The 2007 Preview

Head Coach: Tim Mosser (16th Season; 286-179)

Players to Watch:
- Jill Hance, Sr., S, Hopkins, Minn.; 2nd on the team in assists and service aces in ’07, 1395 career assists
- Abby Scheel, Sr., MH, Fergus Falls, Minn.; led the team in blocks (111) in ‘07
- Anna Tinkham, Sr., DS, Fisher, Minn.; set school record for digs in a single season in 2007

Season Preview:
Tradition. The Cobber volleyball program has become steeped in tradition over the past seven years. What started out as an outstanding recruiting class in 2001 has turned into a perennial powerhouse in the MIAC. The Cobbers have earned a spot in the NCAA playoffs for five consecutive seasons and have been ranked in the top 25 of the nation for the past 47 weeks. Both feats are incredible on their own but add the facts that Concordia has won four MIAC championships in the past five seasons and has five 20-win seasons in the past six years, you have a good argument that Concordia has established a tradition of regional and national success.

The 2008 edition of the Cobber volleyball team will look to carry on that successful tradition and shows all signs of adding to the impressive resume established by head coach Tim Mosser. Concordia returns three starting players from a squad that finished second in the MIAC in 2007 and went on to earn its fifth straight trip to the national playoffs. Mosser has also added to that core group by bringing in a recruiting class that could prove to be the best in program history. The Cobbers had 21 new players in camp when preseason training began and feature six freshmen on the varsity roster in 2008.

The mixture of returning experience and youthful exuberance new will help Concordia stay entrenched in the top of the nation as they begin the year ranked 16th in the preseason AVCA national poll. Three seniors will provide leadership off the court and skill on the court. Jill Hance (Hopkins, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s HS), Abby Scheel (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) and Anna Tinkham (Fisher, Minn.) have all been an integral part of the team’s success the past three seasons and will now step into the role of having to steer the ship through their senior season. Hance has 1,395 career assists and has been a part of the starting lineup since she was a freshman. Scheel blossomed as a force in the middle of the net last season. She was named to the MIAC All-Conference Team in 2007 while leading the team in blocks (98). Tinkham broke the school record for digs last year and was named the MIAC Tri-Defensive Player of the Year. Her defensive skills will be counted on to keep CC in every game now that the new scoring system has been implemented for 2008.

The biggest concern for Mosser will be to fill the shoes of All-American Michelle Honek who was lost to graduation. Honek led the Cobbers in kills in 2007. She was the team’s go-to player at the net, having at least 10 kills in 22 of the team's 26 matches during the year. Her presence will be missed in close matches and will be the one question mark Concordia will have as they go for another top two league finish.

A group of sophomore and junior hitters will help the transition at the start of the year and that mix will be aided by an outstanding first-year class. Valerie Glynn (So.,/Fullerton, N.D./Ellendale HS), Maggie Olson (Jr., Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS), Dana Wermers (Jr., Rapid City, S.D./Stevens HS) and Erin Sykora (Jr., Rapid City, S.D./Stevens HS) have all had significant playing time at the varsity level in the past couple of seasons and all have shown the ability to make plays in pressure situations. They will now have to step up and be able to take control of the match for a more extended period. Glynn, Olson and Wermers all had over 100 kills last season and Glynn was second on the team in blocks with 101.

The six freshmen on the varsity roster all have a long list of accomplishments at the high school level. Mosser will be hoping that those will help the transition period into the college game. Ashley Beseman (Raymond, Minn./MACCRAY HS), Jenna Green (Dilworth, Minn., Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton HS), Jaci Heath (Moorhead, Minn.), Greta King (Willmar, Minn.), Amy Sykora (Rapid City, S.D./Stevens HS) and Katie Vohnoutka (Eden Prairie, Minn.) all have the size and skill level to step in right away and make an impact for the Cobbers. Green was a Minnesota All-State performer and was named to the Minnesota Class AA All-Tournament team after leading D-G-F to a third-place finish at the state tournament. Sykora was named Miss Volleyball in the state of South Dakota and led Rapid City to the state championship.

With the combination of experience and youth, this should be another brick in building the tradition of Concordia volleyball – a structure that keeps getting bigger and bigger after every season.

2008 MIAC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll
1. St. Thomas (11)
2. Saint Benedict
3. Concordia (1)
4. Carleton
5. St. Olaf
6. Bethel
7. Augsburg
8. Gustavus
9. Hamline
10. St. Catherine
11. Saint Mary's
12. Macalester

2008 AVCA Division III Preseason Poll
1 Juniata (13) 588
2 Washington-St. Louis (10) 584
3 Emory (1) 541
4 Wittenberg 492
5 La Verne 466
6 Trinity (Texas) 445
7 Puget Sound 438
8 St. Thomas (Minn.) 431
9 Wisconsin-Whitwater 423
10 Carthage 403
11 Ohio Northern 381
12 Cal State East Bay 299
13 Austin 278
14 Pacific Lutheran 272
15 Wisconsin-Oshkosh 233
16 Concordia (Minn.) 188
17 Stevens 164
18 Haverford 152
19 Wisconsin-Eau Claire 139
20 Wisconsin-La Crosse 129
21 Calvin 120
22 Central (Iowa) 95
23 Hope 79
24 Cal Lutheran 75
25 Christopher Newport 60

Others Receiving Votes and listed on two or more ballots: Hiram 51; St. Benedict (Minn.) 46; Nebraska Wesleyan 44; Rhodes 30; MIT 28; Bethel (Minn.) 27; Nazareth 26; Southwestern (Texas) 19; Simpson (Iowa) 17; RIT 16; Williams 10; Amherst 8.