Concordia University 2006

General Information Coaching Staff

Name of School...... Concordia University, Nebraska Head Coach...... Rachel Miller City/Zip...... Seward, NE 68434 Alma Mater, Yr...... Concordia (NE), 2003 Founded...... 1894 Record at Concordia (Yrs.)...... 24-11 (2nd) Enrollment...... 1350 Career Record (Yrs)...... 24-11 (2nd) Mascot...... Bulldogs Volleyball Office Phone...... (402) 643-7325 Colors...... Navy and White Best Time to Call...... Between 10 a.m. -12 p.m. Gymnasium...... PE Building Capacity...... 1,200 Assistant Coaches Surface...... Hardwood Heather Welty...... Graduate Assistant Affiliation...... NAIA Matt Buttermore...... Assistant Coach Conference...... Great Plains Athletic (GPAC) Gina Kotas...... Junior Varsity Coach President...... Rev. Dr. Brian Friedrich Athletic Director...... Grant Schmidt Head Athletic Trainer...... Randy Baack Alma Mater, Yr...... Concordia (NE), 1983 Asst. Athletic Trainer...... Aaron Madsen Assistant Athletic Director...... Jeremy Geidel Equipment Manager...... Stan Schlueter Office Secretary...... Bev Schluckebier Athletic Office Phone...... (402) 643-7328 Athletic Office Fax...... (402) 643-3966

Sports Information Team Information

Sports Information Director...... Lucas Mohrman 2005 Record...... 24-11 SID Office Phone...... (402) 643-7392 Conference Record/Finish...... 9-7/7th SID Cell Phone...... (402) 730-1352 Final Ranking...... NA SID Home Phone...... (402) 470-3551 Starters Returning/Lost...... 3/5 SID FAX...... (402) 643-4073 Letterwinners Returning/Lost...... 6/8 SID E-mail...... [email protected] SID Mailing Address...... 800 N. Columbia Ave. Seward, NE 68434 Concordia Volleyball Schedule

Date Opponent Location Time (JV/Varsity) Aug. 19 Alumni Match Seward, Neb. 3:00 p.m. Red Raider Classic: Aug. 25 vs. Bellevue Orange City, Iowa 2:15 p.m. Aug. 25 vs. Valley City Orange City, Iowa 6:30 p.m. Aug. 26 vs. Peru State Orange City, Iowa 11:00 a.m. Aug. 26 vs. John Brown Orange City, Iowa 3:00 p.m. Aug. 30 Doane College* Crete, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-2 Best Western/KIMZ Classic Columbia, Mo. TBA Sept. 5 Nebraska Wesleyan University* Lincoln, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Sept. 8-9 Graceland “Pizza Shack” Invite Lamoni, Iowa TBA Sept. 10 Doane JV Tournament Crete, Neb. TBA Sept. 13 Dana College* Blair, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Bronco Invitational: Sept. 15 Friends Hastings, Neb. Noon Sept. 15 National American Hastings, Neb. 4:00 p.m. Sept. 16 Benedictine Hastings, Neb. 10:00 a.m. Sept. 16 St. Xavier Hastings, Neb. 2:00 p.m. Sept. 17 Hastings JV Tournament Hastings, Neb. TBA Sept. 20 * Hastings, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 Seward, Neb. 7:00 p.m. Sept. 29 Dakota Wesleyan Univ* Mitchell, S.D. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 Univ. of Sioux Falls* Sioux Falls, S.D. 1:30/3:00 p.m. Oct. 3 Doane College* Seward, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 Morningside College* Seward, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 Briar Cliff College* (Parent’s Night) Seward, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 Nebraska Wesleyan University* Seward, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 17 Midland Lutheran College* Seward, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 Mt. Marty College* Yankton, S.D. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 Northwestern College* Orange City, Iowa 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 Dana College* Seward, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 Dordt College* Seward, Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 Hastings College* (Senior’s Night) Seward , Neb. 6:00/7:30 p.m. Nov. 4,8,11 GPAC Tournament Highest Seed TBA Nov. 16-18 Region III Tournament TBA TBA Nov. 29-12/2 NAIA National Tournament Columbia, MO TBA

*Indicates Great Plains Athletic Conference Games Tournament Matches in ITALICS All Home Matches in BOLD Concordia Volleyball Roster

