Rockhurst Hawks Volleyball Notes—Sept. 6, 2012

Rockhurst hits the road for the second week in a row. The Hawks will play four matches in the Southwest Baptist Bearcat Bash in Bolivar, Mo. On Friday, Rockhurst will play East Central (9:30 am) and Northwestern Oklahoma State (4:00 pm). The Hawks face seventh-ranked Washburn (9:00 am) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (3:30 pm) on Saturday.

PERFECT START: The Hawks opened the 2012 season with a perfect 4-0 record at the Pittsburg State Classic last weekend in Pittsburg, Kan. Rockhurst defeated Harding (3-1) and Missouri Southern (3-1) on Aug, 31, and collected 3-0 wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State and Bemidji State on Sept. 1.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Sophomore middle hitter Emily Ready (Smithville, Mo.) and freshman setter Whitney Kostal (Papillion, Neb.) were named to the Pittsburg State Classic All-Tournament Team. Ready posted the highest attack efficiency (minimum of 50 attack attempts) in the tournament with a .462 hitting percentage. Kostal was selected the top setter in the two-day event with 11.0 assists per set.

GLVC LEADERS: Rockhurst leads the Great Lakes Valley Conference in hitting percentage (.287) and blocks (2.43 per set). The Hawks also rank third in kills (13.43 per set) and opponent hitting percentage (.136) in the GLVC. Ready is the conference leader in hitting percentage and is tied for sixth in blocks (1.0 per set). Kostal is the GLVC co-leader in assists. Freshman middle hitter Kelsey Stratman (Omaha, Neb.) ranks third in blocks (1.14 per set). Sophomore outside hitter Kareen Schwartze (Leawood, Kan.) stands seventh in service aces (0.5 per set). Junior libero Victoria Mahl (St. Louis, Mo.) is currently eighth in digs (4.21 per set) in the GLVC.

COACH TRACY RIETZKE: Rockhurst head coach Tracy Rietzke ranks among the top coaches in women’s college volleyball. He currently ranks second among NCAA Division II women’s coaches in career victories (1,041) and fourth in all-time winning percentage (.818) among Division II coaches. He also ranks seventh in career victories for all three levels of NCAA women’s coaches. He has guided the Hawks to an 869-176 record (.832). Since beginning play as an NCAA Division II member in 1998, the Hawks have posted a 411-114 record and played in six NCAA national tournaments under Rietzke.

PRE-SEASON POLL: The Hawks have been picked to finish third in the GLVC West Division in the preseason poll of league coaches. Rietzke returns nine letterwinners from a team that finished 16-15 overall and was 9-9 in GLVC play last season, qualifying for the GLVC Tournament for the seventh consecutive year. The GLVC regular season will feature two divisions in 2012 with the top three teams from each side and two wild cards earning a berth to the eight-team GLVC Volleyball Tournament on Nov. 16-18. Indianapolis, which won the 2011 GLVC Championship, finished on top of the GLVC East poll. Missouri S&T topped the GLVC West Division poll.