Nov. 18 | Setter named to all-region team

Baker University setter Jenifer Koelzer, a senior from Shawnee, Kan., has been named to the NAIA all-Region V volleyball team. She averaged 11.9 assists a game to lead the Wildcats in 2006.

Nov. 16 | Koelzer, Wardy make all-HAAC

Two Baker volleyball players were named to the all-Heart of America Athletic Conference first team.

Jenifer Koelzer, a senior setter from Shawnee, Kan., and Vanessa Wardy, a senior middle hitter from Tonganoxie, were named to the first squad.

Jayde Allen, a sophomore libero from Topeka, was Baker’s representative on the second team.

Senior specialist Kendra Cody, of Longton, Kan., and sophomore outside hitter Alexis Pryor, of Overbrook, Kan., received honorable mention.

Nov. 13 | Wildcats get second chance against Lions

For the second year in a row the Baker University Wildcats have qualified for the NAIA Region V tournament, this year as the No. 6 seed.

The Wildcats will face the No. 3 seed Lindenwood Lions Nov. 14 in St. Charles, Mo. at 7 p.m.

Earlier this season on Oct. 26, the Lions defeated Baker 30-28, 27-30, 30-21, 30-18 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play in Baldwin City, Kan eliminating the chance at a conference title. Baker also dropped a match to Lindenwood at the HAAC preseason tournament in August.

In HAAC tournament play, No. 4 seeded Baker reached the semifinals losing to No. 1 seeded William Jewell College in three games. Lindenwood defeated Jewell in the championship game.

Last season, the Wildcats entered the region tournament as the No. 7 seed and were defeated in the first round by Columbia College.

Region V consists of 11 HAAC schools and eight American Midwest Conference schools. Games will be played Nov. 14, 17 and 18.

#1 Columbia v. #8 Benedictine

#4 William Jewell v. #5 McKendree

#3 Lindenwood v. #6 Baker University

#2 Missouri Baptist v. #7 Graceland

All games are at 7pm at higher seed

Nov. 8 | Jewell defeats Wildcats in semis

The Wildcats run at a postseason conference championship came to the end as No. 1 William Jewell College defeated the No. 4 seed Wildcats 30-20, 30-23, 30-27.

Baker moved into the semis after deating No. 5 Evangel University in three games Saturday night at home.

The Wildcats will now have to wait to see if they rank high enough within the NAIA Region V power rankings to move on to the region championship. The region championships begins Nov. 14.

Nov. 8 | Two take HAAC honors

Two Baker University volleyball players won weekly honors from the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Senior Vanessa Wardy, a 6-foot senior middle hitter from Tonganoxie, was named Heart of America Athletic Conference volleyball player of the week. She compiled 30 kills and had only five errors in 52 attempts. She led the Wildcats with a .600 kill percentage and had no hitting errors in a first-round playoff win over Evangel.

Jenifer Koelzer, a senior from Shawnee, was selected HAAC setter of the week. She averaged 14 assists and 3.57 digs for the Wildcats, who went 2-0 last week. She had 57 assists in a win over Culver-Stockton and added 41 assists in a win over Evangel in the first round of the HAAC tournament.

Nov. 4 | 'Cats sweep to move into HAAC semis

No. 4 Baker used three close wins to advance against No. 5 Evangel University into the Heart of America Athletic Conference semifinals.

The Wildcats won in three games defeating Evangel 30-26, 32-30, and 30-28. A little luck was on the Wildcats side in all the games with breaks going the way of the Wildcats all night long.

Towards the end of the second game a few late kills were misstruck but were able to find open court for a Baker point. In the final game, the Wildcats fell behind early but rallied midway through to take the lead. The Crusaders looking to continue their season pushed Baker's game point to four serves before the Wildcats finally ended the game.

Jenifer Koelzer finished with 41 assists and 15 digs, Jayde Allen had 14 digs. Vanessa Wardy had an effecient night with 13 kills on 22 attempts, she did not commit an error.

The win puts the Wildcats into the semifinals against William Jewell College, who defeated Avila Saturday afternoon. The game is schedule for 7 p.m. Nov. 8 in Liberty, Mo.

Oct. 31 | Baker closes with win, to face Evangel in HAAC opener

Baker University closed the volleyball regular season with a four-game victory over Culver-Stockton on Tuesday night at Collins Gym to finish with an 18-18 record overall and 7-3 mark in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

The Wildcats defeated Culver-Stockton 30-22, 28-30, 30-24, 30-18. Seniors Kendra Cody, Renay Carter, Jenifer Koelzer, Carly Chadick and Vanessa Wardy were recognized before the regular-season finale.

