volleyball newsletter i2.v1
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Fall 2011 Augustana Volleyball NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
The 2011 season is finally here...and what a ride this past
month has been for our program!
Our team reported for pre-season mid-August after
months of hard work and preparation in the weight room
and on the court. The freshmen class transitioned quickly
to the demands of practice and added a new spark to our
offense and defense. Our returning players stepped up in
prominent positions and led with confidence and purpose.
We scrimmaged several teams prior to our first tourna-
ment which gave us the opportunity to see different play-
ers on the court. Also, due to the injuries that we experi-
enced early, we made some adjustments and tried a few
line-ups as a result. Despite a lot of changes, the team
has adapted well and has remained focused on competing
to the best of their ability.
The NSIC is more competitive than last year (yes, even
better) which will force us to be consistent out of SR and
at the net offensively. The team will need to be aware of
the importance of lowering our unforced errors since the
top teams that we play seldom return
many points. It‟s going to be exciting
and we‟re thankful for your continued
following and support.
-HC Ashley Buckley
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 1 I S S U E 2 , V O L U M E 1
This past summer was jam packed with exciting events!
The coaching staff worked a record number of camps,
our two assistant coaches got married, and head coach
Ashley Buckley had another baby boy!
Lisa (Hoegh) married fellow Augustana alumni, Mitch
Lunning. Mitch (LeRoy, MN) is a former Viking wres-
tler and is currently serving in his first year as a volun-
teer assistant for the Augie volleyball team. The couple
celebrated their marriage on June 11th in Byron, Minne-
sota. Mitch is a financial advisor for Waddel & Reed of
Sioux Falls and Lisa will finish her Elementary Educa-
tion degree this spring!
Despite a busy spring of recruiting and completing her
master‟s degree, Assistant Coach Kasey (Loeslie), man-
aged to find time to plan a wedding! She married Bryan
Nikkel (Grand Rapids, MN) on June 18th in Rapid City,
SD. The couple met at SMSU where he played four years
as a catcher on the baseball team. Bryan is a volunteer
assistant coach for the Augustana baseball team and cur-
rently works for Eagle Lawn & Landscape in Sioux Falls.
Lastly, the Buckley‟s welcomed their second son Baren
Quintin on August, 18th! His arrival was a surprising one
month early (and four days into pre-season!) but he is
healthy and growing rapidly. His older brother, Bausten
celebrated his second birthday in July.
Meet the 2011 players by position:
*Setter: Dani Haley, returns for her third year as the setter
after averaging 10.32 set assists/game in 2010.
*Defensive Specialists: Grace Sanders, entered the 2011
season injured and will take a medical redshirt. Kayla
Wallerich, has proven versatile this year seeing time as setter
and Libero. Christine Bielski, averaged 2.51 digs per set in
2010 and played in every set. Julia Witt, is joining the de-
fense after being a three year letter winner at Hutchinson HS.
*Outsides: Jordan Spatenka, returns after leading the team
in attacks, points, and kills in 2010. Megan Bezdicek entered
the 2011 season injured and will take a medical redshirt.
Lindsey Petersen, was second on the team in 2010 in kills
averaging 2.17 kills per set. Courtney Ysker, joins the Vi-
kings after a stellar high school career earning all-state honors
at Windom HS.
*Middles: Brooke Lewko, was second on the team in blocks
in 2011 and is currently averaging above 1.0 b/s. Holly Hafe-
meyer, came on strong at the end of 2010, which has carried
over this year as she is leading the team in blocks and kills per
set.
*Rights: Taylor Hrdlichka, recorded 2.8
kills per set on the right side last year.
Mikayla Gallagher, joins the squad after
being a three year letter winner at Anoka
HS.
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
2011 Roster 2
Black Hills 3
Game-day
events
4
2011 schedule 5
Off-season
Workouts
6
Summer
Highlights
7
Two name changes and a baby later….
