Gearing up for NCAA women’s season – Big Sky Conference

Oh lordy, we’re falling behind schedule on these. But let’s just do what we can. The rundown:

America East Conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Patriot League
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Big Sky Conference
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Northeast Conference
Big South Conference
Colonial Athletic Association
Ohio Valley Conference
Horizon League
Western Athletic Conference
Southland Conference
Conference USA
The Summit League
Atlantic Sun Conference
American Athletic Conference
Ivy League
Southern Conference
Mid-American Conference
Sun Belt Conference
Atlantic 10 Conference
Big West Conference
Mountain West Conference
Big East Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Southeastern Conference
Big 12 Conference
West Coast Conference
Big Ten Conference
Pac-12 Conference

So here we have our first west-coast conference (lower case). Recent expansion has had the conference add teams in California, Utah, and North Dakota. Next year, they’ll re-add charter members Idaho, but for 2013 they stand pat with the same 11 teams they had last year. The Big Sky appears to be unique in a couple of regards — they began their life as an NCAA Division II conference (or, as it was called then, “College Division”), and also that the conference does not sponsor baseball. Nearly every all-sport NCAA conference does.

The Big Sky is a strong conference in Football Championship Subdivision (along with its antecedents). Big Sky teams won the championship in 1976, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1995, 2001, and 2010. Expansions in recent years have the conference staking claim to a presence in every state west of the Rockies bar Nevada, and as far east as North Dakota. Next year, charter members Idaho will rejoin after 18 years spent in the Big West and Western Athletic Conferences, but there are no new members this year. The same 11 teams who constituted the conference in 2012 will do so again in 2013.

And here were the year-end Big Sky volleyball standings:

1. Portland State 17-3 (21-11)
2. Idaho State 16-4 (23-8)
3. Northern Arizona 15-5 (24-7)
4. Northern Colorado 14-6 (24-11)
5. North Dakota 10-10 (15-17)
6. Montana State 9-11 (15-14)
7. Sacramento State 8-12 (12-18)
8. Southern Utah 8-12 (12-20)
9. Eastern Washington 5-15 (5-26)
10. Weber State 4-16 (11-21)
11. Montana 4-16 (6-23)

Big Sky tournament hosts Northern Colorado (this was determined before the season) turned what would seem to be a few minor upsets as the #4 seed to win it, last beating Idaho State. But they were actually the highest-ranked of the top four teams in the league in the RPI rankings, and in any case all four teams were relatively close together, so none of them obviously deserved the bid over any other. They took on the #5 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which if you’ll recall were eventual national runners-up Oregon. Obviously, the Ducks won the match, but the Bears put up a respectable effort, falling (25-14, 25-19, 25-18).

The Big Sky regular season champs from a year ago, the Portland State Vikings will have the honours of hosting the tournament this year. They look like they’re in pretty good shape to be playing in that tournament on home court, as from last year to this the only major contributor they lost was outside hitter Megan Ellis, the team’s second-leading scorer a year ago. Major returners include top scorer Jaklyn Wheeler (more total kills and a higher rate than Ellis, in slightly less playing time) and setter Garyn Schlatter. Both of them were first-team all Big Sky last season, Schlatter for the third season in a row — the first Viking ever to be so named. The Vikings might also have the best libero in the conference, with Kasi Clark the only returning back-row specialist to attain all conference honours a season ago. She averaged 5.38 digs per set last year to lead the conference, and will only be a junior this fall. Portland State likewise led the conference in team defensive figures, by more than a dig per set (they also had the best attack percentage against). Blocking also looks pretty solid, with Leigh-Ann Haataja and Katie O’Brien both returning as juniors this fall after putting up over 100 total blocks each as sophomores. And Schlatter’s no slouch as a blocker either, she had 89 a season ago. This is gonna be a good team again this year, and they’ve got a core in place for 2014 as well. They could end up being good for a while.

Portland State open their 2013 season with the Northwest Challenge, as they play host to Boise State, Gonzaga, and Washington. Interestingly, this is the fourth straight year these four teams have met in a preseason invitational together — the hosting duties have changed hands each year. Portland State’s head coach is Michael Seeman, in his seventh season at the helm. The Vikings’ only two NCAA tournament appearances have come during Seeman’s tenure.

