Sheboygan Christian Alumna Transfers to Central Michigan

According to this release, Jocelyn VerVelde (Sheboygan Christian '08) transferred from North Dakota State to Central Michigan.

Taking a Quick Time Out from Previews for a Wisconsin Connection

We took a break from our first division three preview (it'll show up later today, maybe as late as the afternoon) and googled up this Ball State season preview, which just so happens to contain some nice words about redshirt freshman Andrea Felton (New Berlin Eisenhower '08).

Of course (and we say of course even though someone had to point it out in the comments below), the Wisconsin connections at Ball State also include head coach Dave Boos (UW-Oshkosh '98) and assistant Hugh Hernesman (UW-Whitewater '00), both of whom are in the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference Hall of Fame.

And let's not forget Menomonee Falls senior Catie Fredrich, a Ball State recruit.

Or all the past and present Ball State men's players with Wisconsin connection, such Ethan Pheister (Shorewood '06) and Eric Schulte (Shorewood '06). OK, we're done now.

Fort Collins, Wisconsin?

We recently updated our master list of 2009 women's recruits with Colorado State's official press release for Michelle Smith (Burlington Catholic Central '09). This led inevitably to a review of the Rams' 2009 roster and that's when it hit us: Colorado State has no fewer than three Wisconsinites listed as freshmen:

• Megan Plourde (Somerset '08)
• Lisa Parlich (Delavan-Darien '09)
• Michelle Smith (Burlington Catholic Central '09)

Looks like we're gonna be spending the next four years keeping a close eye on the happenings in Fort Collins, Colorado.

That Was Then, This Is Now: Tracking the Freshmen Years of 2007 WVCA First-Team All-State Seniors

Someone requested that we reprise a feature we did last January where we looked at the freshmen college years of first-team all-staters who were high school seniors the previous year. Nine seniors earned 2007 first-team all-state honors. Here's an overview of their fall college seasons (two of the seasons are still in progress, but more on that in a moment). If there's an accolade or achievement we're missing, please let us know and we'll amend accordingly: 

• Janelle Gabrielsen (Menomonee Falls) saw significant action for the Wisconsin Badgers, recording the Big Ten's only triple-double (13 kills 10 digs 15 assists v. Michigan). She was also named to the Big Ten all-freshman team.  
• Abbey Gitter (Hortonville) played in 18 matches for UW-Green Bay and had 74 kills. 
• Melissa Hastings (Waukesha Catholic Memorial) played in 13 matches for Loyola and hit .286. 
• Holly Mertens (Stanley-Boyd) is not listed in Marquette's statistics and we believe it was due to injury.  
• Katie Moore (West Allis Hale) is, to the best of our ability to surf the internet, not playing college volleyball. If anyone knows differently, please let us know.
• Debbie Stadick (Watertown) played in 20 matches for Iowa State, recording 59 kills and 40 total blocks. Iowa State plays Northern Iowa tomorrow night in the first round of the NCAA D1 tournament. A live feed is available here and it looks as though the same feed will bring you the Minnesota-North Dakota State match, which features numerous Wisconsin connections).
• Brooke Stittleburg (Black River Falls) played in 23 matches for Western Illinois and recorded 32 kills and 144 digs.
• Samantha Trawitze (Burlington) had 741 assists for UW-Milwaukee, placing her fourth on the all-time list for Panther freshmen. The Panthers play Illinois tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Champaign, Illinois. We believe the match will be live-streamed at NCAA.com, but we're not 100 percent sure. 
• Tabitha Visk (Westosha Central) played in 53 sets for Illinois State, recording 59 kills and 45 total blocks. 

We wish we had the time and energy to track other players. Maybe later. If there's a significant accolade or achievement for other college players, leave it as a comment and we'll share it with the world. Thanks.

 

Wrightstown's Jackie Van Gheem Commits to NAIA Mount Mercy

According to the Green Bay PoWer site, Jackie Van Gheem of Wrightstown will attend NAIA Mount Mercy. She'll be playing against Viterbo in La Crosse on September 10th, 26th and 27th. She has also been added to our master list of D1, D2 and NAIA recruits. Congrats.

Menasha's Valerie Thoms Signs with Montana Western Bulldogs

Valerie Thoms of Menasha and Wisconsin Volleyball Academy 18-1 will join the NAIA Montana Western Bulldogs this fall. She'll be added to our master list of 2008 D1, D2 and NAIA recruits.

Watertown's Lindsay Schwartz Named Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Female Athlete of the Year

Her accomplishments in both track (state champion) and volleyball (state champion) have earned Lindsay Schwartz recognition as the 2007-2008 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Female Athlete of the Year.

Other volleyball-playing finalists included junior Carol Henney of Burlington Catholic Central and Janelle Gabrielsen of Menomonee Falls. Here's WIAA coverage of Lindsay and Janelle in the D1 state quarterfinals.

Lindsay will attend South Alabama in the fall, where she will run track and "most likely redshirt" in volleyball. Deerfield's Hillary Lobenstein is already on the volleyball roster. Congrats to Lindsay.

