Head Coach: Jane Becker (St. Thomas '04, 3rd season at Augsburg)
2011: 16-12 overall, 7-4 MIAC (5th/12)
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/3
2012 MIAC VOLLEYBALL SEASON PREVIEW
MINNEAPOLIS -- Coming of one of the most successful seasons in program history, the Augsburg College volleyball team will enter the 2012 season with high expectations. Third-year head coach
Jane Becker, who guided the Auggies to a fifth-place Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference finish and first-round conference playoff appearance last season, is excited about the potential of this year's group.
“Our team and coaching staff are all very excited for the 2012 season,” said Becker, who has led the Auggies to back-to-back 16-win campaigns in her first two years with the Auggies. “I think reaching the conference tournament was a huge step in the right direction for our team last season. We tied for fifth in the conference, and the four teams ahead of us all made the NCAA tournament. For the first time since I have been here, I think our players realized how close we are to being one of those teams that makes it to the national tournament. Being that close has been a motivating factor for a lot of our players this offseason, in how hard they have worked.”
Talented junior and senior classes
Leading the Auggies on the floor this season will be a talented trio of juniors, led by setter
Emily McCourt (JR, Sun Prairie, Wis.) An all-conference selection a season ago, McCourt had one of the best individual seasons in school history last year, as she recorded more than 1,000 assists and 50 service aces. McCourt, who currently ranks fifth in school history in career assists, finished with the second-best assists per-set average in the conference last year (10.51).
Joining McCourt on the offensive attack again this season will be outside hitter
Colleen Ourada (JR, Omaha, Neb./Mercy HS). Last season, Ourada established herself as one of the most feared outside hitters in the conference, as she finished the season with the fifth-highest kill total in the MIAC (135), including a career-best 27 kills in a thrilling four-set win over MIAC playoff participant Bethel on Sept. 28.
Rounding out the Auggies' talented junior class is defensive specialist
Katelyn Berens (JR, Jordan, MInn./Prior Lake HS). Berens, who earned all-tournament honors at the Wisconsin-Superior Stinger Classic last season, finished second in the conference in digs per-set (5.26) during conference matches in 2011.
In addition to the talented junior class, the Auggies will have a strong core of veterans returning on the front line this season. Team captain
Jamila Lee (SR, Richfield, Minn.) and fellow senior
Nikolene Miller (SR, Tomahawk, Wis.) will fortify the middle of the Augsburg offensive and defensive front line, while fellow senior
Micha Sater (SR, Fridley, Minn./Centennial HS) will return to the team as a force on the outside. Lee and Miller finished third and fourth respectively on the team in blocks per-set a year ago, while Miller recorded the second-highest kill percentage on the team last season. A versatile player who can play up front or in the back row, Sater provides the team with another powerful offensive attacker.
Lauren Butler (SR, Burnsville, Minn.) will also play on the outside for the Auggies.
Young players ready to build on experience
In addition to the strong core of upperclassmen returning to the team in 2012, the Auggies will also be boosted by the return of sophomores
Tabby Roh (SO, LaCrosse, Wis./Central HS),
Mackensie Menke (SO, Prior Lake, Minn./Shakopee HS),
Emma Sievers (SO, St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) and
Shelby Vogel (SO, Sheldon, Iowa). Roh was one of the team's top performers in the second half of the 2011 season, as she led the team in blocks per-set and finished fourth on the team in kills per-set. Menke served as a defensive specialist a year ago, and finished with the fourth-highest dig per-set average on the team. Sievers and Vogel, who served primarily as serving specialists a season ago, will look to challenge for more court time during 2012.
A talented group of first-year players will also make their debut for the Auggies this season, including
Ashley Peper (FY, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) and
Jessica Lillquist (FY, Sebeka, Minn.). A standout at Sebeka High School, Lilquist earned six varsity letters and grabbed Park Region Conference Player of the Year honors following her senior season. Peper, who starred at one of the top high school programs in the state as a senior, will fortify the Augsburg right-side offensive attack.
Tabor Jorns (FY, Overland Park, Kan./Shawnee Mission East HS) joins the Auggies as a defensive specialist.
The Auggies will open up the non-conference portion of their season with a trip to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational this Friday and Saturday (8/31-9/1). The team's first home match is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m., hosting the University of Wisconsin-Stout at Si Melby Hall. The Auggies will then host the 31st Annual Augsburg Volleyball Invitational Sept. 7 and 8 at Si Melby Hall. The team's first conference match is scheduled for Sept. 12 against the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn.
