Volleyball Preview: Trip to Oshkosh on the schedule for Friday

 WIAC Weekly Release  |  UW-Oshkosh Live Video 

THIS WEEK'S MATCHES: After a long weekend trip, the Blue Devils (18-6, 1-3 WIAC) (14-6, 0-3 WIAC) will settle in for only one match this week, but it will an across the state trip when Stout goes to UW-Oshkosh (18-6, 3-1 WIAC), Friday, Oct. 18 for a 7 p.m. conference contest.

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

PARKING: Parking on the UW-Stout campus is restricted during the business week. For games in Johnson Fieldhouse during the week, please plan to park in Lot 29. Do not park in Lot 4, which is a reserved lot for students that live in the residence halls.

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: The Blue Devils went 4-0 on the week, downing 22nd-ranked UW-Eau Claire, 3-2, Oct. 9, to pick up their first conference win of the season. Stout then competed at the Washington University Baden Invitational, Oct. 11-12, downing Fontbonne University, 3-0, Lakeland University, 3-1, and the University of Dallas, 3-0.  |  Lakeland/Dallas Game Story and Stats |  Fontbonne Game Story and Stats | UW-Eau Claire Story and Stats

THE BLUE DEVILS IN 2019: The Blue Devils have won 13 3-0 decisions this year.  Stout started the season off with an eight match winning streak and lost only one set during that stretch. But the conference season has been a challenge for Stout. The Blue Devils got their first conference win, a 3-2 decision over nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire, Oct. 9.. Lexie Nelson has been improving on her freshman season when she earned All-WIAC honorable mention honors. Nelson has been working along with senior setter Jessica DuVal in a two-setter 6-2 system. Nelson leads the team in kills, averaging 2.59 (10th in WIAC) and is just behind DuVal in assists, averaging 4.60. DuVal is averaging a team-best 5.29 assists (8th).  Freshman Lydia Kneubuehl is averaging 2.45 kills per contest (13th) and leads the team in blocks with nine solo blocks and 52 assisted blocks, averaging 0.72 total blocks (8th).   The Blue Devils' all-region libero, Steph Cannon, currently leads the conference in digs, averaging 5.83 per set. Cannon, who set a school career record last year in single season and career digs, currently has 2071 career digs. The Blue Devils have four players in the top 15 in the WIAC in service aces. Nelson is first with 40 (0.46), Amber Ripley is sixth with 35 (0.40), Cannon is ninth with 30 (0.34, and Emily Makina is 11th with 29 (0.33).. The Blue Devils lead the league in service aces with 182 (2.09).  | 2019 Statistics | 2019 Complete Season Preview

THE BLUE DEVILS IN 2018: The Blue Devils finished the conference season in a three-way tie for third place with UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point and earned the No. 4 seed in the WIAC Tournament, hosting a home tournament game for the first time since the 2004 season. | 2018 Statistics

MILESTONE MARKERS: Every time Steph Cannon collects a dig this season, she will break her own career school record.. Last season, Cannon shot down the school career digs record, collecting 1564 digs over three seasons, topping Alicia Mizer's four-year total of 1510. Accomplishing the feat in three season, as a freshman, Cannon collected 341 digs. Injury kept her out of action the following year, but when she returned, Cannon was moved to the libero spot where she had 548 digs. She finished the 2018 season with a school record 675 digs, breaking the school record of 657 by Peyton Schultz in 2015. Twelve times last season, Cannon had more than 25 digs in a single match. Senior setter Jessica DuVal had 2770 career assists coming into the 2019 season. The three year starter had 867 assists her freshman year, 923 as a sophomore and 980 as a junior.

UPDATED MILESTONE MARKERS: Steph Cannon now has 2071 career digs and 507 digs this season. Jessica DuVal now has 3230 career assists.


UW-OSHKOSH: Samantha Jaeke leads the Titans with 3.10 kills per contest, fourth in the WIAC. The senior leads the league in hitting percentage, swinging at a .316 percent rate and is averaging 0.73 blocks per set. Carissa Sundholm is averaging 2.16 kills per contest. Emma Kiekhofer is averaging 5.60 assists per set.    |  2019 Statistics

THE TITANS LAST TIME OUT:  Samantha Jaeke had a match-high 17 kills to lead the UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team to a 3-1 victory at Lakeland University on Oct. 16. UW-Oshkosh (18-6), which surpassed its win total from last season, defeated Lakeland University (11-12) in set scores of 17-25, 25-20, 25-14, 28-26. The Titans improved to 24-1 in the series since 1989 after avenging last year's 3-1 loss to Lakeland University.Jaeke's 17 kills are two shy of her career high established earlier this season. Jaeke has produced double-digit kill totals 14 times on the year. Eight different Titans contributed kills Wednesday, including Kendall Enyart with eight, Carissa Sundholm with seven and Shelby Coron with six. Kate Nottoli had four kills along with a match-best and career-high five blocks for the Titans. |  Lakeland University Game Story and Statistics 