In Response to an Anonymous Question of February 18, 2008

Better late than never (but we still wish it would have been earlier). Someone had anonymously left a comment on February 18 asking where third-team all-stater Kelli Trautmann of Little Chute FC Elite 18-1 would be attending college. After a mere four-month delay, our answer--as many of you already know--is UW-Whitewater. Sorry for the delay.

Press Release for Nicolet's Ally Werner Now on Columbia Volleyball Site

You can read the official Columbia University press release right here. It's also now linked on our 2008 master list.

They've Got Ups

We only took a quick, quick peek at today's state track and field results from La Crosse so we apologize in advance if we're overlooking anyone, but it seems as though at least three 2008 D1 college volleyball recruits are among the state leaders in high jump.

• Watertown senior and South Alabama recruit Lindsay Schwartz placed second in D1 with a mark of 5'5" (it appears as though she has won the 100 and 300 hurdles)
• Somerset senior and Colorado State recruit Megan Plourde placed second in D2 with a mark of 5'2"
• Stanley-Boyd senior and Marquette recruit Holly Mertens placed third in D2 with a mark of 5'2"

Fallyn Orusa Commits to Florida Gulf Coast

According to the Wisconsin Juniors site, Fallyn Orusa of Faith Christian and Wisconsin Juniors 18 Blue will become a Florida Gulf Coast Eagle in the fall. She has been added to our master list of 2008 recruits. Congrats.

Elkhorn's Micaela McDonald Headed to NYC

According to the Wisconsin Juniors site, Micaela McDonald of Elkhorn and Wisconsin Juniors 18-1 has committed to D1 Wagner University, which is located on Staten Island. There's also this interesting-but-we're-not-really-sure-why fact: It appears as though her first collegiate match will be against Army.

She'll be added to our master list of 2008 recruits. Congrats.

September 13, 2008 at 12:30 P.M.

That's when Marquette Volleyball will take on UW-Green Bay Volleyball at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. Now it's obvious that an in-state rivalry like that will certainly generate plenty of interest here in Wisconsin. But we're guessing some of our neighbors to the south might also be paying attention. You see, it will also be a rematch of sorts between a couple of Illinois prep stars who faced each other in last fall's Illinois state high school tournament: Alex Coello, Marquette's newest recruit, and Melissa Joyce, a UW-Green Bay recruit. Both players met in the 4A semifinals, which Melissa Joyce's Mother McCauley team won on their way to the championship. Small world.

A Seventh '08: Alex Coello Signs with Marquette Volleyball

The Marquette Golden Eagles have added a seventh player to its 2008 recruiting class: Alex Coello, a libero from St. Charles East (IL).

Madison West's Annie Koberstein Becomes a Northland College LumberJill

According to the Capital Volleyball Academy site, Annie Koberstein of Madison West and CVA 18 Navy has committed to the D3 Northland College LumberJills. If you spend a few minutes on the Northland site and watch this video, it's clear that Northland offers a rather unique educational experience and setting. They even list Nordic skiing alongside more traditional sports. We're guessing Nordic skiing isn't something that Wisconsinites at schools like Southern Mississippi, Ole Miss and Alabama get to watch during their off-seasons.

Waunakee's Casee Simms Headed to Platteville

Although we don't add D3 recruits to our 2008 master list (mostly because we wouldn't be able to keep up), we do like to make note of them when we have a spare moment. And in our most recent spare moment, we noticed that Casee Simms of Waunakee and Sauk County PoWer 18 Royal will be playing in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference next season for the UW-Platteville Pioneers. Congrats.

Westosha's Sally Shumaker to Join Badger Volleyball (Like You Didn't Already Know)

There's really no good reason why this never made our 2008 master list because it's been common knowledge for a long time, but Sally Shumaker, the defensive standout for Westosha Central and Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold will be joining the Wisconsin Badgers this fall. We haven't seen a press release, but it's listed on the Milwaukee Sting site. Congratulations and sorry for the oversight.

Two Capital Volleyball Academy D3 Commitments

We'd love to include D3 recruits on our 2008 master list, but we frankly wouldn't be able to keep up. Maybe some day. In the meantime, we're more than happy to point you in the right direction whenever we see a D3 announcement. In this case, the right direction is the Capital Elite site, which has announced the recent commitments of McFarland's Sydney Cook to Coe College and Verona's Amy Ritchie to UW-Stevens Point. Congrats to both.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran's Caitlyn Rusch Commits to Stritch, But Not for Volleyball

Caitlyn Rusch, one of the key contributors to Kettle Moraine Lutheran's D2 state volleyball title last fall, has committed to Cardinal Stritch basketball. And while we won't be adding her to our master list of '08 volleyball recruits, we wish her all the best in that other sport.

2008 WIAA Scholar-Athletes Who Played High School Volleyball

You can find the final list of 2008 WIAA scholar-athletes here, but we thought it would be nice to show a version with just the volleyball-playing recipients:

• Janelle Gabrielsen, Menomonee Falls (D1)
• Brynn Larsen, Oconto Falls (D2)
• Traci Wileman, Edgerton (D2)
• Briana Kaiser, Cuba City (D3)
• Allison Fanta, Hillsboro (D4)
• Kiara Lemminger, Johnson Creek (D4)
• Jocelyn Ver Velde, Sheboygan Christian (D4)

Congratulations to all.