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown Previous School 1 Kelli Ziegler S 5-11 Fr. Lincoln, Neb. Lincoln Lutheran 2 Elise Stocker S 5-7 Fr. Schertz, Texas Samuel Clemens 3 Katie Werner MB 6-2 Jr. Syracuse, Neb. Syracuse 4 Abby Schuldheisz DS 5-7 So. Portland, Ore. Portland Lutheran 5 Lisa Onnen OH 5-9 Jr. Davenport, Neb. Bruning-Davenport 6 Natalie Koopman-Meyers OH 6-0 Sr. Scribner, Neb. Scribner-Snyder 7 Jackelyn Chandler DS 5-5 Fr. Bellevue, Neb. Bellevue East 8 Kate Phillips OH 5-8 Fr. Woodward, Iowa Woodward-Granger 9 Megan Hathaway DS 5-9 Sr. Phoenix, Ariz. Valley Lutheran 10 Alicia Ogden OH 5-5 Fr. Odessa, Mo. Odessa 11 Dani Hoagland MB 6-0 Fr. Rushville, Neb. Gordon-Rushville 12 Kelsey Affolter MB 5-11 Fr. Dickinson, Texas Santa Fe 13 Jaelle Rodenbeck OH 5-9 Sr. Fort Wayne, Ind. Concordia Lutheran 14 Laura Albertson RS 5-9 Jr. Colorado Springs, Colo. Liberty 15 Melanie Busse DS 5-6 Sr. Shickley, Neb. Shickley 19 Christina Lark DS 5-7 Sr. St. Paul, Minn. Concordia Academy 20 Katie Douglas RS 5-9 Fr. Gwinner, N.D. North Sargent 21 Janell Parry RS 6-0 Jr. Morganville, Kan. Clay Center 22 Jene’ Bertels MB 5-11 So. Glen Carbon, Ill. Metro East Lutheran 23 Kristen Czapla MB 5-9 Fr. Genoa, Neb. Twin River 24 Joni Graumann MB 5-8 Fr. Rapid City, S.D. Rapid City Christian 25 Kate Kluge S 5-6 Jr. Rochester, Minn. Century

Head Coach: Rachel Miller (2nd Year) Graduate Assistant: Heather Welty Junior Varsity Coach: Gina Kotas Assistant Coach: Matt Buttermore Team Manager: Ashley Smith Concordia Volleyball Player Info/Coaches

Returning Starters Starters Lost Jaelle Rodenbeck, OH, 5-9, Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind. Karin Krieger, S, 5-9, Sr. Natalie Koopman-Meyers, OH, 6-0, Sr., Scribner, Neb. Jodi Vakoc, MB, 5-11, Sr. Katie Werner, MB, 6-2, Jr., Syracuse, Neb. Tasha Osten, RS, 5-7, Sr. Jessica Otte, L, 5-7, Sr. Other Returning Letterwinners Courtney Rosendahl, DS, 5-3, Sr. Megan Hathaway, DS, 5-9, Sr., Phoenix, Ariz. Melanie Busse, DS, 5-6, Sr., Shickley, Neb. Other Letterwinners Lost Laura Albertson, RS, 5-9, Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo. Sarah Cooper, OH, 5-10, Sr. Top Newcomers Gail Endorf, MB, 5-10, Sr. Kelli Ziegler, S, Lincoln Lutheran, Lincoln, Neb. Melissa Burger, RS, 5-10, Sr. Kelsey Affolter, MB, Santa Fe, Dickinson, Texas Dani Hoagland, MB, Gordon-Rushville, Rushville, Neb. Alicia Ogden, OH, Odessa, Odessa, Mo. Returning Statistical Leaders Katie Werner: 123 G, 396 K, 3.22 K/G, .343 Attack Percentage, 88 BS, 92, BA, 1.46 B/G, 37 Digs Natalie Koopman-Meyers: 117 G, 307 K, 2.62 K/G, 28 SA, 19 BS, 35, BA, 365 Digs, 3.12 Digs/G Jaelle Rodenbeck: 123 G, 324 K, 2.63 K/G, 50 SA, 50, BA, 288 Digs, 2.34 Digs/G

Rachel Miller Head Coach Rachel Miller enters her second year as the head coach of the Bulldogs. In her first year at the helm the Bulldogs had their best start in school history, winning 18 straight matches to open the season. A native of Clarinda, Iowa, she was a four-year letterwinner at Concordia and graduated in 2003 with a B.S. degree in biology and chemistry.

