St. Paul, Minn.
Nickname: Tommies
Colors: Purple, gray
Enrollment: 10,790
Founded: 1885
Key wins: Cal Lutheran (3-1), Northwestern-MN (3-0), UW-Eau Claire (3-2)(3-0), Nebraska Wesleyan (3-1), Bluffton (3-0), Saint Mary’s-MN (3-0), Concordia-Moorhead (3-1)(3-1), Wartburg (3-0), Saint Benedict (3-1), Heidelberg (3-0), Trinity-TX (3-1), UW Oshkosh (3-0)
Losses: Wittenberg (0-3), UW-Whitewater (1-3), St. Olaf (1-3)(0-3), Viterbo (0-3), Carthage (0-3)
All-Conference players (MIAC): Senior S Emily Foster (Player of the Year), senior OH Katie Bonine (1st), senior MB Jill Osborne (1st), senior MB Tori Jones (1st), senior MB Alesha Nelson (1st)

Team Leaders
Kills: Katie Bonine 372, Jill Osborne 267, Tori Jones 236
Blocks: J. Osborne 60, T. Jones 57, Alesha Nelson 42
Assists: Emily Foster 1234, Kaitlain Wachter 32, Molly Staton 15
Digs: K. Wachter 659, K. Bonine 377, E. Foster 303
Aces: K. Wachter 25, M. Staton 25, two tied with 20

No. 3 seed UW-Eau Claire (24-9, No. 2 in Midwest Region, No. 17 AVCA)
Location: Eau Claire, Wis.
Nickname: Blugolds
Colors: Navy blue, gold
Enrollment: 10,500
Founded: 1916
Key wins: Northwestern (3-2), Concordia-Moorhead (3-0), Saint Benedict (3-1)(3-1), UW-Platteville (3-2), St. Scholastica (3-0), UW Oshkosh (3-1), Texas-Dallas (3-1), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (3-2), Trinity-TX (3-1), UW-Whitewater (3-1)
Losses: Carthage (1-3), St. Thomas (2-3)(0-3), UW-Whitewater (1-3)(1-3), Juniata (1-3), Viterbo (2-3), New York U (1-3), UW-Platteville (1-3)
All-Conference players (WIAC): Senior OH Rachel Ver Voort (1st), junior MB Liz Amici (1st), senior S Amanda Lessner (2nd), senior DS Blair Murphy (2nd, All-Defense)

Team Leaders
Kills: Rachel Ver Voort 317, Liz Amici 288, Elizabeth Anderson 255
Blocks: L. Amici 142, E. Anderson 58, Anne Satterlee 46
Assists: Amanda Lessner 1126, Emily Neave 188, Blair Murphy 65
Digs: B. Murphy 579, R. Ver Voort 347, A. Lessner 238
Aces: R. Ver Voort 34, B. Murphy 32, A. Lessner 23

No. 4 seed Concordia-Moorhead (24-6, No. 4 in Central Region, No. 18 AVCA)
Location: Moorhead, Minn.
Nickname: Cobbers
Colors: Maroon, gold
Enrollment: 2,826
Founded: 1891
Key wins: Northwestern-MN (3-2), Saint Benedict (3-0)(3-1), Carthage (3-0), Mount St. Joseph (3-1), Ohio Northern (3-2), Wartburg (3-0), Saint Mary’s-MN (3-0)
Losses: UW-Eau Claire (0-3), Wittenberg (0-3), Heidelberg (1-3), St. Thomas (1-3)(1-3), St. Olaf (1-3)
All-Conference players (MIAC): Junior MH Katie Vohnoutka (1st), junior OH Jenna Green (1st)

Team Leaders
Kills: Katie Vohnoutka 382, Jenna Green 376, Alison Bruggeman 174
Blocks: K. Vohnoutka 106, Ashley Beseman 76, A. Bruggeman 60
Assists: Amy Sykora 757, Danelle Loomis 334, A. Beseman 32
Digs: J. Green 399, Rachel Wiinanen 315, K. Vohnoutka 277
Aces: K. Vohnoutka 30, A. Sykora 28, D. Loomis 24

