Volleyball: Hawks favored to win the GLVC West Division
Rockhurst has been selected as the favorite to win the 2008 Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division in the annual GLVC Volleyball Coaches Poll.
The Hawks (22-12, 13-6 GLVC in 2007) collected five first-place votes and 25 points to finish ahead of second-place Southern Indiana with 21 points in the West Division poll. The GLVC will enter its second consecutive season of divisional play in 2008.
Rockhurst opens the regular-season by playing in the Comfort Inn & Suites/Firewater Grille Tournament at the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Friday and Saturday. The Hawks will face Emporia State at 12:15 p.m. and Minnesota State-Moorhead at 4:45 p.m. on Friday.
The Hawks begin conference play with their home opener on Sept. 9 against Drury. In October, Rockhurst will host three matches in three days (Oct. 9-11) against Northern Kentucky, Saint Joseph’s and Indianapolis. The Hawks will also compete in the GLVC-GLIAC Crossover in Indianapolis Oct. 17-18 before closing out the month with four consecutive road matches.
Topping the November regular-season slate is a Senior Day match with Quincy on Nov. 8. The GLVC Tournament will be held Nov. 14-16 on the regular season champion’s home floor. As in past years, only the top eight teams in the conference will vie for the GLVC’s automatic berth.
Head coach Tracy Rietzke will enter his 21st season at Rockhurst this fall. He ranks first among all-time NCAA Division II women’s volleyball coaches in winning percentage (.840) and second in total victories (956) behind Central Missouri’s Peggy Martin.
The Hawks return seven letterwinners and three starters (plus libero Andrea Schroeder) from last season’s team. Top returnees include senior outside hitter Audrey Boese, a third team All-GLVC selection and team leader in kills per game, and senior middle hitter Savannah Leeper, who led the GLVC in blocks per game in 2007.
Rietzke will also welcome three freshmen standouts: Boomie Williams, a setter from Overland Park, Kan., Maggie McGovern, an outside hitter/right side from Kansas City, Mo., and Ashlyn Wronkoski, a midde hitter from Eaton, Colo.
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