Morningside volleyball team unites local preps
By Steven Allspach Journal sports writer | Posted: Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Home is where Cassie Cheever, Cara DeStigter, Megan Tuttle and Brianna Paulsen put their collective volleyball heart and soul.
They never left Sioux City to ply their trade as collegians.
Kali Angerman, though, wandered off for awhile, but she too has returned home and now the five former Sioux City prep stars are united in a quest to prove Great Plains Athletic Conference coaches wrong about their Morningside College volleyball team in 2007.
"I'm not saying it was a put-down by the coaches by picking us to finish only seventh (in a preseason poll), but that's probably where they felt we'd be,'' said Cheever, a 6-foot senior middle blocker and returning all-conference first-teamer. "Our record was 18-17 last year. That's probably not spectacular so they (coaches) had their reasons to pick us seventh.
"Remember, though, we have about every girl back from that team and a lot of newcomers. I think we're better than seventh, that's for sure.
"Plus, we've got a great new coach (Rick Pruett) and he's really pushing us, but at the same time making it fun.''
Cheever, who hammered 455 kills with a .342 hitting percentage and made 125 blocks last season, was a third-team all-stater as a Heelan senior.
While Cheever played at Heelan, DeStigter was a Class 4A first-team all-stater in 2004, leading North to a state tournament berth.
The 5-11 junior blasted 431 kills last season and made a school-record 531 digs, covering territory like Lewis and Clark to earn second-team all-conference accolades.
"We've only had six days of practice, but you can already sense we've got a real positive team chemistry and enthusiasm,'' said DeStigter. "There are 27 of us and a nice blend of returning players and some very impressive new girls.
"Six of us have starting experience, but we have three transfers who played a lot at their schools last year and Megan Tuttle is back with us after missing last year with a knee injury.
"Our coach has created an awesome practice atmosphere and we can't wait to get started.''
The Mustangs and Pruett, the new coach, met the media Tuesday.
The 2007 edition of Morningside volleyball opens the season Aug. 24-25 in Northwestern's Red Raider Classic in Orange City.
Pruett's Mustangs will face Waldorf, Georgetown (Ky.), College of the Southwest and Valley City State in Orange City, then opens GPAC play on Aug. 28 against Sioux Falls.
Along with Cheever and DeStigter, setter Katie Kotlik, outside hitters Catie Bobier and Andra Pedersen and defensive specialist Jericho Johnson were starters last season.
Tuttle, an East High graduate like Angerman and Paulsen, played extensively two years ago, but the junior missed last season while recuperating from a torn ACL. In 2005 she made 232 digs in 101 games.
Other returning letterwinners are middle blocker Paulsen, outside hitters Kelly Pudenz and Kristen Westergaard and setter Kayla Shoup.
Among the newcomers expected to move into the rotation from the git-go are transfers Angerman, Amber Jarzynka and Michele Burkart.
Angerman was the starting setter the past two seasons at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan., earning Jayhawk Conference all-league plaudits as a freshman and sophomore.
In her two seasons at Barton, Angerman helped the team to a 77-19 record, including a 31-8 mark last year.
"We had a very good team last year, but we weren't eligible for postseason play because our school was on probation for rules violations with the men's basketball program,'' said the 5-9 junior. "That was a disappointment because we had hopes of getting to the national tournament.''
As a freshman, one of the highlights of Angerman's career came when her team defeated Miami-Dade (Fla.), the No. 2-ranked junior college team at the time and the reigning national champion.
In that upset, Angerman had 54 assists and 12 digs.
She finished at Barton with 1,985 career assists, including 1,392 as a freshman. She shared setting duties as a sophomore and also drilled 99 service aces in 2005, a total that ranks as the fourth-best single-season number in Barton history.
"Barton County has a great volleyball reputation and that's one of the reasons I decided to enroll there,'' said Angerman. "You always have hopes and dreams of going to a higher level, but I'm happy to be back home and playing for Morningside.
"I like our coach and this is certainly an enthusiastic group of girls. There's a real team feeling.''
Another transfer, Jarzynka, a 5-11 junior middle, earned NAIA honorable mention All-America plaudits at Bellevue (Neb.) University last year when she averaged 4.38 kills a game.
And, making the move to Morningside from Penn is defensive specialist Michele Burkart, a senior who had 3.64 digs a game last year for the Statesmen.
The two other returning big hitters, Andra Pedersen and Cattie Bobier, pounded 249 and 239 kills, respectively, last season.
Pruett, who replaces Aaron Nelson, takes the Morningside coaching helm with 10 years experience as a head coach, including the last four at Oskaloosa-based William Penn, which plays in the NAIA Midwest Classic Conference.
The graduate of Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson High School and Dakota Wesleyan University, coached two years at Midland Lutheran and four years at Concordia (Ill.) before going to William Penn.
At Penn, Pruett's teams were 73-83, including a 47-35 log in his first two campaigns.
"We've got some goals for the long term, but right now we're focusing on the everyday things,'' said Pruett, "the fundamentals in all aspects of the game that make you better.
"Put those things together and the long-range goals become more realistic.
"I love the enthusiasm and energy of this team. They're working hard, but we're trying to make it fun, too. There's a fine line in volleyball. You don't want to make it drudgery.
"With the mix of returning starters and the new kids we're obviously optimistic.
"But, keep in mind we're playing in the strongest NAIA conference in the country with Dordt, Hastings and Northwestern, programs like that.''
Morningside was 7-9 in the GPAC last year, finishing seventh.