Before taking over as head coach, Miller served as an assistant at Concordia. In addition, she has served as a club vol- leyball coach for the past eight years, coaching teams such as Nebraska ONE, one of the premiere club teams in the state. During her playing days as a Bulldog, Miller was a four-time All-Conference selection, three-time All-American, and two-time Academic All-American. She was three-time team MVP and the Concordia female athlete of the year in 2002.

Miller and her husband Karl, also a Concordia graduate and an assistant coach for the football team, live in Seward.

Heather Welty Matthew Buttermore Gina Kotas Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Junior Varsity Coach Welty, a Wichita, Kan., native, is enter- Buttermore is entering his first-year as Kotas, a Milligan, Neb., native, is in her ing her first-year as a graduate assis- an assistant for the Bulldogs. He has first year as the junior varsity coach. tant for the Bulldogs. Last season she experience coaching numerous volley- served as a student assistant. ball club teams. She was a two-year letterwinner at Concordia and lead the team in assists A former Concordia player, she was A graduate of the University of Findlay, her final season. In addition she was a a two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete and Buttermore was a four year letterwinner two-time AVCA Academic Award win- four-time AVCA Academic Award win- and academic all-conference performer ner. ner. She also led the team in service for the men’s volleyball team. He also aces, was second in kills and was third holds University of Findlay school re- After her playing days Kotas served in blocks her senior year while serving cords for blocks in a single match and as the assistant coach at Iowa Central as a co-captain. total season. Community College in 2005. Concordia Volleyball Season Outlook

In her first season at the helm of the Concordia University, Nebraska volleyball program Head CoachRachel Miller guided the Bulldogs to a school best 18 consecutive wins to start the season. Concordia went 6-11 the rest of the way en route to a 24-11 record, the most wins since 2000, but Miller is expecting more down the stretch in 2006 from the Bulldogs.

“I think we will finish stronger as a team this season,” said Miller. “How quickly we get to a consistent level and come togethr as a team will be key. The first two weeks of the season will set the tone.”

With only three starters returning and eight seniors lost to graduation, the Bulldogs look to blend experience with youth, particularly at the setter position. To start the season junior Kate Kluge and freshman Kelli Ziegler figure to handle most of the duties.

“Kate and Kelli are battling for the position,” Miller said. “How they perform during the first weeks of practice will dictate whether we run a 5-1 or 6-2 system.”

Kluge handled the setting for the junior varsity squad last season for Concordia. Ziegler helped Lincoln Lutheran to a state championship her junior season and a state runner-up finish her senior season while setting the Lincoln Lutheran school record for most assists per match with 58.

The Bulldogs return their top three leaders in kills including two All-GPAC selections in junior Katie Werner, a first-team pick, and senior Jaelle Rodenbeck, who earned second-team accolades. Werner, also an All-NAIA Region III selection, led the team with 3.22 kills per game and an attacking percentage of .343 last season also had 180 total blocks, 88 of them solo.

“We want to keep feeding Katie in the middle,” said Miller. “Other teams know that she is one they have to stop, and we need to keep going to her until they prove they can shut her down.”

On the outside both starters are back in Rodenbeck and Natalie Koopman-Meyers after having successful campaigns in 2005.

“We have a lot of experience at the outside as both Natalie and Jaelle were starters last year,” Miller added. “Having that experience should be helpful, especially with a new setter running the offense.”

Another area where the Bulldogs may have to depend on some new faces is on the right side. Laura Albertson, a junior ,was a frontrunner to hold down the position but was injured during preseason workouts. That means that fellow junior Janell Parry and freshman Dani Hoagland will need to step up.

Defensively the squad has some holes to fill with the departure of seniors Jessica Otte and Courtney Rosendahl. Stepping in will be Megan Hathaway, who saw action in 50 games for the Bulldogs last season notching 68 digs. Also figuring into the mix should be senior Melanie Busse and freshman Jacki Chandler.

“The freshmen are going to have to make a quick adjustment to the speed of the college game,” said Miller. “Even though many of our newcomers played against solid high school competition, it is still a jump at this level. We need them come out from match one and be aggressive.”