You may have noticed that I held back from calling Portland State’s Schlatter the best returning setter in the Big Sky, despite some pretty good honours and statistical output on her part. That’s because the Big Sky MVP a year ago was also a setter, and she also returns — Idaho State’s Lori Mendenhall was so named, the first Bengal in 22 years to win this award and just the second ever. Another second-in-program-history honour in 2012 was head coach Chad Teigert‘s selection as Big Sky Coach of the Year. Teigert is what you would call a program-builder — his record as head coach his first year was a meager 10-20, but it’s gotten better every year since. Last year the Bengals came agonisingly close to the NCAA tournament, losing a five-set final to Northern Colorado where they won the first two sets. Does further improvement await?

Of course, the Bengals do lose a couple of big contributors from last season to this, outside hitter Breanne Van Every and middle blocker Jaclyn Hone-Hawkins (a third departed senior got only occasional playing time last year). The team haven’t highlighted any incoming recruits, so it’s unclear who if anyone from the younger classes might step up to replace them. Tressa Lyman returns having been the team’s top scorer a year ago as a redshirt freshman, probably presaging a productive college career. Libero Kylee Searle is the other returner, besides Mendenhall, to play in every match last year, but Idaho State’s defence was only middle of the pack in the Big Sky last year. It seems someone will need to, as of the Bengals’ major strengths last year, Mendenhall’s setting is the only one that returns.

Northern Arizona use the nickname “Lumberjacks” for all their sports teams, regardless of gender. Another school to use this nickname, Stephen F. Austin State, name their female teams the “Ladyjacks.” Firefox doesn’t seem to think that’s a word, and I agree, so good on NAU.

This looks like it’s going to be a pretty lean year for the Lumberjacks. Incumbent head coach Craig Choate retired in May, leaving the team without a head coach after their spring play wrapped up. As of now, they have yet to replace him. Only two (rather young) assistant coaches are listed on the team’s website. And from last year to this, the team lost a big core of players. Five seniors graduated, and a sixth player who was listed as a sophomore last year isn’t on the roster for this year, a probable transfer (though I can’t find confirmation of that).

The team’s top scorer from last year actually does return, sophomore-to-be Janae Vander Ploeg, though what backup there is behind her seems a little bit of a question. Blocking should be solid, with Sydney Kemper and Payton Bock returning from productive 2012 campaigns. Both were all Big Sky last season, Bock first-team (the only freshman so named) and Kemper honourable mention. The question of who takes up the setting duties is an interesting one. Six-foot-two Erin Truett would likely bolster the blocking, but it bears pointing out that despite being on the active roster last season, she didn’t see any action. So the job might go to incoming freshman Jensen Barton instead. Only ten players are currently listed on Northern Arizona’s current roster, so either further freshmen or transfers are incoming, or it’s going to be a very lean year indeed.

The Bears have done pretty well for themselves since joining the Big Sky, not least last year’s NCAA tournament berth. It was their third in the past four seasons (and they’ve only been members of the conference since 2006). In some ways, it was their least likely, since they had to win three matches to do it being that they were only the #4 seed. But playing at home surely helped.

Three seniors from three different positions graduated last year. And there’s two ways of looking at that — either the team will be badly effected losing contributors in multiple areas, or they’ll survive, since other contributors remain. Time will tell. Setter Marissa Hughes, all Big Sky honourable mention, was probably the biggest loss. Currently, incoming freshman Ashley Guthrie is the only setter on the roster for this season, and running the offence all year is a tall ask of a true freshman. I imagine she’ll get backup (or be the backup) one way or another. Middle blocker Andrea Spaustat is probably UNC’s top returner, having been second-team all Big Sky last year. Fellow middle Brianna Strong also returns as a junior, to give the team a solid 1-2 punch up the gut. Backbone offence looks like it’ll be a major question mark, as those two are also the team’s top-scoring returners — no outside hitters with higher output return. Senior-to-be Alyssa Wilson will likely have to step up from her support role in 2012. One or more of sophomores Kendra Cunningham and Katie Champion or perhaps incoming recruit Cheyanne Lyons will have to do the same. Northern Colorado begin their season 30 August at home against Cal Poly.

