THIS WEEK'S MATCHES: The Blue Devils (2-0, 0-0 WIAC) travel to Saint Mary's University (2-2, 0-0 MIAC), Wednesday, Sept. 4 for a 7 p.m. contest, then travel to UW-Oshkosh for a weekend tournament. Stout will take on Wisconsin Lutheran College (0-3, 0-0 NACC) and Carroll University (2-2, 0-0 CCIW), Friday, Sept. 6 and Oswego State (3-0, 0-0 SUNYAC) and Lawrence University (0-4, 0-0 MWC), Saturday, Sept. 7
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: UW-Stout did not give up a set on their opening day of the season, downing Carleton College and Lakeland University by 3-0 scores, sweeping Carleton College and Lakeland University at the UW-Whitewater Tournament Aug. 31. While the Blue Devils (2-0) did not surrender a set and 3-0 wins look like a breeze, both teams gave Stout all they could handle in one set apiece. Stout took a pair of 25-10 set wins over Carleton (0-4), but wrapped that around overtime volleyball where the Blue Devils prevailed 27-25. The Lakeland Muskies (2-2) put up a bit more of a fight in all three matches, but Stout managed to reel them in, 25-14, 25-19, 32-30. Blue Devil sophomore setter
Lexie Nelson was selected to all-tournament team after totaling 27 kills over the two matches, 11 against Carleton, 16 against Lakeland. Nelson added 29 assists, 14 against Carleton and 15 against Lakeland.
THE BLUE DEVILS IN 2019: After recording their best overall record in four years and hosting their first conference tournament game since 2004, UW-Stout's second year head coach Mandy Trautmann is excited to get the 2019 season underway. The Blue Devils return six seniors and almost their entire rotation, which included several key underclassmen. The Blue Devils are led by the return of all-region libero,
Steph Cannon (Sr, Mora, Minn), who, after only three seasons, owns the school career digs record with 1564 digs. She also set the school single season digs record last season with 675, ranking 17th in the NCAA Division III. Cannon stands along side a senior group made up of setter
Jessica DuVal (Sr, Logan, Iowa), middle hitter
McKylie Hoff (Sr, Barron), right-side hitter
Kara Simonson (Sr, Otsego, Minn), outside hitter/defense specialist
Summer Garr (Sr, Rush City, Minn) and defensive specialist
Emily Makina (Sr, Orland Park, Ill).
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.
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 has 2770 career assists. 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 1592 career digs.
Jessica DuVal now has 2812 career assists.
ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY: The Cardinals are off to a 2-2 start after splitting four matches at their own Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic Aug. 30-31. All four teams the Cardinal played are on UW-Stout's schedule. The Cardinals started off with a 3-2 win, over UW-Superior. then were blanked by the University of Dubuque, 3-0. St. Mary's lost 3-2 to UW-River Falls, then bounced back with a 3-0 win Luther College. Linnae Wallis led the Cardinals over the weekend, racking up 17 kills and 17 digs against Superior, 10 kills and 12 digs against Luther and 14 kills and 19 digs against River Falls. The Cardinals defeated the Blue Devils L 3-1 (21-25, 20-25, 29-27, 23-25) Oct. 3. Stout's
Lexie Nelson had a career night with 18 kills, her fifth match in double-digit kills during her freshman season.The Blue Devils hold a 17-9 lead in the series.
WISCONSIN LUTHERAN COLLEGE: The Warriors are off to an 0-3 start after dropping all three games at the Inspire Hope Classic hosted by Hope College in Holland, Mich. The Warriors lost 3-1 to Bluffton in the opener, then fell in straight sets to both Wartburg College and 21st-ranked Hope College. Wisconsin Lutheran holds a 1-0 lead in the series, taking a 3-2 (17-25, 25-21, 25-17, 26-28, 3-15) win last season at the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut Classic.
CARROLL UNIVERSITY: The Pioneers took a trip to the West Coast and came home with a 2-2 overall record, dropping two matches on the first day to Chapman University and Claremont-Mudds-Scripp, but coming back with 3-1 wins over both Redlands and LaVerne. Stout and Carroll are currently tied at 2-2. The teams last meet Oct. 22, 2016, with Stout taking a 3-1 decision. The teams will meet again Oct. 26 at Concordia-Wisconsin in Mequon. The Pioneers will play Martin Luther, Sept. 6.
OSWEGO STATE: Oswego gave up only one set in taking three matches in the season-opening Elms College Aug. 30-31. The Lakers downed Cobleskill, 3-0, on the first day, then opened day two with a 3-0 win over Albertus Magnus. Oswego topped off the tournament with a 3-1 win over host Elms. Senior Julia Flohr and junior Melissa Lussier were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Elms College Invitational. This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY: At the Capital College Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend, the Vikings lost 3-0 to Defiance, 3-1, to Capital, 3-0 to Otterbein and 3-0 to Hiram. The Blue Devils hold a 5-1 lead in the series. In their last meeting Sept. 8, 2017, Stout took a 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-23) decision.
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.
UW-STOUT COACH MANDY TRAUTMANN: Coach Mandy Trautmann (18-13) 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 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:
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..
DOWN THE ROAD: The Blue Devils travel to Hamline University, Wednesday, Sept. 11, then will be at the Bethel Tournament to face St. Olaf College and Bethel University, Sept. 13 and Luther College and Minnesota-Morris Sept. 14.
