Volleyball Preview: 2016 season begins Friday for Blue Devils

Live Stats at University of Northwestern Tournament | Augsburg Match Live Stream

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (0-0, 0-0 WIAC) will open the 2016 season by competing at the University of Northwestern Tournament, Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3. The Blue Devils will open with Loras College Friday at 2 p.m., then will follow that up with a 4 p.m. contest against Westminster College at 4 p.m. Stout starts the second day with an 11 a.m. contest with the College of St. Scholastica, then will close the tournament by playing Augsburg College at 3 p.m. The Blue Devils turn around and play Augsburg four days later at Augsburg.

ON-LINE: All home Blue Devil matches are available in a live video stream.

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: The Blue Devils finished the 2015 season at 16-18 overall, 2-5 in the WIAC and earned the sixth seed in the WIAC turnament, where they lost to third seeded UW-Whitewater, 3-0, in the quarterfinals last November. | UW-Whitewater Story and Stats


A LOOK AT STOUT: UW-Stout returns their top two hitters and blockers to lead a small group of returners into the 2016 season. The Blue Devils return six players to the roster – one senior, two juniors and three sophomores – including both starting middle hitters from last season. All-WIAC honorable mention pick Ashley Pratt (Jr, Lakeville) led the team in kills last season at 2.59 per set and was the team's leader in total blocks with 109 as a sophomore. Pratt recorded 18 solo blocks and 91 block assists. Kennedy Strain (So, Elk River, Minn) had a strong freshman season, securing the middle opposite Pratt, finishing with 2.14 kills per set and led the team in solo blocks with 29. Strain finished with 106 total blocks. Beginning her third year as the Blue Devil head coach, Laura Evans will look to Pratt and Strain to anchor the team in the middle. Olivia Jung (Andover, Minn), the lone senior on the team, will play either outside or on the right side.  Jung saw limited action last season, playing in 43 sets, but still finished sixth on the team in total blocks with 23.  Junior Becky Bradshaw (Oak Lawn, Ill) returns at outside hitter and she too saw limited action last year, but when she is on the court, she is capable of playing front and back row and averaged 1.83 kills per set.  Outside hitter Steph Cannon will need to recover from an injury and is not expected to be back for the season after playing in 118 sets last year.   Sophomore setter Emily Bialka (Cottage Grove, Minn) gained valuable experience  after playing in 139 of 141 possible sets last year.  Bialka was part of a two-setter system – Stout played three different offenses throughout the year - for much of last season and led the team in assists with 742 (5.34), ranking eighth in the WIAC.  Bialka can also get off the ground. She put down 50 kills and recorded 36 total blocks, fourth on the team.   Defensive specialist Carissa Hilgers played in 73 sets last season and returns. Defensive specialist Hallie Locher comes in as a junior after transferring from UW-La Crosse, where she played for two seasons. Last season, Locher played in 88 sets for the Eagles, averaging 2.33 digs and tallied 14 service aces. The Blue Devils will look to a large freshman class to fill needs. The recruiting class includes three setters who will compete with Bialka. "Our incoming setters coming in can, and will need to, compete at a high level," Evans said. The coaching staff will need to concentrate on fundamentals early in the preseason "With so many new kids, we will need to focus on the ball control piece," Evans said. "Our serve, receive and defense will be key."  | 2015 Stats


A LOOK AT LORAS COLLEGE:  The Duhawks, after finishing at 22-13 overall, 5-2 in the IIAC, last season, have been tabbed as the league favorite. Returning for the Duhawks in 2016 will be four all-conference selections in seniors Danni Kennedy and Therese Schultz, junior Haley Bergan and sophomore Claire Ritchie. In addition to her All-IIAC honor, Ritchie was also the Iowa Conference's Freshman of the Year, while leading the team in kills with 2.53. The recognition continued for the program as head coach Jenna Ness was recognized at the conclusion of the season as IIAC Coach of the Year. | 2015 Stats

THE LAST TIME STOUT AND LORAS MET: The teams met last season in the opening game of the Loras Tournament, with Stout coming out on top, 3-2, in the tight win. The Blue Devils got a team effort at the net, with three players have 10 or more kills. | Story and Statistics