2011 Season Preview
P A G E 2
Freshmen
# NAME POS HT YR HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL
1 Christine Bielski DS 5-6 So. Chaska, Minn. Chanhassen
2 Mikayla Gallagher RS 6-0 Fr. Ramsey, Minn. Anoka
3 Brooke Lewko MB/OH 6-0 Jr. Lakeville, Minn. Lakeville North
4 Megan Bezdicek OH 5-10 Jr. Jackson, Minn. Jackson CC
6 Julia Witt L/DS 5-7 Fr. Hutchinson, Minn. Hutchinson
7 Dani Haley S 5-9 Jr. Owatonna, Minn. Owatonna
8 Kayla Wallerich S/DS 5-9 So. Marshall, Minn. Marshall
9 Courtney Ysker OH 5-9 Fr. Windom, Minn. Windom Area
10 Grace Sanders DS 5-6 Jr. Lakeville, Minn. Lakeville South
12 Holly Hafemeyer MB 6-2 So. Faribault, Minn. Bethlehem Academy
13 Taylor Hrdlichka MB/RS 6-0 So. Lakeville, Minn. Lakeville South
15 Jordan Spatenka OH 6-2 Jr. Owatonna, Minn. Owatonna
17 Lindsey Petersen OH 5-10 So. Elkhart, Iowa Ankeny
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Add us to get regular updates on our team!
2011 Augustana Volleyball
Sophomores
Juniors Redshirt Juniors
P A G E 3
Bonfires at our rental home
Pre-Season Black Hills Trip The second weekend of
pre-season was spent
bonding in Hill City,
South Dakota!
Since a majority of the
team has not traveled
to the Black Hills, we
took the opportunity to
explore some of the
beautiful sites and at-
tractions of the western
part of the state. In
addition, the team
scrimmaged Black
Hills State University
and Montana State
University Billings and
also fit in a practice at
the local HS across the
street from the rental
house.
Here are some high-
lights from the trip...
Hike to the top of Harney Peak
“Minute to win it” games!
Appetizers, main meal, and dessert made by the team!
Mt. Rushmore Wall Drug
Sight Seeing
Rock
Climbing with
Sylvan Rock
Climbing School !
Augustana led the
Northern Sun Inter-
collegiate Confer-
ence in Academic
Success Rate (ASR)
for the 2010-11 aca-
demic year, accord-
ing to the latest
NCAA Graduation
Success Rate data.
Augustana student-
athletes had a 91%
ASR (more than 10
percent higher than
any other NSIC in-
stitution).
P A G E 4
BUMP, SET, HIKE Vikings fight breast cancer October 25th!
Come support Augustana Football and Volley-
ball‟s efforts to celebrate survivors, honor a
loved one and raise money for the Sanford
Breast Care Institute!
Breast Cancer is the sec-
ond leading cause of death
in the U.S. and affects 1 in
8 women each year. And,
over 1,000 men will be
diagnosed for breast can-
cer this year.
Our programs are teaming
up with the Sanford Breast
Health Institute to
heighten awareness about breast cancer, to
raise funds for research and help a local family
financially with a scholarship for treatment.
Help us Bump, Set & Hike away breast cancer
in our effort to raise $4,000 to support those
that continue to fight this battle.
Get involved:
1. Purchase a „Bump, Set & Hike‟ t-shirt at the
Elmen Center for $10.00.
2. Attend the football game vs. MSUM Drag-
ons, Saturday, Oct. 22nd at 1:30pm
3. Attend the volleyball match vs. CSP Bears,
Tuesday, October 25th @ 7:00pm
SEE YOU THERE!
Enjoy Viking Varieties, the parade, and a
football game on Saturday vs. Winona State.
Volleyball: 7:00 Friday vs. Moorhead & Satur-
day at 5:30 vs. Crookston.
A complete schedule of events can be found
at www.augie.edu.
