8/31/19: Augsburg outlasts #5 CMS, NPU stuns #14 WUSTL

Ohio Northern Invite
#2 Calvin, #6 Wittenberg, #13 Illinois Wesleyan, #23 Ohio Northern, Transylvania
#6 Wittenberg 3, #13 Illinois Wesleyan 0; #6 Wittenberg 3, #23 Ohio Northern 2; #23 Ohio Northern 3, Transylvania 0; #2 Calvin 3, Transylvania 0; #2 Calvin 3, #13 Illinois Wesleyan 0.

Christopher Newport Classic
#3 Juniata, #4 UW-Eau Claire, #22 Christopher Newport, Marymount
#3 Juniata 3, #4 UW-Eau Claire 0; #22 Christopher Newport 3, Marymount 0; #3 Juniata 3, Marymount 1.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, La Verne & Pomona-Pitzer Classic
#5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Augsburg, UW-Platteville, St. Olaf, Carroll, Benedictine, Cal Lutheran, Chapman, La Verne, Redlands, Kean, Pomona-Pitzer, Dallas, Occidental, Wentworth
UW-Platteville 3, Cal Lutheran 0; Chapman 3, UW-Platteville 0; Augsburg 3, #5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2; St. Olaf 3, Cal Lutheran 1; Benedictine 3, Occidental 1; La Verne 3, Benedictine 2; #5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3, St. Olaf 1; Augsburg 3, Chapman 1; Carroll 3, La Verne 1.

Colorado College Classic
#7 Colorado College, UW-Oshkosh, Edgewood, Clarkson, Millsaps
#7 Colorado College 3, Edgewood 0; Clarkson 3, UW-Oshkosh 0; Edgewood 3, Millsaps 2; #7 Colorado College 3, UW-Oshkosh 1.

Chicago Classic
#9 Chicago, UW-Stevens Point, Concordia Wisconsin, DePauw, Texas Dallas
#9 Chicago 3, DePauw 0; Texas Dallas 3, UW-Stevens Point 0; #9 Chicago 3, Texas Dallas 1.

Elmhurst Invite
#10 Aurora, #18 Gustavus Adolphus, Elmhurst, Augustana, Greenville, North Central (Ill.), Heidelberg, Alma
#18 Gustavus Adolphus 3, #10 Aurora 0; Heidelberg 3, North Central (Ill.) 0; Alma 3, Elmhurst 1; Alma 3, Greenville 1; #18 Gustavus Adolphus 3, North Central (Ill.) 1; Heidelberg 3, Elmhurst 1; Augustana 3, Greenville 1; #10 Aurora 3, Augustana 0.

Ithaca Invite
#11 Ithaca, #19 Berry, UW-La Crosse, Ohio Wesleyan
#19 Berry 3, UW-La Crosse 0; #19 Berry 3, Ohio Wesleyan 0; #11 Ithaca 3, UW-La Crosse 0.

Washington-St. Louis Invite
#14 Washington-St. Louis, Cornell, North Park, Webster, Westminster (Mo.), Fontbonne, Hendrix
North Park 3, Fontbonne 0; Hendrix 3, Webster 2; North Park 3, #14 Washington-St. Louis 2; #14 Washington-St. Louis 3, Cornell 1; Cornell 3, Fontbonne 0; Hendrix 3, Westminster (Mo.) 0.

Trinity (Texas) Invite
#15 Mary Hardin-Baylor, #17 Trinity (Texas), #25 Saint Benedict, Minnesota Morris, Neumann
#15 Mary Hardin-Baylor 3, Neumann 0; #25 Saint Benedict 3, #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor 1; #17 Trinity (Texas) 3, Minnesota Morris 0; Minnesota Morris 3, Neumann 0; #17 Trinity (Texas) 3, #25 Saint Benedict 1.

UW-Whitewater Invite
#16 UW-Whitewater, UW-Stout, Lakeland, Carleton, MSOE
UW-Stout 3, Carleton 0; #16 UW-Whitewater 3, Carleton 0; Lakeland 3, MSOE 0; UW-Stout 3, Lakeland 0.