The Wildcats, the No. 4 seed in the HAAC tournament, will play host to No. 5 Evangel (22-15, 6-4) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the conference tournament at Collins Gym. The Baker-Evangel winner will play Wednesday, Nov. 8, against the winner of the match between No. 1 William Jewell and No. 8 Avila. The HAAC tournament championship is set for Saturday, Nov. 11.

The higher seed will be the host school throughout the tournament.

Oct. 26 | Loss hurts HAAC championship chances

Lindenwood University outlasted Baker in four games Wednesday night in a battle of Heart of America Athletic Conference contenders at the Collins Gym.

The Lions (25-11 overall and 8-2 in the HAAC) topped Baker, 30-28, 27-30, 30-21, 30-18.

With the setback, the Wildcats dipped to 17-18 overall and 6-3 in the HAAC with one match left in the regular season.

Oct. 11 | Sweep pushes winning streak to nine

The Baker Wildcats struggled at times but extended their conference winning streak to nine straight games with a victory over Avila, 30-27, 30-26 and 30-23, on Wednesday at the Collins Center.

Baker looked to be on their way to easy victory in game one, but the Eagles fought back and at one point led by two points halfway through the game. Baker regained the lead but mistakes continued to deny the Wildcats the win. Two big blocks by freshman Michaela Marak and senior Jenifer Koelzer and another by Marak and senior Kelly Wilbur sparked Baker into the lead. Baker won the first game 30-27.

It was much of the same in the second game when Avila and Baker traded the lead. The Eagles won the first two points, before Baker ran the lead to 9-5. Avila then jumped into the lead and won on the service of Koelzer, who helped the Wildcats tie and take the lead. Avila would stay in the game but thanks to a few nice kills the Wildcats took game two 30-26.

In game three, the Eagles again jumped to a quick lead, which was quickly erased by a Wildcat rally. Baker led 16-9 at one point, but Avila rallied to close the lead to three at one point. Head coach Kathy Allen decided not to call a timeout and the Wildcats gathered themselves and pushed ahead for a 30-23 victory and sweep of Avila.

Baker was led by Koelzer, who recorded 39 assists and 13 digs. Sophomore Alexis Pryor had 16 kills, while Wilbur and Marak both had 10. Sophomore Jayde Allen had 18 digs.

The Wildcats' conference winning streak dates back to Sept. 23, when the Wildcats swept Missouri Valley. The win puts Baker at 17-15 overall and 6-1 in the HAAC. Pending the William Jewell College results, Baker could be atop the conference. Baker’s next conference game will be against Benedictine College, Oct. 24 in Atchison, Kan. They host Newman College Oct. 19 beginning at 7 p.m.

GM 1 - Baker 30-27

GM 2 - Baker 30-26

GM 3 - Baker 30-23

Oct. 10 | Honors continue to roll in

Baker University’s Jayde Allen and Jenifer Koelzer have received Heart of America Athletic Conference honors for their performances last week.

Allen, a sophomore libero from Topeka, was named libero of the week for the third time this season. She averaged 5.88 digs, .88 aces and 7.65 pass attempts per game and was named to the all-tournament team at the Lindenwood Classic.

Koelzer, a senior from Shawnee, was named conference setter of the week for the second time this fall. She averaged 12.24 assists per game and added 23 kills, 59 digs, six aces and six assisted blocks to lead the Wildcats.

Oct. 3 | Overall effort leads to sweep of Graceland

The Wildcats dominated Graceland University Tuesday night in front of a boisterous Collins Center crowd, winning decisively, 30-11, 30-27, 30-25.

In the first game, Baker (14-13 overall and 5-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference) led the entire time playing almost flawless volleyball. A couple of early Baker service errors were the only points the stunned Yellow Jackets were able to score in the first half of the game. Baker continued to roll to a 19-point romp.

Graceland managed to stay close to Baker in the second game, although Baker held the lead throughout. A few unforced Baker errors at the end of the game closed the gap to 26-24, but a late timeout by the 'Cats helped them regain composure and close the game. The winning point was scored decisively by senior Vanessa Wardy.

The third game began much differently with Baker falling behind by as many as 12 points. However, the Wildcats rallied to take a 19-18 lead, capitalizing on miscues by the Yellow Jackets. From there, the Wildcats continued to climb ahead of the Yellow Jackets, winning the match on a kill by Michaela Marak.

Marak, a freshman middle hitter, had 11 kills and five blocks with only one hitting error. Wardy, a senior middle hitter, added five blocks. Jayde Allen, a sophomore from Topeka, had 17 digs and senior setter Jenifer Koelzer had 37 assists and 14 digs. Outside hitters Carly Chadick and Alexis Pryor had nine kills apiece.

