Tournament Central
MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team is coming off an 11-17 season, with a 6-14 record in the competitive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2014.
The Dragons return all six starters from last season in senior libero Amber Krenske, senior middle blocker Kaitlin VanWinkle, senior Abby Wolpern, senior setter Casie Baer, junior middle blocker Kelsey Hartkopf, and sophomore outside hitter Claire Grimm.
VanWinkle returns after an impressive 2014 season where she was named to the all-NSIC first team and finished ninth in the NSIC with a hitting percentage of .324. She was seventh in the conference in blocks per set with 1.03 and eighth in points per set with 4.20. She also led the Dragons in kills with 324 and in solo blocks with 23. She added 91 digs and 12 service aces to round out the 2014 season. Krenske, ranked 4th in the NSIC in 2014 with 4.82 digs per set, and was a crucial part of the Dragons back row defense leading the team with 371 total digs. Wolpern finished second on the team with 252 kills, adding 265 digs, and added 56 blocks to her resume last season.
VanWinkle ranks seventh in school history with 290 block assists and eighth in solo blocks at 64 as she enters her senior season with 785 career kills.
Baer led the Dragons with 570 set assists in 2014 and finished fourth on the team with 211 digs. Hartkopf added 89 total blocks to the MSUM defense averaging 0.90 blocks per set. Grimm finished fourth on the team last year with 173 kills, also adding four solo blocks and 34 assists.
Senior setter Casie Baer moved into ninth place all-time in MSUM school history with 1,400 assists.
MSUM lost two seniors to graduation but will return six rotational players to the lineup this season, including VanWinkle, Baer, and Krenske. In addition, the Dragons signed four new recruits to the 2015 recruiting class.
MSUM will start out the 2015 season with tournaments in Golden, Colo. at the Oredigger Classic followed by the Augustana Volleyball Showcase in Sioux Falls, S. D.. They will play four matches in each tournament.
Junior middle hitter Kaitlin VanWinkle has been selected as a player to watch in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in the coaches poll. VanWinkle was named to the All-NSIC first team in 2014 after earning second-team honors in 2013. She had 22 matches with double-digit kills and led the team with 345 kills last season. She was also named to the all-tournament team at the NSIC Challenge and was sixth in the NSIC with 1.03 blocks per set.
MSUM has been picked to finish 10th in the conference in the pre-season coaches poll with 129 points. The finished the 2014 season in 12th place right behind Upper Iowa.
A Look Back at Last Season...
In the second weekend of the season, the Dragons won three out of four matches in the NSIC Challenge. MSUM defeated the South Dakota School of Mines as well as two Mid-America Intercollegiate Conference opponents, Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State. VanWinkle had 16 kills and four blocks in the 3-0 sweep of Fort Hays State. Junior Amber Krenske had 85 kills in the four matches to lead the Dragons. VanWinkle and Krenske were named to the All-Tournament team for their performances.
With the non-conference schedule complete, MSUM moved on to a challenging NSIC schedule. In the second week of conference play, MSUM won two out of three matches at home, including a four set victory over Upper Iowa. VanWinkle posted 20 kills in the match and freshman Sydney Foss had a career-high 29 digs.
The Dragons hit a tough stretch during the second half of the season, but ended on a high note in the final match of the season, defeating Minnesota State Mankato in three straight sets. Baer had 20 assists and Krenske had 16 digs in the match.
Seniors Lead the Way...
The four seniors on the MSUM roster - Casie Baer, Amber Krenske, Kaitlin VanWinkle and Abby Wolpern - have combined to play in 1,144 sets during their Dragon careers. VanWinkle leads the way with 312 sets played entering the 2015 season. The four give the Dragons an experienced nucleus to build on entering the season.
Krenske Closing in on Top 10...
Senior Amber Krenske is nearing the top 10 in career digs at MSUM. She enters the 2015 season with 1,039 digs, which is just 252 away from 10th place Shawnee VanderWolde. Krenske is approaching the mark despite missing time with injury the past two seasons. The Faribault, Minn., native finished fourth in the NSIC at 4.82 digs per set in 2014.
