The blog’s 2012 coda

And so ends another fantastic, entertaining NCAA Division III women’s volleyball season. Congrats once again to St. Thomas for bringing home its first volleyball national title.

I’ll pop in to update the blog from time to time with coaching changes and the like during the off season. However, now that the final NCAA stats report has been published, regular posts – this is the 775th post on the blog – are done for the year.

Take a look at the Standings/Matchups, Standout Stats and the other pages on the right rail for a good snapshot of the 2012 season. Go back through the posts on the main page and past seasons while you’re at it.

I once again enjoyed doing the blog, and the lack of matches past couple of weeks has been odd. All of a sudden there are more hours in the day. I’m sure players and coaches feel it too. Anyway, I hope you found the blog to be useful, helpful and/or entertaining. I’ll settle for one of the three.

Before I go I’ll shoehorn another plea for employment. After writing and editing for newspapers (Gannett daily and the obligatory “award-winning student newspaper”), magazines (Volleyball) and websites (D3baseball.com), I would like to move into the sports information field. However, I’m not having much luck in that regard. Chances are that I applied for SID, assistant SID or SID internship positions at whichever institution of higher learning you play for, coach for or root for, regardless of division or association. I know I can do SID duties and do them well. Pretty please with sugar on top, give a hard-working, decent man a break and allow him to swap his time, effort and skills in exchange for a regular paycheck in a field that suits his skills and befits his desires. That’s all we’re looking for, right?

Albeit saccharine and dramatic, the paragraph above is sincere. If you have an open position, my email is ricky.nelson08@gmail.com. My resume and application materials are a few clicks away. My abridged background can be found on the About Me page.

My tentative plans include doing this blog again next season. In the meantime, I’m off to apply for more SID positions. Thanks again for stopping by. If you like the blog, tell a friend.

-Ricky Nelson

Central, Midwest regions home to six statistical champions

Maranatha senior outside Torey DeLozier easily defended her national statistical titles in both kills and points per set, according to the final 2012 NCAA Division III women’s volleyball stats report released today. DeLozier once again won both categories by more than one per set.

Millikin sophomore middle Audrey Krajec won the national hitting percentage title. Martin Luther senior middle Rachel Hein finished best nationally in blocks per set.

National champion St. Thomas finished with a 40-1 overall record to earn the best winning percentage in the nation. Wisconsin-Stevens Point led the country in blocks per set.

The following Central and Midwest region players and teams finished the season in the top 10 nationally. For this final stats post, I also listed the nation leader whether or not that player of team is from the Central or Midwest. Players in italics are from other regions.

Aces/Set
1. Jelena Markovic, Centenary (N.J.) 1.13
6. Emily Leazer, Augustana 0.91
1. Maine Maritime 3.67

Assists/Set
1. Corinne Ostrovsky, Chapman 11.76
2. Krista Stoltz, Northwestern 11.39
5. Taya Kockelman, Saint Benedict 11.14
6. Kim Frei, UW-Whitewater 11.00
8. Lindsey Swansby, Edgewood 10.78
1. Hope 12.82
2. St. Thomas 12.77
5. Saint Benedict 12.65
10. UW-Whitewater 12.50

Blocks/Set
1. Rachel Hein, Martin Luther 1.43
5. Allison Davis, UW-Stevens Point 1.31
6. Taylor Dicus, Cornell 1.31
7. Danielle Remy, St. Norbert 1.29
8. Sam Kersting, Webster 1.29
1. UW-Stevens Point 2.79
4. St. Norbert 2.51
6. Webster 2.46
7. Elmhurst 2.41
8. Martin Luther 2.40
10. Augsburg 2.38

Digs/Set
1. Shannon Quinn, Capital 6.73
4. Mackenzie Hite, Nebraska Wesleyan 6.41
6. Victoria Nass, Saint Benedict 6.17
1. Buffalo St. 22.32
2. Saint Benedict 21.67

Hitting Percentage
1. Audrey Krajec, Millikin .436
4. Maranatha .275
7. St. Thomas .272
1. Stevenson .281
5. Maranatha .272
7. St. Thomas .270
10. Millikin .263

Kills/Set
1. Torey DeLozier, Maranatha 5.96
6. Elisa Burkman, Spalding 4.34
9. Anna Zyvoloski, St. Scholastica 4.32
10. Mallory Palmer, Edgewood 4.30
1. Hope 13.88
2. St. Thomas 13.79
7. Saint Benedict 13.69
8. Washington-St. Louis 13.66

Points/Set
1. Torey DeLozier, Maranatha 7.05
6. Anna Zyvoloski, St. Scholastica 5.12
7. Elisa Burkman, Spalding 5.06
9. Audrey Krajec, Millikin 4.88

Winning Percentage
1. St. Thomas .976
6. Washington-St. Louis .886
10. Benedictine .857

-Ricky Nelson