Hope Tourney
#21 Hope, Wartburg, Wisconsin Lutheran, Bluffton
#21 Hope 3, Bluffton 0; #21 Hope 3, Wisconsin Lutheran 0; Wartburg 3, Wisconsin Lutheran 0; Wartburg 3, Bluffton 0.

Southwestern Invite
Carthage, Southwestern, Whitworth, Whittier, Hardin-Simmons
Carthage 3, Southwestern 0; Carthage 3, Whittier 0.

Northwestern Invite
Northwestern, St. Norbert, Bethel, Coe, Concordia (Minn.), Buena Vista, St. Scholastica
Bethel 3, Buena Vista 2; St. Scholastica 3, Concordia (Minn.) 1; Northwestern 3, Coe 1; St. Norbert 3, St. Scholastica 2; St. Norbert 3, Buena Vista 1; Coe 3, Concordia (Minn.) 1.

George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Pacific Classic
St. Thomas (Minn.), Central, Hamline, Pacific, John Carroll, Willamette, George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Linfield, Methodist
Hamline 3, Linfield 1; St. Thomas (Minn.) 3, Willamette 2; St. Thomas (Minn.) 3, George Fox 1; Hamline 3, George Fox 0; Central 3, Linfield 0; Central 3, Lewis & Clark 1.

Saint Mary’s (Minn.) Classic
Dubuque, Luther, Saint Mary’s (Minn.), UW-Superior, UW-River Falls, Macalester
Dubuque 3, UW-River Falls 1; UW-Superior 3, Macalester 1; Luther 3, Macalester 0; UW-River Falls 3, Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 2; Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 3, Luther 0; Dubuque 3, UW-Superior 1.

Concordia Chicago Tri
Concordia Wisconsin, Concordia Chicago, Concordia Ann Arbor
Concordia Wisconsin 3, Concordia Chicago 1; Concordia Ann Arbor 3, Concordia Chicago 1; Concordia Wisconsin 3, Concordia Ann Arbor 0.

Lake Forest Invite
Loras, Lake Forest, Marian, Illinois Tech, St. Mary’s (Ind.)
Lake Forest 3, Marian 1; Loras 3, St. Mary’s (Ind.) 0; Loras 3, Lake Forest 1; St. Mary’s (Ind.) 3, Illinois Tech 1.

Illinois College Tourney
Illinois College, Grinnell, Simpson, Knox, MacMurray, Rockford, Trine, Anderson, Culver-Stockton
Illinois College 3, Simpson 1; MacMurray 3, Rockford 0; Grinnell 3, Trine 0; Anderson 3, Knox 1; Illinois College 3, Anderson 0; Grinnell 3, Culver-Stockton 0; Trine 3, Simpson 2; Knox 3, Rockford 0; MacMurray, 3, Culver-Stockton 0.

Ripon Quad
Dominican, Ripon, Bethany Lutheran, Finlandia
Dominican 3, Bethany Lutheran 0; Ripon 3, Finlandia 0; Dominican 3, Ripon 0; Bethany Lutheran 3, Finlandia 0.

Beloit Blast
Beloit, Martin Luther, Northland, Mount Mary, Kalamazoo, Olivet
Kalamazoo 3, Beloit 2; Northland 3, Martin Luther 1; Olivet 3, Beloit 1; Kalamazoo 3, Mount Mary 0; Northland 3, Mount Mary 0; Olivet 3, Martin Luther 0.

Puget Sound Premiere
Wheaton (Ill.), Pacific Lutheran, Rose-Hulman, Puget Sound, Widener
Wheaton (Ill.) 3, Widener 0; Wheaton (Ill.) 3, Puget Sound 2.

Stevens Invite
Millikin, Johns Hopkins, Stevens, Roger Williams
Millikin 3, Roger Williams 0.

Birmingham-Southern Bash
St. Catherine, Birmingham-Southern, Covenant, Rhodes, LaGrange, Brevard
St. Catherine 3, Brevard 0; St. Catherine 3, Covenant 0.