LAST TIME THEY MET:   The match was about as even as it could get. After the two teams each grabbed a pair of sets, the fifth and deciding set came down to 14-14 and UW-Stout delivered the win in a 3-2 victory over UW-Oshkosh Oct. 27, 2018, at Johnson Fieldhouse to wrap up the regular season. The Blue Devils trailed 14-11 in the fifth set, Stout's Lexie Nelson recorded a kill, then another after an attack error by Oshkosh to tie the score at 14 apiece. Another attack error by the Titans and senior Kennedy Strain  put down a kill to decide the match.  |  UW-Oshkosh Game Story and Statistics



CONFERENCE & NATIONAL POLLS: The Blue Devils were picked to finish fifth in the WIAC this season, according to a preseason poll conducted by WIAC head coaches and sports information directors. UW-Eau Claire was projected to finish first, followed by UW-Whitewater; UW-La Crosse; UW-Stevens Point; UW-Stout; UW-Oshkosh; UW-River Falls; and UW-Platteville. | 2019 WIAC Preseason Poll | AVCA Top 25 Poll

UW-STOUT COACH MANDY TRAUTMANN: Coach Mandy Trautmann (34-19) is in her second season as the head coach of the Blue Devils. in her first season as head coach in 2018, Trautmann led the Blue Devils to home WIAC playoff berth, the first for the Blue Devils since 2004. Trautmann took over the Blue Devils after a season as an assistant coach. Prior to coming to Stout, Trautmann was the team captain for UW-Oshkosh in 2015, a season the Titans captured the WIAC regular season championship. Trautmann was a two-time first team all-WIAC selection in 2014 and 2015, and an honorable mention choice in 2013. She was named to the all-WIAC defensive team in 2013, 2014 and 2015. (Trautmann started the season with a 16-13 overall record)

QUICK HITS: The Blue Devils have six seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and seven freshmen on the 2019 roster...the team is made up of 11 players from Minnesota, six from Wisconsin and one each from Iowa and Illinois...assistant coach Pam Schroeder begins her 16h season with the Blue Devils, matching hockey assistant coach Greg Slupe as holding the longest active consecutive assistant coaching tenure with a Stout program.

BLUE DEVIL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Week Six: Offensive athlete of the week: Kara Simonson, Sr, Otsego, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn.; Week Five: Offensive athlete of the week: Lexie Nelson, So, St. Michael, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn.; Week Four: Offensive athlete of the week: Lexie Nelson, So, St. Michael, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn.; Week Three: Offensive athlete of the week: McKylie Hoff, Sr, Barron, Wis. (Prairie Farm); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn.; Week Three: Offensive athlete of the week: Jessica DuVal, Sr, Logan, Iowa (Harlan Community); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn.; Week Two: Offensive athlete of the week: Lydia Knuebuehl, Fr, Cottage Grove, Wis. (Monona Grove); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn. Week One: . Offensive athlete of the week: Lexie Nelson, So, St. Michael, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn. 


AWARDS: 2019: Kara Simonson and Steph Cannon were selected to the Washington University Baden Invitational all-tournament team, Oct. 12...McKylie Hoff and Steph Cannon were selected to the UW-Stevens Point all-tournament team, Sept. 21...Steph Cannon was selected as the WIAC Kwik Trip Athlete of the Week Sept. 17...Jessica DuVal was selected to the Bethel University all-tournament team after tallying 108 assists over four matches...Steph Cannon was selected as the Kwik Trip WIAC Athlete of the Week, Sept. 10...Lydia Kneubuehl and Steph Cannon were named to the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut Classic all-tournament team...Lexie Nelson was named the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week, Sept. 2...Lexie Nelson was selected to the UW-Whitewater all-tournament team after collecting 27 kills and 29 assists as Stout won a pair of 3-0 wins to open the season, Aug. 31...2018: Steph Cannon earned all-region honors and first time all-conference honors...Kennedy Strain was a first team all-WIAC selection...Amber Ripley and Lexie Nelson were all-WIAC honorable mention selections...Amber Ripley was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week, Oct. 29...Steph Cannon was selected as the WIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week, Oct. 23, after averaging 6.0 digs per set over 16 sets played. Cannon also broke the school career digs record during the week..Jessica DuVal was selected to the all-tournament team at Concordia-Wisconsin...Steph Cannon was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week Oct. 15 after averaging 7.73 digs per set over 15 sets played...Lexie Nelson was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week after putting down 27 kills in a 3-2 win over Augsburg University, Oct. 6, and 18 in a 3-1 home loss to Saint Mary's University, Oct. 3....Steph Cannon was selected WIAC defensive athlete of the week after averaging more than seven digs per set over three matches and 11 sets...Kennedy Strain was selected to the Bethel University all-tournament team...Jessica DuVal was selected to the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut all-tournament team...Kennedy Strain was selected to the Oregon Trail all-tournament team.

DOWN THE ROAD: The Blue Devils will host UW-River Falls, Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the annual Dig Pink Game. Stout will be at Concordia-Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 26 and will also play Carroll University.