GM 1 - Baker 30-11

GM 2 - Baker 30-27

GM 3 - Baker 30-25

Sept. 25 | Baker sweeps HAAC player of the week honors

Three Baker University volleyball players have received Heart of America Athletic Conference honors for their efforts last week.

Sophomore outside hitter Alexis Pryor, a Santa Fe Trail High School graduate from Overbrook, Kan., was named the HAAC player of the week. She had 12 kills in a 3-0 sweep of Missouri Valley on Saturday and leads the Wildcats with 334 kills for the season.

Senior setter Jenifer Koelzer, a Bishop Miege High School graduate from Shawnee, Kan., was named HAAC setter of the week. She had 44 assists and 11 digs in the victory over Missouri Valley and leads the Wildcats with 1,042 assists, average of 11.5 per game.

Sophomore Jayde Allen was named libero of the week. She also won the award last week. Allen, of Topeka, averaged 5.29 digs, 6.93 pass receptions and .21 aces. She totaled 74 digs, 97 pass attempts and 65 serve attempts in 14 games.

Sept. 23 | Baker sweeps Missouri Valley; Allen nearing 200

Baker University swept Missouri Valley in Heart of America Athletic Conference volleyball on Saturday at the Collins Center.

In the first game, Baker (11-12 overall and 3-1 in the HAAC) built an early lead and hung on for a 30-26 victory over the Vikings (3-11, 1-4). Senior Vanessa Wardy ended the first game with a kill.

Baker wasted little time in the second game, building a lead and cruising to a 30-18 win. In the third game, Baker had to keep pace with the Vikings before regaining its composure to win 30-21.

The Wildcats' key contributors were senior Jenifer Koelzer, who recorded 44 assists and 11 digs. At the net, Wardy recorded nine kills, junior Kelly Wilbur had 10, sophomore Alexis Pryor had 12 and freshman Michaela Marak had 10 kills on 15 attempts. Conference libero player of the week, sophomore Jayde Allen, had 17 digs.

Baker will have a chance to even their record Tuesday when the Wildcats travel to Olathe, Kan., to face MidAmerica Nazarene University. Coach Allen will also have her first chance at getting career victory No. 200.

Results

Game 1 - Baker def. Missouri Valley 30-26

Game 2 - Baker def. Missouri Valley 30-18

Game 3 - Baker def. Missouri Valley 30-21

Sept. 18 | Allen named HAAC libero of the week

Baker University volleyball player Jayde Allen, a sophomore from Topeka, has been named libero of the week in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Allen totaled 108 digs and 158 total pass attempts in 24 games.  She recorded 23 digs in a victory over Central Methodist and was named to the MidAmerican Nazarene Invitational All-Tournament team.

Baker had an unforunate weekend winning two matches in five attempts. They play tomorrow on the road, and will return for their next home match on Saturday.

Sept. 12 | 'Cats dominate Eagles

The Wildcats wasted no time defeating conference foe Central Methodist University Tuesday night at the Collins Center, beating the Eagles in three games

The Wildcats, who entered the match with four consecutive losses, won the first game on a kill by senior Carly Chadick. Baker fell behind early but rallied to win the game 30-24. In the second game, Baker used five straight points to take an 18-13 lead on its way to a 30-25 win. Ahead 19-16, freshman Taylor Glessner kept a rally alive with a free ball over the net from deep behind the endline to give the Wildcats a four-point lead. Baker closed the game with an 11-5 run to win 30-21.

Baker was led by senior Jenifer Koelzer, who had 51 assists. Freshman Michaela Marak had a kill percentage of 75 percent, while sophomore Alexis Pryor was 15 of 22 on kill attempts. Sophomore Jayde Allen had 23 digs in the three games.

Baker competes next in the MidAmerica Tournament in Olathe, Kan., Sept. 15–16. The Wildcats resume conference play Sept. 19 against William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.

Sept. 9 | Koelzer named to all-tournament team

Senior setter Jenifer Koelzer was named to the Baker Invitational All-Tournament team this past weekend. Koelzer, an all-NAIA candidate, was the only Baker played named to the all-tournament team.

The Wildcats managed to win three games in four matches.

Results for the entire weekend can be found here. Baker plays at home at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Central Methodist.

Friday

L McKendree 3-1 (30-23, 31-29, 25-30, 30-25)

L Dordt 3-2 (30-24, 32-34, 30-21, 28-30, 15-13)

Saturday

L Bellevue 3-0 (30-21, 30-19, 30-26)

L University of Illinois - Springfield 3-0 (30-20, 30-19, 30-26)

Sept. 6 | 'Cats beat Crusaders on the road in four

Baker University defeated Evangel 3-1 in its Heart of America Athletic Conference volleyball opener on Wednesday. The Wildcats won the first, third and fourth games.