Austin Invite
Nebraska Wesleyan, Concordia Texas, East Texas Baptist, Austin, St. Thomas (Texas), Centenary (La.), LeTourneau, Paul Quinn
Nebraska Wesleyan 3, Centenary (La.) 0; Nebraska Wesleyan 3, Austin 1.

Monmouth Invite
Monmouth, Principia, Lincoln Christian
Monmouth 3, Lincoln Christian 1; Monmouth 3, Principia 0; Principia 3, Lincoln Christian 1.

Capital Classic
Lawrence, Otterbein, Defiance, Hiram, Capital, St. John Fisher
Otterbein 3, Lawrence 0; Hiram 3, Lawrence 0.

North Central (Minn.) Tri
North Central (Minn.), Trinity Bible, Calvary
North Central (Minn.) 3, Calvary 1; North Central (Minn.) 3, Trinity Bible 0.

Nonconference
Crown 3, Alverno 1 CC’S Reinke: 10 kills, 12 digs.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 3, Blackburn 0 SMWC is USCAA.

Top 25 Upset Watch
#1 Emory 3, Sewanee 1
#8 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 3, Guilford 0
#8 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 3, Belhaven 0
#20 Babson 3, Suffolk 0

-Ricky Nelson

8/30/19: UWSP downs #9 Chicago, #10 Aurora falls twice

Ohio Northern Invite
#2 Calvin, #6 Wittenberg, #13 Illinois Wesleyan, #23 Ohio Northern, Transylvania
#23 Ohio Northern 3, #13 Illinois Wesleyan 0; Transylvania 3, #6 Wittenberg 1; #2 Calvin 3, #23 Ohio Northern 1.

Christopher Newport Classic
#3 Juniata, #4 UW-Eau Claire, #22 Christopher Newport, Marymount
#4 UW-Eau Claire 3, #22 Christopher Newport 1; #22 Christopher Newport 3, #3 Juniata 2; #4 UW-Eau Claire 3, Marymount 0.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, La Verne & Pomona-Pitzer Classic
#5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Augsburg, UW-Platteville, St. Olaf, Carroll, Benedictine, Cal Lutheran, Chapman, La Verne, Redlands, Kean, Pomona-Pitzer, Dallas, Occidental, Wentworth
UW-Platteville 3, Redlands 2; Benedictine 3, Redlands 1; Pomona-Pitzer 3, Benedictine 0; St. Olaf 3, Chapman 0; St. Olaf 3, La Verne 1; Augsburg 3, La Verne 0; Cal Lutheran 3, Augsburg 0; Kean 3, UW-Platteville 2; Chapman 3, Carroll 1; #5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3, Carroll 0; #5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3, Dallas 0.

Colorado College Classic
#7 Colorado College, UW-Oshkosh, Edgewood, Clarkson, Millsaps
UW-Oshkosh 3, Millsaps 0; Clarkson 3, Edgewood 0; #7 Colorado College 3, Millsaps 0; UW-Oshkosh 3, Edgewood 0; Clarkson 3, #7 Colorado College 2.

Chicago Classic
#9 Chicago, UW-Stevens Point, Concordia Wisconsin, DePauw, Texas Dallas
UW-Stevens Point 3, DePauw 0; #9 Chicago 3, Concordia Wisconsin 1; UW-Stevens Point 3, #9 Chicago 0; Texas Dallas 3, Concordia Wisconsin 0.

Elmhurst Invite
#10 Aurora, #18 Gustavus Adolphus, Elmhurst, Augustana, Greenville, North Central (Ill.), Heidelberg, Alma
#18 Gustavus Adolphus 3, Elmhurst 1; Greenville 3, North Central (Ill.) 2; Heidelberg 3, #10 Aurora 2; #18 Gustavus Adolphus 3, Augustana 1; Alma 3, North Central (Ill.) 0; Heidelberg 3, Greenville 1; Elmhurst 3, #10 Aurora 1; Alma 3, Augustana 1.

Ithaca Invite
#11 Ithaca, #19 Berry, UW-La Crosse, Ohio Wesleyan
#11 Ithaca 3, Ohio Wesleyan 1; UW-La Crosse 3, Ohio Wesleyan 0; #19 Berry 3, #11 Ithaca 2.