In the conference race the Bulldogs were picked to finish seventh according to the 2006 GPAC preseason coaches poll, the same spot the finished in last year. Dordt is once again the conference favorite.

“I think where we are in the GPAC poll is good. We aren’t so high that we have a target on our back, but at the same time we have room to move up,” Miller said. “The GPAC is always tough and I expect the same this season.”

Concordia should see a host of talented teams during tournaments early in the season. The Bulldogs will compete in four different tournaments, the Red Raider Classic in Orange City, Iowa, the Best Western Classic in Columbia, Mo., the Grace- land “Pizza Shack” Invite in Lamoni, Iowa and the Bronco Invite in Hastings, Neb.

“We will be facing a lot tougher competition, a lot sooner with the tournaments we are in,” said Miller. “I think last year we peaked a little bit too soon and seeing the higher level of competition early should help move us to the next level.”

The Bulldogs will have to prove their worth on the road to start the season as they will not play a home contest until Sept. 25 against York College at 7:00 p.m. Concordia opens the season taking on at the Red Raider Classic on Aug. 25 at 2:15 p.m. Concordia Volleyball 2005 Recap

Kills Service Aces Digs Katie Werner...... 396 Karin Krieger...... 64 Jaelle Rodenbeck...... 475 Jaelle Rodenbeck...... 324 Courtney Rosendahl...... 56 Jessica Otte...... 373 Natalie Koopman-Meyers...... 307 Jaelle Rodenbeck...... 50 Natalie Koopman-Meyers...... 365 Jodi Vakoc...... 288 Jodi Vakoc...... 31 Karin Krieger...... 288 Tasha Osten...... 131 Natalie Koopman-Meyers...... 28 Courtney Rosendahl...... 261

Assists Attack Efficiency Blocks Karin Krieger...... 1303 Katie Werner...... 343 Katie Werner...... 180 Kate Kluge...... 50 Jodi Vakoc...... 278 Jodi Vakoc...... 121 Tasha Osten...... 45 Gail Endorf...... 278 Tasha Osten...... 58 Courtney Rosendahl...... 19 Tasha Osten...... 187 Karin Krieger...... 57 Jaelle Rodenbeck...... 7 Sarah Cooper...... 173 Natalie Koopman-Meyers...... 54

2005 GPAC Standings Team Statistics GPAC All Attack Dordt...... 16-0 40-5 Kills...... 1681 Hastings College...... 15-1 35-6 Errors...... 670 Briar Cliff University...... 11-5 29-9 Total Attacks...... 4886 Doane College...... 11-5 24-16 Attack Percentage...... 207 Northwestern College...... 11-5 24-11 Kills/Game...... 13.6 Set Morningside College...... 9-7 19-15 Assists...... 1459 Concordia University...... 9-7 24-11 Attempts...... 3548 Nebraska Wesleyan...... 6-10 13-16 Assist Percentage...... 411 Midland Lutheran College...... 5-11 10-24 Assists/Game...... 11.8 Dakota Wesleyan University...... 3-13 9-22 Serve Dana College...... 3-13 10-21 Aces...... 271 University of Sioux Falls...... 2-14 10-23 Errors...... 288 Attempts...... 3060 Serve Percentage...... 906 GPAC Honors Aces/Game...... 2.2 All-conference first-team: Serve Receptions Katie Werner, Syracuse, Neb. Errors...... 167 Errors/Game...... 1.3 All-conference second-team: Attempts...... 2530 Jaelle Rodenbeck, Fort Wayne, Ind. Reception Percentage...... 934 Honorable mention: Defense Karin Krieger, Phoenix, Ariz. Digs...... 2184 Setter of the week: Digs/Game...... 17.6 Week 5: Karin Krieger Blocking Week 8: Karin Krieger Block Solo...... 190 Block Assists...... 331 Player of the week: Total Blocks...... 355.5 Week 2: Katie Werner Blocks/Game...... 2.9

NAIA Scholar-Athletes Courtney Rosendahl, Columbus, Neb., Senior Karin Krieger, Phoenix, Ariz., Senior Jodi Vakoc, Verdigre, Neb., Senior Jessica Otte, Denver, Colo., Senior