The University of North Dakota are prohibited from taking a nickname for another two years, after the brouhaha over their previous “Fighting Sioux” moniker. This year represents an undeniable peak for the….uhh, North Dakota volleyball team. They had no seniors on their roster last year and return a remarkably large roster, 20 players deep. In their first season in the conference last year, they were middle of the road in just about everything except blocks, where they were next-from-last. Ironically, the middle is where we find the team’s one all-conference selection last year, that being Ronni Munkeby, one of four seniors this year. Of the other seniors-to-be, only one was a major contributor last year, middle blocker Lisa Parlich. Backbone offence will probably come from junior-to-be Lexi Robinson at the outside hitter position. Libero Lauren Clarke is the second-most prodigious defender in the conference to return from last season. As a freshman last year, she put up 4.28 digs per set, which head coach Ashley Hardee has said he hopes will rise to above 5 this coming season. North Dakota haven’t revealed their 2013 schedule, but Hardee did comment in the linked video that they’ll host a four-team invitational with South Dakota State and nationally ranked teams from the SEC and the Big 12, giving a nice early test to a team that look like they may be on the rise.

The Montana State Bobcats (or ‘Bobcat Spikers’ as it seems the volleyball team specifically are known) were the final team to sneak into the Big Sky tournament last year. But they’re a team in pretty major flux for next season, despite only having had two seniors last year. Middle blocker Taylar Barney and setter Jennifer Lundquist were both contributors who will be missed, but the big blow to the team’s fortunes in 2013 is the transfer of outside hitter Sarah Horton. She was first team all-Big Sky last year, leading the conference in kills per set by sizable margin, but she now heads to Boise State for her senior year.

An impressive eight-player incoming class, ranked among the best in the nation, bolsters the ranks. All but unique among NCAA women’s teams, only eight players got regular playing time last season (the ninth appeared in only about 10% of the team’s action), so it’s tough to say if any of the newcomers will see the court this fall. There are returners at every position, including Kasey Schlatter (Garyn’s kid sister) and Eli Svisco on the pins, Natalee Godfrey up the middle, and Nicole Baker as a back-row specialist. Setter Leigh Stonerook would seem to have redshirted last year, as she didn’t play even one set in her true freshman year. She will probably compete for the job with incoming recruit Anna Sykora. The Bobcat Spikers will begin their season at an invitational hosted by the University of Utah.

That would be the logo for a team called the Hornets. Don’t ask me. Sacramento State may be in for a bit of regression, as they lost six seniors off their 2012 roster, four of whom were regular contributors. That team plateaued at a level where they just missed the postseason, so that might not bode well for this year. Right-side hitter Kayla Beal returns having been second team all-Big Sky last year. She played every match and every set last year and was a very good contributor to backbone offence, but the next three highest scorers the Hornets had in 2012 are all gone. A transfer from West Virginia, redshirt freshman Kendall LaVine, will help a bit, but I’m not even sure who the next best option on the pins is, and that’s a big question mark to be carrying into the season. Lauren Aikels and Sloan Lovett return as OH’s, but their playing time last year was so limited it’s hard to extrapolate their value for 2013. Two players, a middle and an outside hitter, have signed as freshman recruits, so they may figure into the mix too. Hannah Hetinga did most of the setting last year and returns for her senior season in 2013. The Hornets were the top team in the Big Sky in blocking last year, but it’s probably a tall order to repeat that feat this coming season. Sacramento State will start their season at an invitational hosted by La Salle.

Southern Utah were the new kids on the block last year. Volleyball would have been one of the school’s first seasons in their first academic year as members of the Big Sky (having departed the Summit League effective in 2012). Four seniors departed the Thunderbird ranks after 2012, including their only two all conference selections Analaine Mailoto and Cashaana Renfro, outside hitter and middle blocker respectively. Right-side hitter Kylie Schofield is the team’s top returning scorer at a pretty pedestrian 2.17 kills per set (only Mailoto was above 3 last year, and she nearly had 4). Renfro anchored a block that was second-best in the Big Sky last year, and the mantel of leadership up the middle this year would seem to fall to Annie Stradling, who was just under a block per set last year. At 6-foot-3, she’s definitely got the physical tools to be an elite blocker. But for as strong as the front-row defence was last year, that’s how weak the back-row defence was — second from last in digs. Alissa Youart, who is listed as an outside hitter, led the club in digs individually last year, but there were a lot of players with essentially the same totals in that area. Four players join the program as incoming freshmen, including Mailoto’s younger sister Sariah Pelaez (Mailoto is married) and Joanna Christenson, younger sister of Micah Christenson, star setter of USC’s men’s team.

