BEREA, OHIO – The Baldwin Wallace University volleyball program has compiled a 50-39 record the past three seasons. This fall, Yellow Jacket veteran Head Coach Vicki Brault welcomes back 11 letter winners and has high hopes to continue her winning ways while leading her team back into the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament.
"We return seven upperclass starters who were a part of our rotation last season and another who was two years ago but was hurt most of last year." said Brault, who enters her 19th season in Berea with 339 wins and 409 in her 22-year career. "The seven all gained valuable experience last season and return this fall. They are hungry to continue the successes that we have had the past three years. They also know that we need to continue to improve every day if we want to contend for a spot in this year's OAC Tournament.
"We also have two other student-athletes returning who saw limited playing time last year as well as a few first-year recruits and transfers who might see action right away and definitely will compete for playing time," continued Brault. "We are really looking forward to preseason camp and feel it will be a very, very competitive atmosphere."
The six who return to the rotation are led by 6'0" senior Academic All-OAC middle hitter Colleen Bonacci (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls), 5'8" senior right side player Shannon Deluer (Olmsted Falls), 5'5" senior OH/ defensive specialist Taylor Burns (Tiffin/ Fostoria St. Wendelin), 5'10" senior middle hitter Kayla Harris (Lima), 5'6" junior defensive specialist Paige Pileski (Elyria) and 5'6" senior setter Emily Nagle (Columbia Station/ Columbia). Add 5'5" junior setter Katie Primeau (Pemberville/ Eastwood), who who backed up Nagle and graduated setter Jessica Stitts, as well as 6'1" sophomore middle hitter Markema Winters, who sat out the 2012 season, to that group and Brault has some depth. The 10 will be looked upon for both veteran production and leadership.
Bonacci hit .243 last season and had 91 kills and 16 blocks. Brault is hoping she returns to the form of three years ago when she had 242 kills and 53 blocks as a freshman and then earned Academic All-OAC accolades the past two seasons. She enters this season with 418 career kills, a .208 hitting percentage and 89 blocks.
Deleur has been one of Brault's most versatile players the past two seasons. Last fall, she was second on the team in digs (321), had .156 hitting percentage and had 92 kills. She also added seven total blocks and 28 service assists. She enters this fall with 1,034 career digs, 408 kills, 193 set assists, 95 aces and 64 blocks.
Burns, who was one of the top defenders in the OAC last season, will now try to focus her skills on the offensive side as she takes over the outside hitter role. She had 243 digs, led the team in service assists with 30 and recorded 67 kills. Burns enters her final campaign in the Brown & Gold with 931 digs, 239 kills, 104 aces, 41 assists and 22 blocks.
Look for Harris to contribute after having a great comeback season in 2012 when she hit .233 and recorded 147 kills and 50 blocks.
Nagle is expected to battle with Primeau for the setter role this season. She had a strong junior season and led the team with 615 set assists and had 207 digs and 21 kills. Primeau appeared in just five sets last season due to injuries. Brault is hoping she has a season like she did two years ago where she appeared in 23 sets and had 163 set assists.
Pileski, who had 225 digs and 24 service aces last season, will look to split the role with Burns as the defensive specialist. In addition to the eight veterans, Brault returns letter winners in junior Academic All-OAC rightside player Alayna Chlad (Kent/ Roosevelt) and sophomore OH Anna Miley (West Salem/ Northwestern).
BW opens its season at the Westminster College Tournament in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania when its faces The College of Wooster on Friday, August 30 at 6:00 and then plays the host school at 8:00 p.m. The Yellow Jackets open OAC play on Saturday, September 28 when they host Muskingum University at 12:30 p.m in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center in Berea. BW also will host the Annual Marcia French Memorial Tournament in Berea on September 6-7.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
