Volleyball Preview: Blue Devils open home, conference play Tuesday

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THIS WEEK'S MATCHES: The Blue Devils (9-3, 0-0 WIAC) will open the home and WIAC schedule when they host UW-Platteville (8-2, 0-0 WIAC) Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. Stout will travel to UW-Stevens Point to participate in the Pointer Tournament, meeting North Park University (5-5, 0-0 CCIW), Friday, Sept. 20, and MSOE (4-7, 0-0 NACC) and Millikin University (5-4, 0-0 CCIW), Saturday, Sept. 21.

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 2-3 last week after opening the season with seven straight wins. Stout defeated Hamline University, 3-0, Sept. 11, then lost two contests, 3-2, to St. Olaf and 3-1 to Bethel University on the first day of the Bethel Tournament, Sept. 13, then bounced back for a 3-1 win over Luther College to open the second day of the tournament before bowing out to Minnesota-Morris, 3-2.  |  Hamline Game Story and Stats | St. Olaf and Bethel Game Story and Stats | Luther and Morris Game Story and Stats.

THE BLUE DEVILS IN 2019: The Blue Devils started the season off with an eight match winning streak and lost only one set during that stretch. But the honeymoon came to end for Stout when they went 1-3 at the Bethel University Tournament, losing two five set matches and a four set match. The Blue Devils lead the conference in kills per set, averaging 13.93 kills per set. Sophomore Lexie Nelson is leading the Blue Devils with 3.19 kills per set, while averaging 4.74 assists while combing with senior Jessica DuVal in a 6-2 formation. DuVal is averaging a team-best 6.00 assists, sixth in the WIAC. Nelson ranks fourth in the WIAC in kills. Freshman Lydia Kneubuehl has been making her presence known in the middle, averaging 2.76 kills per set, good for ninth in the WIAC. Kneubuehl has posted double-digit kills in six of the Blue Devils 12 matches, including a season-high 20 against Wisconsin Lutheran two weeks ago. Kneubuehl is ranked seventh in the WIAC in blocks, averaging 0.73 blocks, tallying five solo and 25 block assists. The Blue Devils' all-region libero, Steph Cannon, currently leads the conference in digs, averaging 6.02 per set. Cannon, who set a school career record last year in digs, currently has 1823 career digs. Cannon is ranked 10th in service aces, averaging 0.40 per set, 23 total.  | 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 has 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 1823 career digs. Jessica DuVal now has 3028 career assists.


UW-PLATTEVILLE: The Pioneers are currently on a six-match winning streak and have not lost in the month of September. Platteville won all four matches at their own invitational last weekend. The Pioneers are led in the attack by a pair of sophomores, Olivia Kudronowicz and Kaite Asche. Kudronowicz is fifth in the WIAC in kills per set at 3.09, with Asche currently 15th at 2.26. CJ Johnson is third in the WIAC in assists at 8.27 and Kudronowicz is fourth in service aces with 0.46. Asche is sixth in blocks at 0.74 and Stephanie Kalinowski is third in digs at 5.11. |  2019 Statistics

LAST TIME THEY MET:  UW-Stout breezed into UW-Platteville and breezed out just about as quickly as the Blue Devils opened the conference season with a three-set sweep over the Pioneers almost exactly a year ago, Sept. 18, 2018. Stout downed the Pioneers, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23. Amber Riley and Kennedy Strain each recorded six kills and two assisted blocks to lead the way for the Blue Devils. McKylie Hoff put down five kills and had only one error in nine attempts to field a hitting percentage of .444. Hoff also had the Blue Devils' only solo block of the evening.  Stout appeared to have the final set in hand, leading 24-19, but a plethora of attack errors pulled the Pioneers to within 24-23. Hoff ended the struggle, putting down set and match point. The Pioneers' Olivia Kudronowicz led all players with nine kills. Lita Solbrig had four solo blocks. | Game Story and Statistics


NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY: The Vikings are coming off straight set losses to the University of Dubuque and the Unversity of Chicago, Sept. 14. The Vikings will open conference play when they travel to Wheaton College, Wednesday, Sept. 18. Kailyn Matthews leads the team in kills, averaging 2.97 kills per set. Reagan Clement is averaging 2.75 kills. |  Last Time They Met  | 2019 Statistics

MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING:  The Raiders went 2-2 at the Ripon College Red Hawk Invitational, Sept. 13-14, downing Ripon and Beloit College, but falling to St. Mary's University and Carroll University. MSOE will host Marian University, Wednesday, Sept. 18, then will meet UW-Oshkosh, Friday, Sept. 20. The Raiders are getting 2.46 kills per set from Chloe Wallach and 2.22 from from Quinn Borchart. Borchart is averaging 0.63 blocks per set. | Last Time They Met  | 2019 Statistics

MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY: Millikin won three of four contests at their own tournament last weekend. Millikin will be at Carroll University, Wednesday, Sept. 18, then will take on St. Thomas and UW-Stevens Point, Friday, Sept. 20 at the Stevens Point Invitational.  Marissa McElroy leads the Blue with 3.28 kills and Tori Stuart is putting down 3.10. Rose Syverson is averaging 8.97 assists per set.  | Last Time They Met  | 2019 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 (25-16) 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.

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 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: 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 be at UW-Stevens Point, Wednesday, Sept. 25 for a conference contest and at the University of Dubuque, Friday, Sept. 27 for a single non-conference match-up.