Spring Season Update

The Warriors took the court Friday and Saturday last weekend.  The weekend kicked off with an alumni match on Friday night.  We had 13 alumni in attendance, whose playing careers ranged from the early nineties to just last year.  We played 3 sets to 25, with our team winning two and the alumni taking the middle set.  It was a fun evening of volleyball, stories, and laughter.

We started our tournament on Saturday against Madonna, a rematch from the previous weekend.  We played better, leading the entire first set until the very end.  We came back the second set strong and finished them off easily for the split.  In our second match, we played Urbana, again earning the split.  In the afternoon, we took care of business against Rochester College and Hope College to finish the day with a 6-2 record.  The important thing for me was to see improvement over the previous weekend, which we did.  While winning and losing is always important, we used multiple line-ups and tried people in different positions.  We want to improve as much as possible individually during the spring, so that we can hit the ground running in the fall and focus on the team.

We finish our spring season this Saturday at Bowling Green, where we will face the host Falcons, Wright State, and a BGSU alumni team.  The tournament starts at 10 AM at BG's Anderson Arena.

Go Warriors!

Wayne State Spring Tournament

The Warriors are hosting a spring tournament this weekend on Saturday, April 10th.  We would love to see you at some of our matches.  Wayne State's schedule is:

	Court 1
9:00	Wayne State	vs	Madonna
11:00	Wayne State	vs	Urbana
1:30	Wayne State	vs	Rochester College
3:30	Wayne State	vs	Fire Up Dutch

Spring Tournament Recap

We played our first spring tournament on Saturday at Madonna University.  It was a small event, with only 4 teams, but I think that was good for our first spring competition.  All of our matches consisted of 2 sets to 25 points.  We started the day playing the University of Windsor.  We played pretty well and won both sets by scores of 25-18 and 25-11.  In the next match, we played Eastern Michigan.  The speed of the game was significantly different from the first match, and it took us a bit to adjust.  We had the 2nd set tied at 20-20, but couldn't keep pace.  In the final match, we played Madonna.  We played well the first set, leading most of the way, but we couldn't hold the lead late.  We will get another shot at Madonna this weekend in our home tournament.

For our first competition, I was pretty pleased.  We competed in all of our matches, and we played pretty good defense.  Our hitting and blocking need to improve, but some of that is to be expected.  We only have 2 outside hitters, one of which was our libero in the fall.  We have 3 middles, but one has missed a significant part of the spring due to injuries.  The other thing was, while this was our first competition, it was EMU and Madonna's third tournament of the spring.  I expect us to be much better this weekend in our home tournament.

Go Warriors!

Vollleyball Announces 2010 Recruiting Class

DETROIT - Wayne State University head volleyball coach Phil Nickel has announced that four prospective student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to enroll at WSU next fall and join the volleyball program.

“This change brings mixed emotions for me, personally,” said Nickel. “Sarha Gosselin, Candis Jenich, and Lauren Mallast were my first recruits at Wayne State, and it makes me sad to see them leaving already. But, I am extremely excited about this recruiting class.

“We accomplished everything we set out to achieve with this class. They are athletic, physical, and skilled and expect all four of them to come in and compete for playing time as freshmen. This group, along with our 2009 recruiting class, is going to have a huge influence on where our program goes in the next few years. I am very excited about the future of Wayne State volleyball.”

Middle hitter Nicole Arends, a native of Ravenna, played three years on the varsity volleyball team and was a significant contributor on the state runner-up squad in 2009. She was a two-time first team all-conference and all-area selection, earned all-state honors twice, and served as team captain for two years. She also participated in basketball and track, and was on the honor roll at Ravenna.

A native of LaSalle, Ontario, outside hitter Kristen Bulkiewicz spent four years on the varsity volleyball team at Sandwich Secondary, where she was an all-star and MVP, and was named most dedicated. An athlete with a diversified background, she also participated in basketball, track and field, and badminton, and was a silver medalist in both badminton and the high jump. Bulkiewicz was elected team captain for volleyball and basketball.

Middle blocker Kris Vulaj is due to graduate this spring from Redford Union, where she played four years of volleyball and was a two-time all-conference selection for the Panthers. She served as team captain her senior year and was a 2008 scholar athlete. She also plays AAU volleyball, training with Instant Replay volleyball club for two years.

Amanda Wetherill is a middle blocker from Forest, Ohio, who lettered three years in volleyball at Riverdale, leading the Falcons to consecutive first-place finishes in 2007 and 2008, and second place in 2009. She was a two-time all-conference honoree and a 2009 second team all-district selection, having set single-season school records in 2009 for aces and blocks, as well as the career aces record. The National Honor Society member was also a four-year letterwinner in softball as a first baseman and centerfielder, earning all-conference and all-district honors in 2009.

These four future Warriors will help offset the loss of a five-member senior class which includes Jessica Condeni, Gosselin, Jenich, Meg Leone, and Mallast.