Washington-St. Louis Invite
#14 Washington-St. Louis, Cornell, North Park, Webster, Westminster (Mo.), Fontbonne, Hendrix
#14 Washington-St. Louis 3, Fontbonne 0; Hendrix 3, #14 Washington-St. Louis 2; North Park 3, Webster 2; Westminster (Mo.) 3, North Park 0; Cornell 3, Westminster (Mo.) 0; Webster 3, Fontbonne 0.

Trinity (Texas) Invite
#15 Mary Hardin-Baylor, #17 Trinity (Texas), #25 Saint Benedict, Minnesota Morris, Neumann
#25 Saint Benedict 3, Neumann 0; #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor 3, Minnesota Morris 1; #17 Trinity (Texas) 3, #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor 1; #17 Trinity (Texas) 3, Neumann 0; #25 Saint Benedict 3, Minnesota Morris 0.

UW-Whitewater Invite
#16 UW-Whitewater, Lakeland, Carleton, MSOE
#16 UW-Whitewater 3, MSOE 0; Lakeland 3, Carleton 1; #16 UW-Whitewater 3, Lakeland 0; MSOE 3, Carleton 2.

Hope Tourney
#21 Hope, Wartburg, Wisconsin Lutheran, Bluffton
#21 Hope 3, Wartburg 2; Bluffton 3, Wisconsin Lutheran 1.

Southwestern Invite
Carthage, Southwestern, Whitworth, Whittier, Hardin-Simmons
Carthage 3, Whitworth 0; Carthage 3, Hardin-Simmons 0.

Northwestern Invite
Northwestern, St. Norbert, Bethel, Coe, Concordia (Minn.), Buena Vista, St. Scholastica
Northwestern 3, St. Norbert 1; Bethel 3, Northwestern 0;  St. Norbert 3, Coe 1; Coe 3, Bethel 1; Concordia (Minn.) 3, Buena Vista 2; St. Scholastica 3, Buena Vista 0.

George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Pacific Classic
St. Thomas (Minn.), Central, Hamline, Pacific, John Carroll, Willamette, George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Linfield, Methodist
St. Thomas (Minn.) 3, Lewis & Clark 0; Lewis & Clark 3, Hamline 0; Willamette 3, Central 0; Hamline 3, Willamette 2; St. Thomas (Minn.) 3, Pacific 1; Pacific 3, Central 1.

Saint Mary’s (Minn.) Classic
Dubuque, Luther, Saint Mary’s (Minn.), UW-Superior, UW-River Falls, Macalester
Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 3, UW-Superior 2; UW-River Falls 3, Luther 0; Dubuque 3, Macalester 0; Luther 3, UW-Superior 1; Dubuque 3, Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 0; UW-River Falls 3, Macalester 0.

Lake Forest Invite
Loras, Lake Forest, Marian, Illinois Tech, St. Mary’s (Ind.)
Lake Forest 3, Illinois Tech 1; Loras 3, Marian 1; St. Mary’s (Ind.) 3, Marian 0; Loras 3, Illinois Tech 0; St. Mary’s (Ind.) 3, Lake Forest 1.

Illinois College Tourney
Illinois College, Grinnell, Simpson, Knox, MacMurray, Rockford, Trine, Anderson, Culver-Stockton
Culver-Stockton 3, Knox 1; Trine 3, MacMurray 2; Simpson 3, Rockford 0; Trine 3, Knox 1; Grinnell 3, Anderson 2; Illinois College 3, Rockford 0; Grinnell 3, MacMurray 0.

Ripon Quad
Dominican, Ripon, Bethany Lutheran, Finlandia
Dominican 3, Finlandia 0; Bethany Lutheran 3, Ripon 2.

Beloit Blast
Beloit, Martin Luther, Northland, Alverno, Kalamazoo, Olivet
Beloit 3, Martin Luther 0; Beloit 3, Northland 0; Olivet 3, Northland 0; Olivet 3, Alverno 0; Kalamazoo 3, Martin Luther 1; Olivet 3, Northland 0; Kalamazoo 3, Alverno 0.

