Complete 2007 Season Preview in Printable PDF

The 2007 Preview

This is the year that the rest of the MIAC has been pointing to for several seasons. It is supposed to be the year when Concordia’s cupboards are finally bare and the string of four straight NCAA playoff appearances comes to an end.

Don’t tell head coach Tim Mosser or the rest of this year’s Cobbers that theory. They are out to prove the Concordia volleyball program has the staying power of a multi-hit band and not just a quick rise to the top followed by a drop off the charts like a one-hit wonder.

Mosser will have to do a little more coaching in 2007 if he wants to keep the Cobbers at the top of the conference charts. Gone are the days of simply filling out the lineup card and watching his multi All-American front line dismantle opponents at will. This year’s team will have to rely on superior defense and their ability to wear MIAC opponents down on a slow grind. The loss of two-time All-American Becca Shane and 2006 All-American Honorable Mention teammate Danielle Dahl means that the CC offensive attack will feature brand new faces. Shane and Dahl were the top two offensive players on the team last season. They led the team in kills, total attacks, attack percentage, points and blocks. Add Lindsay Sipma, who was also lost due to graduation, and the trio accounted for 58.1% of the team’s total kills and 48.4% of the squad’s total offensive attacks.

The lone returning offensive threat from 2006 is senior captain Michelle Honek (Staples, Minn./Staples-Motley HS). She has been the consummate team player in her first three seasons as a Cobber. She has allowed other players to step into the spotlight and fill the stat sheet. In 2007, she will need to be the consistent force on offense and be counted among the league leaders in kills and attacks. She is one of the best outside hitters in the conference and should have an all-conference type season.

After Honek, the Cobber frontline will be a mix of unknowns, up-and-comers and freshmen. The biggest presence in the middle of the court will be junior Abby Scheel (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy). Scheel was second on the team in blocks, finishing with 106 – only the fourth player in program history to record over 100 blocks in a single season. She will have to be more of an offensive force if CC will be able to defend its title.

A trio of unknown sophomores will be thrown into the deep end of high-level competition. Angie Bonde (Nerstrand, Minn./Faribault HS), Meghann Southwick (Byron, Minn.) and Maggie Olson (Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS) showed big potential as freshmen. Bonde garnered the most experience, finishing fifth on the team in kills with 163. Southwick had 25 kills in only 84 attack chances and Olson was a late call-up to the varsity squad. All three have the potential to be among the better players in the MIAC and fill the hoes of former top Concordia players.

The rallying points for the Cobbers in 2007 will be their defense and experience in the passing game. Led by a pair of junior setters who have played since they were freshmen, the CC frontline should be on the receiving end of quality sets match in and match out. Alysaa Dahl (Jr., Willmar, Minn.) and Jill Hance (Jr., Hopkins, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's HS) have been at the forefront of Mosser’s offense for two years and will not be overcome when the team plays against nationally and regionally ranked opponents. Hance had 395 assists last year and Dahl was right behind with 393. The two have combined for 1,790 assists in their first two seasons.

Junior Anna Tinkham (Fisher, Minn.) will step into the role of defensive specialist at the start of the season. She takes over for Anna Walden who graduated in the spring and led the team in digs (410) last year. Tinkham’s athletic ability and leadership characteristics will be needed when the team heads to Missouri to participate in the prestigious Washington University Invitational in the early stages of September.

The key for Concordia will be to find the right mix of players who can blend together in a hurry. That’s where Mosser will have to earn his keep. The 2006 AVCA Region Coach of the Year, Mosser has kicked the program into the national spotlight in the past four seasons by fashioning a record of 96-19, capturing three MIAC Tournament championships and landing four straight NCAA playoff berths. His calming nature will help Concordia face the tough battle of defending their regular season and conference tournament titles in 2007.

The schedule will offer little relief for Concordia. After opening the season with the annual Concordia Invitational, the Cobbers will make the trek to Washington University to take on Wittenburg (Ohio), Ohio Northern, Central (Iowa) and the host Bears. Heading into the season, three of those four opponents were ranked in the top 25 in the AVCA preseason DIII national poll with Wittenburg holding down the No.2 spot and Washington University checking in at No.4. From there, CC will return home to play perennial league power St. Thomas in the second MIAC match of the season.

If Concordia can get through the middle of September with their confidence intact and their record above .500, then Mosser could be staring down another trip into the postseason. All that would just further cement the fact that the Cobber volleyball program is turning into one of the constant hit makers in the business.

Previewing the MIAC
2006 MIAC regular season and playoff champion Concordia took first in this year’s coaches poll. St. Thomas and Gustavus each received three first place votes, finishing second and third, respectively. Saint Benedict and Carleton followed, rounding out the top five. Nonconference volleyball games begin on Friday, August 31 and MIAC matches start on Wednesday, September 12.

2007 MIAC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll
1. Concordia (6)
2. St. Thomas (3)
3. Gustavus (3)
4. Saint Benedict
5. Carleton
6. Bethel
7. St. Olaf
8. Saint Mary’s
9. Augsburg
10. (tie) Macalester
10. (tie) St. Catherine
12. Hamline

- This is the third time in the past four seasons that Concordia has received the honor as being the top pick in the preseason coach’s poll. Last year the Cobbers were picked as the preseason favorite and held true to form but in 2004, the Cobbers were picked to finish first but ended up second and went on to claim the tournament title.

Tournament Tested
The Cobbers will once again hone their tournament skills throughout the regular season. Concordia will participate in three invitationals during the regular season. They open the season by hosting the Cobber Invitational, which they have won the past three seasons, will take part in the Washington University Invitational and then play in the Border Battle Tournament on Oct. 5-6. CC has posted a 34-1 record in regular season tournaments over the past four seasons. They are undefeated in the past three seasons at the very competitive Border Battle Tournament that pits the top teams in the MIAC against the top squads in the IIAC.

National Respect
After fighting for so long to get a sniff at the top 25, Concordia has now spent the past 36 weeks locked in the AVCA national rankings. The streak started in the middle of the 2004 season, lasted all of 2005 and 2006 and continues at the start of the 2007 campaign. Last year CC was never ranked outside the top ten and achieved a program record by being ranked third in the nation on Nov.7.

2007 AVCA Division III Preseason Poll
Rk School Pts
1 Juniata (14) 572
2 Wittenberg (6) 566
3 UW-Whitewater (2) 542
4 Washington U. (Mo.) (1) 531
5 Emory (1) 517
6 La Verne 468
7 Trinity (Texas) 446
8 Carthage 412
9 UW-Oshkosh 382
10 Calvin 356
11 St. Thomas (Minn.) 348
12 Concordia (Minn.) 322
13 Rhodes 256
14 Austin 234
15 Ohio Northern 225
16 Capital 203
17 Redlands 193
18 UW-Eau Claire 185
19 Southwestern (Texas) 159
20 NYU 130
21 Cal Lutheran 113
22 Pacific Lutheran 105
23 Stevens 100
24 Linfield 74
25 Coast Guard 49

Others Receiving Votes and listed on two or more ballots: Hiram 39; Puget Sound 32; St. Benedict (Minn.) 31; MIT 29; Central (Iowa) 25; Wisconsin-Stevens Point 25; Colorado College 22; Wisconsin-Platteville 21; Endicott 10; Nazareth 10; Millikin 8; Gustavus Adolphus 7; Illinois Wesleyan 6; SUNY Cortland 6; Washington & Lee 6; Haverford 5; Mount Union 2.