A LOOK AT WESTMINSTER COLLEGE:  Westminster finished last season at 22-12 overall, 16-2 in the SLIAC, and finished second in the conference tournament to Greenville. The Blue Jays received three first place votes and were selected to finish second in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) this season. The The Blue Jays return 10 from the 2015 team, including the SLIAC Player of the Year Hannah Marshall and two All-Conference players, Kayla Reeg and Amanda Kiso. The Blue Jays lost three from the 2015 roster, including four-time All-Conference recipient Lexi Collier, but they bring in six for the new year.  | 2015 Stats

THE LAST TIME STOUT AND WESTMINSTER MET: There is no record that the teams have ever met since 1991.  | Story and Statistics


A LOOK AT ST. SCHOLASTICA:  The Saints finished last season at 16-13 overall, 5-3 in the UMAC. The Saints downed Martin Luther, 3-1, in the opening round of the tournament, but fell, 3-2, to top seeded Northwestern in the semi-finals. Amanda Belden (2.23 k/set) and Brooke Elvehjem(2.30 k/set) return the highest kill average on the team.  | 2015 Stats

THE LAST TIME STOUT AND ST. SCHOLASTICA MET: After winning the first two sets, 25-18, 26-24 - perhaps the second set should have been a harbinger of things to come - the Saints (12-9) came back to take sets three and four, 25-21, 25-23, setting up the decisive fifth set last October in Duluth, Minn. The beginning of the fifth set was back and forth between UW-Stout's Kennedy Strain and St. Scholastica's Kortney Morrin, as both had three kills before either team hit double digits. Both teams battled hard and the score showed as it read 10-10 in set number five. The Blue Devils (12-11) then scored four straight to make it a 14-10 set, but weren't able to close out the set before the Saints tacked on two more points before the Blue Devils' Ashley Pratt put down the match winning kill to close out the night with 15-12 win. | Story and Statistics


A LOOK AT AUGSBURG COLLEGE:  The Blue Devils and the Auggies will meet in back-to-back matches. The teams meet in the final match at the University of Northwestern Tournament, then the Blue Devils return to the Twin Cities to meet the Auggies, Wednesday, Sept. 7. The Auggies, after finishing 19-9 overall, 5-6 in league play, are picked to finish fifth this season in the MIAC. The Auggies gradutated three-time All-American Ashley Peper, but return All-American setter Courtney Lemke, who is currently sixth in the school history with 1920 career assists. | 2015 Stats

THE LAST TIME STOUT AND AUGSBURG MET: Stout had a chance to force a fifth and deciding set, but 25th ranked Augsburg College stormed back from a four point fourth set deficit and went on to defeat the Blue Devils, 3-1, in Stout's home opener last September.  | Story and Statistics


TEAM CAPTAINS: Captains for the 2016 season are yet to be named.

UW-STOUT COACH LAURA EVANS: Coach Laura Evans (36-28) is in her third year as the Blue Devil coach. In her first season, the Blue Devils posted 20 wins, the first 20-win season since 2004. Evans, the former Laura Hegerle, played her college volleyball at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn. She has been an assistant coach at Colorado Christian, Augsburg College and Luther College.

QUICK HITS: The Blue Devils  posted a 20-10 overall record during the 2014 season, finishing with 20 wins for the first time since the 2004 season and finished fourth in league play, again their best finish since the 2004 season. But the Blue Devils picked up the competitive level of their schedule in 2015 and finished at 16-18 overall...Stout was picked to finish sixth in the WIAC in a preseason poll conducted by conference coaches and sports information directors.

AWARDS:    2015 Awards: Ashley Pratt earned all-conference honorable mention honors...Payton Schultz was selected to the All-Tournament team at the Coe College Mabel Lee Invitational...Ashley Pratt was selected UW-Eau Claire Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament all-tournament team, Oct. 17...Molly Brion was selected to the UW-Whitewater all-tournament team, Sept. 26...Ashley Pratt was selected to the Loras College Invitational all-tournament team...Ashley Pratt was selected as the UW-Stout/Northwestern Mutual Athlete of the Week, Sept. 8...Carly Troudt and Ashley Pratt were named to the Pacific Coast Classic all-tournament team.

DOWN THE ROAD: The Blue Devils will be at Augsburg College, Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m., then will be at the Northland College Tournament, Sept. 9-10. Stout will play UW-Superior and Finlandia University on the first day, then will meet Knox College and host Northland College on the final day.