Wayne State 11th In Final NACDA Standings

The Wayne State University Department of Athletics placed 11th in the nation (out of 295 schools), the best finish in school history, in the final 2008-09 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup Standings. The Warriors earned a school-record total of 499 points as nine of the 16 sports participated in their respective NCAA Championships. This places WSU in the top four percent of all NCAA Division II institutions.

"There is no better way to judge the overall competitive strength of an athletic program than through the NACDA rankings," stated WSU Director of Athletics Rob Fournier.

"In that regard, our highest national ranking ever is gratifying and should be a well deserved source of pride for our student-athletes, coaches and staff who deserve the acknowledgment. When you consider this ranking, in combination with our academic record and community service, we have an athletic department that reflects the strengths and prestige of the University."

WSU accumulated 163 points from three spring teams -- men's golf (13th) earned 63 points, softball (tied-for-17th) garnered 50 points, and women's tennis (tied-for-17th) also earned 50 points.

From its four winter sports that qualified for the NCAA Championships, Wayne State received 228 points [90 points in women's swimming and diving based on the squad's second-place finish at the NCAA Championship; the men's swimming and diving squad placed second at the NCAA Championship garnering 90 points; and the fencing teams (men's and women's combined) earned 48 points after finishing 14th at the NCAA Championship].

Wayne State recorded 108 points from the two cross country teams qualifying for the NCAA Championship. Both squads placed 12th each earning 54 points.

The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 14 sports -- seven women's and seven men's.

WSU's best national finish prior to this year came a year ago as the Warriors placed 23rd in the nation in the final 2007-08 NACDA Directors' Cup Standings.

The Warriors eight best finishes ever in the NACDA Directors' Cup standings, which measures the overall performance of athletic programs around the country, have occurred in the last eight years. WSU has jumped 110 places in the standings in the last eight seasons.

Volleyball Announces New Special Camp Prices

The Wayne State Volleyball program is offering an "economic stimulus plan" for their camps this summer to help the young volleyball players of the metro Detroit area.
This limited time offer allows one person to register for the camp at the normal price of $125, and a second person can register for $55. That's $180 for two registrations, or just $90 per camper.

To receive this special price, both registrations must be received in the same envelope and it must be postmarked no later than June 15th, 2009. To download a brochure, click HERE. For more information, e-mail Jacqui Gatt at as6236@wayne.edu or call the volleyball office at (313)577-7541.

Volleyball Adds 5 Newcomers for 2009

Wayne State University volleyball coach Phil Nickel signed five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent this past semester to enroll at WSU and join the volleyball team in the fall of 2009.

"I am very excited about this class. We will be better with the addition of these five young ladies," said Nickel. "All five are very talented players, and even more importantly, all five are great people. We look forward to getting them in our gym. Practices will be a lot more competitive and all five will compete for playing time as freshmen."

Cydney Biessel, a native of Ruby, played four years on the varsity volleyball team at Yale High School and consistently led the Bulldogs in sets, assists, aces, and service points. An Honorable Mention All-State selection this season, she was also named league MVP and all-region first team in 2007 and 2008 while leading the Bulldogs to three league titles as well as a district and regional championship in 2006. Biessel, who served as team captain for two years, set a new school record for sets in 2006.

Rochester Hills native Karlene Foisy is set to graduate from Rochester High School next spring. She was a two-year letterwinner for the Falcons, totaling 111 kills and averaging 1.1 blocks per set as a junior. The RHS team captain did not play in 2008, however, due to an injury.

Madie Kent, who was a three-sport athlete (volleyball, basketball, softball) at Grosse Pointe North, holds school volleyball records for kills in a match (37), season (636) and career (1,115). She finished her senior volleyball season with 636 kills and 457 digs, guiding North to a school-record 40 wins and the semifinals of the Class A state tournament. The Grosse Pointe Woods native was a Second Team All-State selection and First Team All-Region, All-District, and All-MAC. On the basketball court, she set the school single-season record for free-throw percentage and helped the Lady Norsemen win their first-ever Class A state championship her junior season.

Kate Sak played four years of varsity volleyball at Warren Cousino High School. A three-time all-county honoree and a 2008 all-region selection, Sak led the Patriots with 352 kills, 176 blocks and a .323 hitting percentage in 2008. She was also the team's statistical leader in 2007 and 2006, a two-time team MVP and three-time all-academic team selection.

A native of Westland, Lindsey Graciak was a two-year volleyball letterwinner at Livonia Churchill. She helped lead the team to a 49-4 record in 2008, a first place finish and a berth in the Class A Final Four. Graciak totaled 749 digs, an average of 5.7 per set which broke the school record. As a junior, she collected 579 digs (4.5 digs/set) as the Chargers also finished first. Graciak was an all-state, all-area, and all-conference selection both seasons in volleyball. She also excelled in basketball, earning all-conference honors as a point guard, and track and field, a two-time state qualifier. An honor roll student, she is due to graduate from Livonia Churchill in June.