Last season, head coach Tina Carter and the Grand View Vikings volleyball program spent much of the season as the surprise of the Midwest Collegiate Conference. After being picked seventh in the MCC Preseason Polls, the Vikings finished the season with a 7-1 conference record and earned a two-seed in the MCC Conference Tournament.
Coach Tina Carter is looking to take the next step in her third season as the leader of the Vikings volleyball program.
Carter's squad has the pieces in place to do so. With two returning all-conference players back, including the Midwest Collegiate Player and Newcomer of the Year, the Vikings look to remain atop the conference standings in 2010.
Leading the charge for the Vikings in her second year as the outside hitter for the Vikings is Devon Jensen (Underwood, Iowa). Jensen was honored in her freshman season with MCC Player of the Year, MCC Newcomer of the Year and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American honors. On the court she led the conference in kills per game (4.23 kpg), while tallying 3.38 digs per game and 68 blocks.
Joining Jensen on the Midwest Collegiate Conference All-Conference team last season was Amber Boevers (Sumner, Iowa). Boevers, in her junior season as a libero with the Vikings, was a first-team selection last season. She led the conference in digs (5.35 dpg) in 2009 and will be looked upon to provide experience and leadership this season.
Jensen is joined by fellow sophomores Sydney Stickrod (Carroll, Iowa), middle blocker Kathi Hinz (Coal Valley, Illinois) and setter Trista Wurr (Manning, Iowa). Stickrod and Wurr took part in over 100 games last season, while Hinz was a force in the middle for the Vikings in all 135 games.
The senior class for the Vikings will be led by outside hitter Lindsey Matthews (Wapello, Iowa) and defensive specialist Lindsey Cosgriff (Johnston, Iowa). Matthews and Cosgriff will provide the Vikings with the depth and experience needed to contend at the top of a talented conference. Joining the senior class is Megan Higgins, as she will be joining the Vikings after transferring from Dana College.
Coach Carter and her staff have put together another strong recruiting class. The 2010 recruiting class will be looked upon to compete early for playing time and be an integral part to the success of this year's team.
Highlighting the incoming freshman class are Paige Harris (Clive, Iowa), Nicole Boevers (Sumner, Iowa), Hillary Goos (West Liberty), Makenzie Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Kelsey Carbajo (Spring Hill, KS).
Harris is a 5-8 setter who excelled as a prep for the West Des Moines Valley Tigers. Harris earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors as a sophomore and First-Team All-Conference, All-District and Special Mention All-State honors as a junior and senior. In her senior season, Harris averaged 9.1 assists per game, helping lead her team to the State Tournament.
"Paige is a huge addition to the Grand View volleyball program and we are extremely excited to have her join our current team. She has come from a very successful high school and club background and is just what we need to compliment our core group of hitters. We expect her to contribute immediately to an already strong defensive core," said Carter.
Another incoming freshman who will look to have an immediate impact on the 2010 team is Nicole Boevers. As a defensive specialist at Wapsie Valley High School for four years, Boevers helped lead the Warriors to a Class 1A State Tournament title in 2006 and 2007. Boevers' club experience includes competing for Iowa Elite and Nike Six Pack.
"We are very excited to have Nicole join our program. She is a great addition to an already strong defensive core and we expect her to contribute immediately," Carter commented.
Hillary Goos, a 5-11 middle blocker from West Liberty High School, will also be another member of the strong incoming class. Goos spent last year at Mercy College and will provide added depth in the middle for the Vikings. As a prep athlete at West Liberty, Goos started all four years and earned all-conference honors in 2007 and 2008.
"Hillary is very athletic and provides depth to our middle blocker group. She has developed really well during pre-season and I think she can provide a great spark on both offense and defense," said Carter.
Makenzie Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Kelsey Carbajo (Spring Hill, KS) will provide depth at the setter position. Kennedy, an All-Mississippi Valley Conference performer in 2008 and 2009, will join the Vikings as a setter this fall. As a senior, Kennedy was also named the All-Metro team and holds her schools per game (9.97) and career (1609 in two seasons) assist records. Academically, she was honored as an academic all-conference performer after graduating with a 4.3 GPA.
Carbajo is a graduate of Spring Hill High School in Kansas, where she a three-year starting setter. In her senior year at Spring Hill High School Carbajo earned First Team All-League honors. As a junior, Carbajo was honored with Second Team All-League honors. Not only was Carbajo a successful volleyball player at Spring Hill High School, she also lettered in track & field, basketball, cross country and softball.
"Kelsey is a very nice addition to our 2010 recruiting class. She is energetic and hard working which will fit well into our system and with our current team. We are looking forward to working with her and seeing her develop over the next four years," said Coach Carter.
The Vikings will open their home schedule with a home tournament on August 27th and 28th. The Vikings will follow their home tournament with tournaments at Sioux Falls, Graceland, MidAmerican Nazarene and Bellevue. Grand View will open their conference season at home against Iowa Wesleyan College on September 8th at 7:00 pm.
