The Carthage College women's volleyball team, coached by Leanne Ulmer (291-81, .782 winning percentage, 10 years, ranked 10th, by winning percentage, among active NCAA Division III coaches thru the 2010 season), opens its 2011 season at the Friday-Saturday, Sept. 2-3 Wisconsin-Eau Claire “Labor Day Classic” at DeSimone Gymnasium in Eau Claire, Wis.
Carthage, ranked 11th in the pre-season American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, plays the College of St. Benedict on Friday, Sept. 2 at 5:15 p.m. and No. 20 Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 3, the Lady Reds face Lawrence University at 10 a.m. and Concordia College (Moorhead) at 12:15 p.m.
Carthage went 31-8 last year and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Regional Championship at Carthage's Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis., before losing to
Wisconsin-Platteville.
The Lady Reds return three AVCA All-Americans and five All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin players. Outside hitter Michelle Madeja (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley, 3.26 kills per set) was named first-team AVCA All-America, outside hitter Lauren Dembkowski (Sr., Mount Prospect, Ill./Arlington Heights-Hersey. 2.71 kills per set) third team, and setter Drewann Pancratz (Sr., Schaumburg, Ill., 9.08 assists per set) earned honorable mention honors.
Madeja was named first-team All-CCIW, as well as CCIW “Women's Volleyball Player of the Year.” She is the fifth-straight Carthage player to earn “player of the year” honors. Dembkowski and Pancratz were also named first-team all-conference. Middle blockers Jordan Burkholder (Sr., Rockford, Ill./Christian Life, .248 attack percentage, 1.28 blocks per set) and Cindy Cavanagh (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Aurora-Waubonsie Valley, .238 attack percentage, 0.87 blocks per set) earned second-team All-CCIW honors.
Defending-national-champion Calvin College (23 first-place votes) was ranked first in the pre-season American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, followed by runner-up Emory University (1 first-place vote) second, Washington University (Mo.) third, Christopher Newport University fourth, Wittenberg University fifth, Juniata College sixth, Eastern University seventh, California Lutheran University eighth, Wisconsin-Platteville ninth, the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) 10th, Carthage College 11th, Heidelberg University 12th, Colorado College 13th, Concordia University (Minn.) 14th and Hope College ranked 15th.
Carthage travels to St. Louis, Mo., on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 9-10 to play in the Washington University (Mo.) “ASICS National Invitational” at the Washington Fieldhouse. On Friday, Sept. 9, Carthage takes on No. 4 Christopher Newport University at 5:30 p.m. and No. 3 Washington (Mo.) at 8 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 10, the Lady Reds face Ohio Northern University at 10 a.m. and No. 24 Wisconsin-Whitewater at 12:30 p.m.