No. 5 seed Whitworth (17-6, No. 3 in West Region, No. 26 AVCA)
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Nickname: Pirates
Colors: Crimson, black
Enrollment: 2,326
Founded: 1890
Key wins: Trinity-TX (3-0), Puget Sound (3-2), Pacific Lutheran (3-0)
Losses: Lewis-Clark St. (0-3)(0-3), UMass Boston (0-3), Hardin-Simmons (0-3), Pacific Lutheran (1-3), Puget Sound (2-3)
All-Conference players (NWC): Junior OH Kaimi Rocha (Player of the Year), junior OH Amanda Grumbach (2nd), freshman DS Whitney Santos (2nd), junior S Bree Riddle (2nd), junior MB Ka’ipo Rocha (HM), HC Steve Rupe (Coach of the Year)

Team Leaders
Kills: Kaimi Rocha 285, Amanda Grumbach 185, Ka’ipo Rocha 155
Blocks: Randi Stephens 61, Ka’ipo Rocha 54, Bree Riddle 37
Assists: B. Riddle 751, Jordon Hoffnagle 31, A. Grumbach 23
Digs: Whitney Santos 265, A. Grumbach 262, Kaimi Rocha 255
Aces: A. Grumbach 40, J. Hoffnagle 19, Ka’ipo Rocha 19

No. 6 seed Nebraska Wesleyan (23-5, No. 7 in Central Region, No. 19 AVCA)
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Nickname: Prairie Wolves
Colors: Gold, brown, black
Enrollment: 2,100
Founded: 1887
Key wins: Saint Mary’s-MN (3-0), Wartburg (3-0)
Losses: St. Thomas (1-3), Doane (0-3)(0-3), Midland (2-3), Northwestern-IA (1-3)
All-Conference players (GPAC): TBA

Team Leaders
Kills: Laura Brammeier 362, Kelsey Elman 273, Hannah Behrens 183
Blocks: H. Behrens 90, K. Elman 44, Allee Kuska 43
Assists: Caitlin Anderson 739, K. Elman 300, Mackenzie Hite 20
Digs: Erika Goldsmith 547, K. Elman 323, L. Brammeier 305
Aces: K. Elman 36, M. Hite 29, H. Behrens 28

No. 7 seed Puget Sound (18-6, No. 4 in West Region, No. 27 AVCA)
Location: Tacoma, Wash.
Nickname: Loggers
Colors: Maroon, white
Enrollment: 2,536
Founded: 1888
Key wins: Southwestern (3-1), Trinity-TX (3-1), Pacific Lutheran (3-0), Whitworth (3-2)
Losses: Whitman (2-3), Pacific Lutheran (0-3)(1-3), Christopher Newport (0-3), Whitworth (2-3), George Fox (0-3)
All-Conference players (NWC): Junior OH Brynn Blickenstaff (1st), junior S Erika Greene (1st), senior OH Natalie Monro (2nd), junior MB Molly Gibson (HM)

Team Leaders
Kills: Brynn Blickenstaff 301, Natalie Monro 294, Jaime Ecklund 149
Blocks: Molly Gibson 80, J. Ecklund 76, Jordan Bird 55
Assists: Erika Greene 885, Jenni Brehove 35, Juliette Witous 32
Digs: J. Witous 443, Stephanie O’Connor 203, E. Greene 196
Aces: S. O’Connor 30, E. Greene 28, J. Witous 22

No. 8 seed Northwestern (26-13, NR in Central Region, NR AVCA)
Location: St. Paul, Minn.
Nickname: Eagles
Colors: Purple, gold, white
Enrollment: 3,026
Founded: 1902
Key wins: Saint Benedict (3-0), Saint Mary’s-MN (3-0), St. Scholastica (3-0)
Losses: Saint Benedict (0-3), UW-Eau Claire (2-3), Concordia-Moorhead (2-3), Carthage (0-3), St. Thomas (0-3), Central (2-3), Loras (2-3), UW Oshkosh (1-3), Wisconsin Lutheran (1-3), St. Scholastica (0-3)(1-3), Minnesota Morris (0-3), Augsburg (1-3)
All-Conference players (UMAC): TBA

Team Leaders
Kills: Elissa Sandstrom 424, Chelsea Koth 418, Greta King 369
Blocks: E. Sandstrom 114, Courtney Jonas 58, C. Koth 53
Assists: Leah Kostek 1260, Krista Stoltz 148, G. King 59
Digs: Kelsey Korporal 567, G. King 342, L. Kostek 304
Aces: K. Korporal 61, Danielle Rhodes 54, G. King 37

-Ricky Nelson