See the entire Morningside volleyball roster: Click here:
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/08/15/sports/sports/66CB424C8BF945A686257337007D030C.txt
They never left Sioux City to ply their trade as collegians.
Kali Angerman, though, wandered off for awhile, but she too has returned home and now the five former Sioux City prep stars are united in a quest to prove Great Plains Athletic Conference coaches wrong about their Morningside College volleyball team in 2007.
"I'm not saying it was a put-down by the coaches by picking us to finish only seventh (in a preseason poll), but that's probably where they felt we'd be,'' said Cheever, a 6-foot senior middle blocker and returning all-conference first-teamer. "Our record was 18-17 last year. That's probably not spectacular so they (coaches) had their reasons to pick us seventh.
"Remember, though, we have about every girl back from that team and a lot of newcomers. I think we're better than seventh, that's for sure.
"Plus, we've got a great new coach (Rick Pruett) and he's really pushing us, but at the same time making it fun.''
Cheever, who hammered 455 kills with a .342 hitting percentage and made 125 blocks last season, was a third-team all-stater as a Heelan senior.
While Cheever played at Heelan, DeStigter was a Class 4A first-team all-stater in 2004, leading North to a state tournament berth.
The 5-11 junior blasted 431 kills last season and made a school-record 531 digs, covering territory like Lewis and Clark to earn second-team all-conference accolades.
"We've only had six days of practice, but you can already sense we've got a real positive team chemistry and enthusiasm,'' said DeStigter. "There are 27 of us and a nice blend of returning players and some very impressive new girls.
"Six of us have starting experience, but we have three transfers who played a lot at their schools last year and Megan Tuttle is back with us after missing last year with a knee injury.
"Our coach has created an awesome practice atmosphere and we can't wait to get started.''
The Mustangs and Pruett, the new coach, met the media Tuesday.
The 2007 edition of Morningside volleyball opens the season Aug. 24-25 in Northwestern's Red Raider Classic in Orange City.
Pruett's Mustangs will face Waldorf, Georgetown (Ky.), College of the Southwest and Valley City State in Orange City, then opens GPAC play on Aug. 28 against Sioux Falls.
Along with Cheever and DeStigter, setter Katie Kotlik, outside hitters Catie Bobier and Andra Pedersen and defensive specialist Jericho Johnson were starters last season.
Tuttle, an East High graduate like Angerman and Paulsen, played extensively two years ago, but the junior missed last season while recuperating from a torn ACL. In 2005 she made 232 digs in 101 games.
Other returning letterwinners are middle blocker Paulsen, outside hitters Kelly Pudenz and Kristen Westergaard and setter Kayla Shoup.
Among the newcomers expected to move into the rotation from the git-go are transfers Angerman, Amber Jarzynka and Michele Burkart.
Angerman was the starting setter the past two seasons at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan., earning Jayhawk Conference all-league plaudits as a freshman and sophomore.
In her two seasons at Barton, Angerman helped the team to a 77-19 record, including a 31-8 mark last year.
"We had a very good team last year, but we weren't eligible for postseason play because our school was on probation for rules violations with the men's basketball program,'' said the 5-9 junior. "That was a disappointment because we had hopes of getting to the national tournament.''
As a freshman, one of the highlights of Angerman's career came when her team defeated Miami-Dade (Fla.), the No. 2-ranked junior college team at the time and the reigning national champion.
In that upset, Angerman had 54 assists and 12 digs.
She finished at Barton with 1,985 career assists, including 1,392 as a freshman. She shared setting duties as a sophomore and also drilled 99 service aces in 2005, a total that ranks as the fourth-best single-season number in Barton history.
"Barton County has a great volleyball reputation and that's one of the reasons I decided to enroll there,'' said Angerman. "You always have hopes and dreams of going to a higher level, but I'm happy to be back home and playing for Morningside.
"I like our coach and this is certainly an enthusiastic group of girls. There's a real team feeling.''
Another transfer, Jarzynka, a 5-11 junior middle, earned NAIA honorable mention All-America plaudits at Bellevue (Neb.) University last year when she averaged 4.38 kills a game.
And, making the move to Morningside from Penn is defensive specialist Michele Burkart, a senior who had 3.64 digs a game last year for the Statesmen.
The two other returning big hitters, Andra Pedersen and Cattie Bobier, pounded 249 and 239 kills, respectively, last season.
Pruett, who replaces Aaron Nelson, takes the Morningside coaching helm with 10 years experience as a head coach, including the last four at Oskaloosa-based William Penn, which plays in the NAIA Midwest Classic Conference.
The graduate of Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson High School and Dakota Wesleyan University, coached two years at Midland Lutheran and four years at Concordia (Ill.) before going to William Penn.
At Penn, Pruett's teams were 73-83, including a 47-35 log in his first two campaigns.
"We've got some goals for the long term, but right now we're focusing on the everyday things,'' said Pruett, "the fundamentals in all aspects of the game that make you better.
"Put those things together and the long-range goals become more realistic.
"I love the enthusiasm and energy of this team. They're working hard, but we're trying to make it fun, too. There's a fine line in volleyball. You don't want to make it drudgery.
"With the mix of returning starters and the new kids we're obviously optimistic.
"But, keep in mind we're playing in the strongest NAIA conference in the country with Dordt, Hastings and Northwestern, programs like that.''
Morningside was 7-9 in the GPAC last year, finishing seventh.
See the entire Morningside volleyball roster: Click here:
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/08/15/sports/sports/66CB424C8BF945A686257337007D030C.txt
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