FIRST ANNUAL KIDS CLINIC
Did you know that in 2010 Augie averaged over 600 fans at home matches and
ranked in the top 10 nationally? THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT FANS!!
2011 VIKING DAYS
Augustana is ranked
among the nation‟s
best colleges and
universities and is
the highest-ranked
undergraduate insti-
tution in South Da-
kota, according to
Forbes’ fourth an-
nual “America‟s
Top Colleges.”
The program hosted a free Kids Clinic on Satur-
day, September 24th. Sixty campers attended
the event that was coached by the current mem-
bers of the Augustana Volleyball Team. Follow-
ing the clinic, campers received an autographed
poster, ball, and pizza! The event was a success!
P A G E 5
October
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2
Nebraska-
Omaha Tourney
3 Nebraska-Omaha
Tourney
4 5 6 7 8 9 MSU-
Moorhead
Tourney
10 MSU-
Moorhead
Tourney
11 12 13 14 15 16
@ Upper IA
17 @ Winona St.
18 19 20 21 22 23 U-Mary
24 (Kids Day)
Northern St.
25 26 27 @ Wayne St
28 29 30 @ Bemidji
St.
September
Have a story idea or announcement for us to share in the next Volleyball Newsletter?
Email Graduate Assistant Coach Lisa Lunning!
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 @ MN Duluth
2 3 4 5 6 7 Southwest
MN St.
8 MN St.
Mankato
9 10
11 12 13 14 MN St.
Moorhead
15 MN
Crookston
16 17 18 @Southwest
MN St.
19 20 21 @ U-Mary
22 @ Northern
St.
23 24 25 (Dig Pink)
Concordia
St. Paul
26 27 28 @ St. Cloud
St.
29 @ Concordia
St. Paul
30 31
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 Upper IA
5 Winona St.
6 7 8 9 10 11 Wayne St.
12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30
November
Homecoming Week
Fall Birthdays:
August… 11th: Taylor‟s 20th 13th: Lisa Lunning 18th: Baren Buckley
September… 9th: Holly‟s 20th
15th: Mitch Lunning
24th: Lindsey‟s 20th
25th: Courtney‟s 19th
30th: Kayla‟s 20th
October… 23rd: Grace‟s 21st
PREPARATION FOR FALL
P A G E 6
efficient athletic move-
ments, and mental tough-
ness has been an asset to
our players. During pre-
season, the team was tested
on squats, bench, snatch,
cleans, vertical, and a 30
second shuttle run (5 time
average). These tests added
a few more butterflies (and
excitement) for the players
as they entered pre-season!
Shuttle Run
Basketball Court Length
Coach Chad Traver has been
a large part of the volleyball
teams strength and condition-
ing workouts as of the 2010
season. Coach Traver came
to Augustana last fall after
serving as a graduate assistant
at the university of Louisiana-
Monroe, where he was the
head men’s basketball and
volleyball strength coach.
Traver’s focus on lifting form,
Players run “down,
back, down, back,
down” in 30 seconds.
They then have a 90
second break and
repeat this 4 more
times.
Brooke Lewko
dressed as Coach
Traver for
Halloween
Practice in 2010
Placing 12 teams in
NCAA postseason
play, propelled Au-
gustana to a program-
best third-place finish
in the 2010-11 Lear-
field Sports Direc-
tors’ Cup stand-
ings.
Augustana
finished THIRD
of 234 Division II
teams.
P A G E 7
Camp Highlights:
Witnessing the players on the
Augie team evolve as court and posi-
tion coaches.
Working with recruits and shar-
ing what Augie is all about!
Seeing our loyal repeat campers!
Coaching two GUYS at the Elite
Specialty Camp. (It was so fun!)
Traveling to 14 different high
schools for satellite camps (record
number!).
Team pictures
from Elite
Specialty Camp.
2011 SUMMER VOLLEYBALL CAMPS
THANK YOU to all of our campers for
making it such a fun and memorable summer!