2013 MIAC VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Augsburg College volleyball team has been picked to finish sixth in a very competitive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference race, the conference announced in its preseason coaches poll and season preview on Tuesday.
The Auggies received 68 points in the preseason poll by conference coaches to sit in sixth place -- among a group of four teams separated by five points from fifth to eighth place. The top six teams in the league standings qualify for the MIAC's postseason playoffs.
Augsburg has developed into a consistent contender for a spot in the MIAC's postseason playoffs, finishing among the top seven teams each of the last five seasons. Augsburg earned MIAC postseason berths in 2009 and 2011, and just missed out on a spot last season with a seventh-place conference finish.
Augsburg returns six players, including four starters, to a team that finished 16-12 overall, 5-6 in MIAC play last season. The Auggies should also benefit from one of their largest recruiting and transfer classes in recent history, with
13 new players joining the squad. (Click here for a look at the Augsburg recruiting and transfer class).
Augsburg opens its 2013 season this Friday and Saturday (8/30-31) with matches at the Colorado College Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Auggies open the home portion of their schedule on Sept. 6-7 with the Augsburg Invitational at Si Melby Hall.
Here is a look at the Augsburg volleyball team for 2013, with information provided for the MIAC's season preview.
Head Coach
•
Jane Becker (4th season)
A Year Ago
• 5-6 MIAC (7th place) | 16-12 Overall
Top Returners
•
Emily McCourt (S, SR | All-MIAC in 2012 and 2011; 10.11 assists per-set (1,051 total assists) ranked 2nd in MIAC overall stats in 2012; 13th in MIAC in service aces (34); 3rd in school history in career assists (2,934) and 5th in career service aces (147))
•
Ashley Peper (RS, SO | All-MIAC in 2012; 1 of only 2 first-years on 2012 All-MIAC team; 4th in MIAC in overall kills per-set (3.24, 340 total), also 65 blocks (15 solo) and 18 service aces)
•
Colleen Ourada (OH, SR | Played in 14 matches before season-ending injury; 3.55 kills per-set (188 kills), 12 service aces, 165 digs (3.11 dps) and 36 blocks (14 solo) in 2012; 10th in school history in career kills (748), 1st in career kills per-set (2.99), 9th in career total blocks (180))
Key Losses
•
Nikolene Miller (MH | All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team in 2012; Augsburg career record-holder for total blocks (294), blocks per-set (0.96) and block assists (247); 2nd in MIAC overall stats in blocks per-set (1.07), 3rd in total blocks (110) and 3rd in block assists (91) in 2012)
•
Jamila Lee (MH | Finished career 6th in Augsburg history in career total blocks (226), 4th in career blocks per-set (0.80) and 3rd in career block assists (197); 8th in MIAC overall stats in blocks per-set (0.82), 13th in block assists (59) and 16th in total blocks (69) in 2012)
•
Micha Sater (OH | Competed for 3 seasons at Augsburg; 9th in school history in career kills per-set (2.31); 460 kills, 25 service aces, 309 digs and 54 blocks (9 solo) in Augsburg career)
By the Numbers
• 5: Consecutive seasons with 16 or more victories for the Augsburg volleyball program. Augsburg recorded 17 wins in both 2008 and 2009, and 16 wins each of the last three seasons under current coach
Jane Becker.
• 2,934: Career assists for setter
Emily McCourt. A four-year starter and two-time All-MIAC honoree, McCourt is just 66 assists away from becoming the third Augsburg setter to reach the 3,000-assist career plateau, joining Tasha Hamann (3,926 assists, 1995-98) and Shanna Reed (3,251 assists, 2006-09).
• 340: Kills (3.24 kps) for right-side hitter
Ashley Peper in 2012, seventh-best among MIAC players in overall statistics last season. Her 3.24 kills per-set average was fourth-best among MIAC players. Peper was one of only two first-year players among the 22 players who earned All-MIAC honors in 2012.
Did You Know?
• Augsburg head coach
Jane Becker will be inducted into the University of St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Sept. 19. A 2004 St. Thomas alumnae, Becker (nee Gibbs) was a two-time All-America and four-time All-MIAC honoree as a setter for the Tommies, as part of teams that won MIAC titles in 2002 and 2003. She was named MIAC Volleyball Player of the Year in 2003.
Off the Court
• Augsburg's volleyball team performed a community service project at the Feed My Starving Children organization in the Twin Cities on Aug. 16, volunteering to pack food for hungry people throughout the world.