Baker (6-4 overall/1-0 HAAC) will be host this weekend to the Baker Invitational. Match times and opponents will be listed Thursday.

Results

Gm. 1 - Baker 30-27

Gm. 2 - Evangel 30-21

Gm. 3 - Baker 30-28

Gm. 4 - Baker 30-25

Sept. 4 | Pryor makes all-tournament team

Baker University went 2-2 with victories over the College of the Ozarks and St. Ambrose (Iowa) University at the weekend St. Ambrose Invitational in Davenport, Iowa.

Baker (5-4) beat the College of the Ozarks, 30-32, 28-30, 28-30, 30-19, 15-6, and St. Ambrose, 24-30, 26-30, 30-28, 33-31, 15-13. Dubuque beat Baker, 24-30, 27-30, 31-29, 30-26, 15-11. Northwestern (Iowa) beat Baker, 30-25, 30-15, 30-23.

Baker's Alexis Pryor, a sophomore outside hitter from Overbrook, made the all-tournament team.  She hit .395 for the weekend and had 3.9 kills per game.

Jenifer Koelzer, a senior setter from Shawnee, averaged 11.2 assists per game and had 10 service aces. Jayde Allen, a sophomore libero from Topeka, averaged 5.3 digs per game and had eight service aces. Vanessa Wardy, a senior middle hitter from Tonganoxie, hit .345 with 3.2 kills per game and 14 block assists.

Aug. 26 | Wildcats take split in preseason tourney

The Baker University won and lost two games over the weekend at the HAAC Preseason Tournament.

Baker 3-1 wins over MidAmerica Nazarene University and Culver-Stockton College. The two losses were at the hands of much tougher opponents, Lindenwood University and Graceland University.

The Wildcats were beat 14-30 in the first game of the Lindenwood game before winning the second game 30-27. The third game went into extra scoring, but the Wildcats ended up losing by two. They would lose the final game and the match.

Later in the evening, the Wildcats would sweep MidAmerica in three games (30-22), 31-29, 30-15).

Graceland, a team on the rise in the conference took down Baker in four sets. However, the Wildcats won the second game and stayed within striking distance the final two games.

Baker would wrap up the weekend with a victory of Culver-Stockton in four games (30-25, 30-15, 23-30, 30-27).

The Wildcats were lead by senior Vanessa Wardy who had 45 kills in only 79 attempts (.481 kill percentage). Senior setter Jenifer Koelzer averaged 11.2 assist per game. The Wildcats will host the Baker Triangular on Wednesday, before traveling to Davenport, Iowa to take part in the St. Amrbose Invitational.

HAAC Preseason Results

Fri.

L Lindenwood 3-1 (30-14, 27-30, 34-32, 30-27)

W MidAmerica 3-0 (30-22, 31-29, 30-15)

Sat.

L Graceland 3-1 (30-26, 20-30, 30-23, 30-25)

W Culver-Stockton 3-1 (30-25, 30-15, 23-30, 30-27)

Aug. 24 | Volleyball returns top conference player for 2006

Baker University volleyball coach Kathy Allen returns four seniors in hopes of claiming the Heart of America Athletic Conference championship.

Four-year seniors Kendra Cody, Vanessa Wardy, and Jenifer Koelzer possess much of the talent necessary to capture that title. Carly Chadick, the fourth senior on the squad, enters her second year with the Baker program.

 “We also have returning a core group of under classmen who are established leaders in the conference,” Baker coach Kathy Allen said.

Koelzer, a 5-foot-8 native of Shawnee, has been the Wildcats’ top setter for the past two seasons and is among the best setters in NAIA. Last season Koelzer averaged 12.5 assists per game, was named HAAC setter of the week numerous times, and named to the first-team All-HAAC.

This season Allen believes Koelzer has the ability to become an All-American.

“She is the undisputed leader of the team, and the top setter in the HAAC,” she said. “She just brings an element of leadership that binds the whole team together.”

Wardy, a second-team All-HAAC pick, had the second highest kill percentage in the conference (.37), behind teammate Emily Allred.

“I expect this to be her year to shine,” Allen said.

Cody and returning sophomore Jayde Allen will see considerable time switching between the libero and defensive specialist positions.

Also returning are junior Kelly Wilbur and sophomore Alexis Pryor.

Entering her ninth year as head coach of the Wildcats, Allen expects to build on last year’s 25-12 record.

“I’m expecting to build on are performance from last year,” Kathy Allen said. “We’re still figuring how to finish strong in the conference.”

Along with a solid core of returns, this season team also fields the largest freshman class in Allen’s tenure as head coach. Five freshmen are on the team, including Kelsey Heckathrone from Baldwin City.

If all goes well for the team this year, Allen will reach her 200th career victory as head coach of the Wildcats.