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Firebird signs at Baker
Kelsey Allen, a 5’5” setter from Freestate High School in Lawrence, KS has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Baker University. Allen was a 2nd team All-League selection her junior and senior year, and was also team captain for the Firebirds. Allen has been on the honor roll every year at Freestate and plans to major in History and Education at Baker.
St Thomas Aquinas Standout signs at Baker
Kelsey Cobb, a 5’7 defensive specialist from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball for Baker University for the 2008 season. Cobb was the starting libero for Aquinas during both the 2006 and 2007 Class 5A state championship runs. Cobb was named 1st team all-conference her senior year and was also named Defensive Specialist of the Year. Additionally, Cobb was selected to participate in the 2008 MO-KAN All Star game.
Elizabeth Schraad 5'7''-- Outside Hitter Signs With Baker
ELIZABETH SCHRAAD, was a four year varsity starter for Hayden High School in Topeka, KS. This year was instrumental for Shraad in helping her team win the class 4A state championship. Schraad is a second team all-league and second all-team city player, and has also been on the honor roll all four years of high school.
Allen signs Middle Hitter for '08
KAYLA ANDERSON, a 5’11” middle hitter from Wabaunsee High School has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Baker University for the 2008 academic year. Anderson joins her sister, sophomore Nikki Anderson on the Wildcat squad. Anderson is a three year letter winner for class 3A Wabaunsee, and was a first team All-League selection her senior year.
Windle to assist Baker volleyball program
Baldwin City, Kan. - Matt Windle, an assistant volleyball coach at Free State High School in Lawrence since the program began in 1997, has been named a graduate assistant for Baker University.
Windle, a Littleton, Colo., native, served as head coach of the Heartland Juniors Volleyball Club before joining Free State, where he guided the Firebirds’ junior varsity program to five Sunflower League titles. The Firebirds’ varsity squad placed second and fourth at the Class 6A state tournament while Windle was an assistant.
He also was a head coach for Sport2Sport Volleyball Club in Lawrence and a director and coach for the Lawrence Select Juniors Volleyball. In 2000 and 2002, he served as the head coach for the University of Kansas Women’s Volleyball Club.
Windle, a 1999 KU graduate, plans to pursue a Master of Liberal Arts degree in literature.
Wildcats Collect Post-Season Honors
HAAC Libero of the Year and First team All-HAAC selection
Junior libero Jayde Allen captured the conferences top honor for liberos this year averaging 5.6 digs per game and a passing efficiency of 96.5% with 89 service aces.
Coach's comment: “Jayde is one of the most skilled defensive players in the NAIA and manages to make defense look easy with her quick reflexes and incredible heart.”
First team All-HAAC selection
Junior Alexis Pryor was named to the first team with an average of 3.9 kills per game and a hitting efficiency of .281.
Coach's comment: “Alexis is one of the most feared outside hitters in the conference. She is such a prolific hitter there were times she was triple blocked on the outside. She has tremendous arm speed and a high reach which makes her difficult to stop”
Second team All-HAAC selection
Senior Kelly Wilbur had a banner year, playing all six rotations as a right side hitter. She amassed 104 total block and a .202 hitting percentage while also serving 92% for the season
Coach's Comment: “Kelly is an example to all players with her work ethic, coachabiliy and dedication to the team. She is a power at the net, forcing opponents to make hitting errors with her blocking ability.”
All-HAAC Honorable Mention
Senior Katie Jaschke made her mark this year at the middle position with 126 blocks. Katie was one of the top 6 middle blockers in the conference,, and was also a skilled hitter and server.
Coach's Comment “Even though we only have Katie for one year, she came in and made a huge difference for us right away. Katie worked hard to close every block and brought positive energy to the court every day.
Sophomore Michaela Marak totaled 100 blocks for the season to accompany her .222 hitting percentage. Although Marak will be attending Baker school of Nursing her next two years in Topeka, her impact will be felt for years to come.
Coach's comment: “Michaela really came into her own this season and improved tremendously at the net. She always worked hard, and has one of the fastest arm swings on the team.”
Cats Find Themselves #3 in the Region
The #3 regionally ranked Baker Wildcat volleyball team continued its mission this weekend, taking three out of four matches against regionally ranked opponents at the Lindenwood Fall Classic and improving their record to 21-8. The ‘Cats easily defeated third-ranked McKendree in three games before dropping their only weekend match in four games to University of Illinois-Springfield on Friday night. The team’s most satisfying victory took place on Saturday against region rival Missouri Baptist, marking coach Kathy Allen’s first victory over Baptist in her 10 years at Baker. Missouri Baptist spent the entire 2006 season in the national rankings and boasted the NAIA Player of the Year last year. The final match of the day was against University of St. Francis, Illinois, a second-ranked team in Region VII. The ‘Cats won the match in five games.
“Our team was successful this weekend because the girls were able to capitalize on the weaknesses of our opponents,” coach Allen said. “Once we identified the weakness, the girls were able to execute and stick to our game plan and also make adjustments along the way to maximize our team’s ability to score points.”
Junior Alexis Pryor was named to the all-tournament team after amassing 75 kills and a 324 hitting percentage for the weekend. Freshman Brooke Pryor contributed 50 kills. Setter Whitney Segrist had her best series yet, averaging 12.5 assists per game and 17 kills. Middle hitters Katie Jaschke and Michaela Marak combined for 55 kills and 29 blocks over the course of the tournament. Libero Jayde Allen had an excellent weekend, averaging six digs per game and eight service aces while passing 95 percent. Sophomore defensive specialist Sarah Laha also posted great numbers with a 2.67 passing efficiency percentage on a 3.0 scale with only two reception errors the entire tournament. Senior Kelly Wilbur was brilliant at the net with 15 blocks and 17 kills. Wilbur also had 24 digs and 5 service aces while serving 93 percent.
The ‘Cats will look to improve their conference record to 6-1 on Wednesday when they take on Culver-Stockton at home, then travel to Salina for a nonconference match against Kansas Wesleyan on Thursday.
Cats Back to Form
The Baker Wildcats got back on track this week with a decisive victory over regionally ranked Central Methodist University. The Cats traveled to Fayette, MO Tuesday night to take on the Eagles….a team loaded with international players from Nairobi Kenya. The outsized Cats were back to form, taking the Eagles in the first two matches with scores of 30 -16 and 30 – 16. In the third game, the momentum shifted to the Eagles, and the Cats lost 25 – 30. The team stayed composed and took the fourth game and the match with a score of 30 – 22 bringing their overall record to 19 – 6 and retaining 2nd place in the HAAC conference with a 5 – 1 record.
According to Coach Allen, it was a very balanced performance, with each player making notable contributions to the match. Seniors Kelly Wilbur and Katie Jaschke combined for 8 assist blocks, with Wilbur adding two solos. Both seniors also hit well contributing 14 kills and 11 digs combined. Wilbur also had 4 service aces in the match and Jaschke had 2. Sophomore defensive specialist Sarah Laha (pictured) passed a perfect 3.0 off serve receive with no reception errors and 11 digs. Freshman outside hitter Brook Pryor had 15 kills with a .379 hitting percentage, while sister Alexis chipped in 11 kills. Setter Whitney Segrist totaled 42 assists and 1 service ace. Libero Jayde Allen had 12 digs and 1 service ace.
The Cats travel to Lindenwood this weekend for the Inter-Regional tournament where they will match up against regional opponents McKendree, University of Illinois, Springfield, and Missouri Baptist along with out of region University of St. Francis.
Cats Back to Form
