ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Aug. 31) – The Central Washington University volleyball team opens its 2017 campaign in Florida for the Terrace Hotels Classic, hosted by the University of Tampa.
A match against the University of New Haven opens the tournament and season for CWU. The Chargers posted a 20-9 record last season with an 11-3 record in NE-10 play. New Haven claimed the NE-10 Championship with a 3-1 victory over Adelphi before downing Philadelphia in a 3-2 decision to open the NCAA East Region Championship. The Chargers were then swept by Daemen in the semis.
The University of Tampa Spartans finished the 2016 campaign with a 23-9 mark, including going 12-4 in the Sunshine State Conference. The Spartans handed Lynn University a 3-1 loss in the NCAA South Region opener, but then fell to Florida Southern 3-0. Tampa had previously defeated Florida Southern 3-1 at home during conference play.
Central Washington then ramps up the competition by taking on the 2016 NCAA Division II National Champion, Concordia University, St. Paul. The Golden Bears finished 2016 with a 35-2 record and an 18-2 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. After sweeping through the NSIC Tournament, the Golden Bears lost just one set in the NCAA Division II Central Regional tournament, before collecting nine straight sets in the 2016 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships.
The Wildcats finish the tournament against Pace University. The Setters finished 2016 with a 23-9 record and compiled an 8-6 record in NE-10 play. In the NE-10 Conference Championships, the Setters defeated Le Moyne in four sets before falling to Adelphi 2-3 in the semis.
Head Coach
Mario Andaya and the Wildcats return a large portion of their lineup, including All-American middle
Sabrina Wheelhouse, All-GNAC outside hitter
Madison Weg, and Preseason All-GNAC selection
Shelby Mauritson.
"Sabrina has established herself as one of the premier blockers in the country," Andaya said. "With that said, she continues work at it in practice with something more to prove. She has a great mindset with blocking, and is now carrying that over to her offensive game. Sab wants the ball more and she is working hard to be stable point scorer for us. She hasn't reached her full potential and we are excited to see even more growth this year."
Wheelhouse averaged 1.66 blocks per set, placing her atop the GNAC leaderboard and setting a GNAC single-season record. She enters 2017 as the GNAC career leader in blocks per set (1.42) and block assists per set (1.27). In addition, Wheelhouse finished third in the GNAC with a .314 hitting percentage to earn Honorable Mention All-American honors by both the AVCA and D2CCA. She also added 152 kills, averaging 1.63 per set.
Mauritson and Weg, meanwhile, are poised to lead the Wildcats' offense with a veteran presence.
Mauritson led the Wildcats in 2016, averaging 2.92 kills per set and amassing 280 kills. The Madras, Oregon native also racked up a team high 24 service aces. Mauritson finished the season notching at least 10 kills in the final five matches and eight of the Wildcats' last nine. She also set a career high in kills with 18 on November 17 against Western Oregon. The junior outside recorded 277 digs defensively, an average of 2.89 per set.
"Shelby has grown into a really good volleyball player," Andaya noted. "Physically she's as good as there is at this level, and she is now using her full skillset to make an impact for our team in many areas. Shelby is fun to watch, but as a coach it's more fun to see the conviction she has working on her game."
Weg was selected as a GNAC Honorable Mention in 2016 after recording 251 kills, 2.35 kills per set, and a hitting percentage of .254. At the net, Weg was part of the NCAA Division II leading block party, totaling 100 blocks over the campaign. The Lynden, Washington native has compiled 405 kills in two seasons. She reset her career high for kills in a match against Augustana on September 3, when she recorded 18.
"Maddy is one of the top right-side blockers in the country, and is always working on her game," Andaya added. "She will take on a bigger role for us in many ways this year as a player and a leader. Maddy brings that consistent energy and demeanor our team feeds off of to have good perspective in the ebbs and flows of the game."
First serves on Friday (Sept. 1) are scheduled for 10:45 a.m. ET against New Haven and 7:00 p.m. ET against Tampa. First serves on Saturday (Sept. 2) are scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET and 5:00 p.m. ET against Pace.
Live stats and video are available through the University of Tampa's Stretch Internet portal,
HERE.