The Eastern Washington Eagles welcome a new-old head coach this season, as Wade Benson returns to the post having previously coached the team for a successful stint between 2000 and 2006. In the interim, he coached at Auburn. I don’t exactly guess it was his choice to leave the SEC for the Big Sky, but I imagine he’s probably happy enough to be back where he’s had success before. They’ve got a bit of a carousel in terms of their roster composition from last year to this. The team highlight outside hitter Melissa Waelter as an incoming transfer from South Alabama, and also have three incoming juco transfers, all of them from the nation of Serbia. Two of them, outside hitter Stanka Panic and setter Milica Nisavic, are in fact childhood friends. The team also lose a transfer, sending setter Britta Forsythe to Grand Canyon University.

Middle blocker Talia Fermantez is the team’s top returner in terms of playing time, playing in all but two matches in and all but ten sets. Sophomore outside hitter Allie Schumacher, seeing action in about three-fourths of the team’s matches and sets, is the top returning scorer having posted an even 200 kills last year. Naturally, with a team this low in the order, none of the numbers are all that impressive, but with lots of returners and some experienced transfers, there may be room to grow. Eastern Washington begin their season at an invitational hosted by the University of Oregon on 30 August.

For whatever it’s worth, Weber State were probably a little bit lucky to avoid finishing in the cellar in 2012. They were at the bottom of pretty much every statistical ranking in the Big Sky last season. They were notably weak in back-row defence, and have taken steps to try to address that, signing two juco transfers at the libero position. Another notable transfer is outside hitter Samantha Staker, who spent her freshman year last year with BYU.

There were two exceptions to the Wildcats’ tendencies to find themselves at the back of the pack in the Big Sky last year — serving and blocking. They were upper-third in both. Audrey Gee led the team and was solidly fifth in the conference last year in blocks per set, notching 1.18. Rebecca Fuchs returns having been second on the team in aces with 26, but more importantly having started every match last year and played all but one set. She also led the team in scoring output, albeit at a meager 2.74 kills per set. Both were freshmen last year and will likely improve this year. With setter Caitlin Penrod gone to graduation, the setting duties fall to Whitney Hunt, who played in all but one match last year but accrued no significant statistics (about an assist and a half per set). Middle blocker Briana Wilms and back-row specialist McKay Tarbox (like the name) are also among the returners who saw solid playing time in 2012.

Lastly in 2012 were the Montana Grizzlies. They were led middle blocker Brooke Bray last season, she of 1.26 blocks per set (equal second-best in the conference and best among anyone returning for 2013). She also posted a very good scoring output for a middle, just under two and a half kills per set, and was also equal second-best in attacking percentage. Much like Weber State, and much as you could guess from their finishing position in the standings, Montana State were pretty close to the bottom in most statistical areas last year. The team lose their biggest scorer from a year ago, Kayla Reno, so junior-to-be Kelsey Schile will have to ratchet up her production, as will the underclassmen behind her. The team have taken on a five-player recruiting class, which was spaced out over three announcements (three links there). Montana begin their season on 30 August (going to be a very busy day) at an invitational hosted by the University of Virginia.

The verdict

Other than the top of the mountain, I see a heck of a lot of flux in this conference. Lots of teams who peaked a season ago, and some more who maybe weren’t so glad last season but have a real chance to be this year considering they have experienced returners. With six of the 11 teams making the season-end Big Sky tournament, it’s anybody’s NCAA tournament bid until the final match point falls.

TNS SWAG

1. Portland State
2. North Dakota
3. Idaho State
4. Montana State
5. Northern Colorado
6. Southern Utah
7. Eastern Washington
8. Northern Arizona
9. Sacramento State
10. Montana
11. Weber State