Puget Sound Premiere
Wheaton (Ill.), Pacific Lutheran, Rose-Hulman, Puget Sound, Widener
Wheaton (Ill.) 3, Rose-Hulman 0; Pacific Lutheran 3, Wheaton (Ill.) 0.

Stevens Invite
Millikin, Johns Hopkins, Stevens, Roger Williams
Millikin 3, Stevens 0; Johns Hopkins 3, Millikin 0.

Birmingham-Southern Bash
St. Catherine, Birmingham-Southern, Covenant, Rhodes, LaGrange, Brevard
St. Catherine 3, LaGrange 0; Birmingham-Southern 3, St. Catherine 1.

Austin Invite
Nebraska Wesleyan, Concordia Texas, East Texas Baptist, Austin, St. Thomas (Texas), Centenary (La.), LeTourneau, Paul Quinn
Nebraska Wesleyan 3, St. Thomas (Texas) 1; LeTourneau 3, Nebraska Wesleyan 1.

Capital Classic
Lawrence, Otterbein, Defiance, Hiram, Capital, St. John Fisher
Defiance 3, Lawrence 0; Capital 3, Lawrence 1.

Nonconference
Crown 3, Mount Mary 1 CC’s Rudzitis: 11 kills, 15 assists, 19 digs.

Top 25 Upset Watch
#1 Emory 3, Guilford 0
#1 Emory 3, #8 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 1
#8 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 3, Sewanee 1
#20 Babson 3, Manhattanville 0
#20 Babson 3, Maine-Presque Isle 0

-Ricky Nelson

2019 preseason conference polls

Below are conference favorites in the Central and Midwest regions, according to league preseason polls. Links are to preseason poll releases. If different, my picks are in parentheses.

ACAA: [No preseason poll traditionally]
ARC: Dubuque
CCIW: Carthage
MIAC: Saint Benedict
MWC: Cornell (St. Norbert)
NACC: Aurora (Dominican)
SLIAC: Greenville/Webster (Greenville)
UAA: [No preseason poll traditionally]
UMAC: Minnesota Morris/Northwestern (Northwestern)
WIAC: Wisconsin-Eau Claire (Wisconsin-Whitewater)

-Ricky Nelson

2019 AVCA preseason poll: Defending champs on top

Reigning national champion Emory will open the 2019 atop of the AVCA preseason poll.

The top-ranked Eagles are followed in the poll by No. 2 Calvin, No. 3 Juniata, No. 4 Wisconsin-Eau Claire and No. 5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Emory received 54 of 69 first-place votes while Calvin claimed 10, CMS got three and Juniata picked up the final two.

Rounding out the AVCA’s preseason top 10 are No. 6 Wittenberg, No. 7 Colorado College, No. 8 Johnson & Wales (R.I.), No. 9 Chicago and No. 10 Aurora.

Other Central and Midwest region teams in the top 25: No. 13 Illinois Wesleyan; No. 14 Washington-St. Louis; No. 16 Wisconsin-Whitewater; No. 18 Gustavus Adolphus; No. 25 Saint Benedict.

Central and Midwest region teams also receiving votes in the preseason: Carthage; Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Northwestern; St. Thomas.

My preseason top 25 had No. 16 Carthage, No. 21 Carnegie Mellon, No. 23 Franklin & Marshall and No. 25 Johns Hopkins instead of the AVCA’s No. 13 Illinois Wesleyan, No. 17 Trinity (Texas), No. 18 Gustavus Adolphus and No. 20 Babson.

-Ricky Nelson

Brown, Holtan, Schulte, VerWay named NCAA Woman of the Year conference nominees

Four volleyball players from the Central/Midwest Regions have been selected as conference nominees for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Among the 148 nominees across all three NCAA divisions for the award are:
Cornell setter Jillian Schulte
Gustavus Adolphus setter Nora Holtan
Illinois Wesleyan outside Tyler Brown
UW-Superior setter Emily VerWay

The top 30 nominees — 10 from each division — will be announced in September. The 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year will be revealed Oct. 20.

-Ricky Nelson