Cardinals hand out awards for 2010

The Coon Rapids Cardinals held their annual banquet, Nov. 16, and handed out awards for each of the program's five teams.

Along with earning a spot on the All-Northwest Suburban Conference team, senior co-captain Ashley Engen was named the team's offensive player.

Her senior season saw her record 10-plus kills on 10 occasions. Twice she reached double digits in service aces in a match and recorded a triple-double with 20 kills, 11 aces and 20 digs in a five-set win over Cambridge-Isanti (Sept. 27). Engen led the team in kills per set (2.82), hitting percentage (.191), aces per set (0.97), digs per set (2.40) and points per set (4.01).

Senior Kayle Witzman was named the team's top defensive player. As a defensive specialist, she led the team with a .911 serve reception and a 1.774 average per reception (on a three-point scale).

Junior Chloe Jacobson was named the team's top server. She started the season on the junior varsity but made the jump to the varsity squad. She led the team with a .938 serving percentage and was third with 0.54 aces per set. As a libero/defensive specialist, she averaged 1.44 digs per set and, in just her second match with the varsity, recorded a season-high 17 digs versus Cambridge-Isanti.

The Cardinals' Sportsmanship Award went to senior co-captain Paige Jones. The team's setter was the only player to play every point of the season. In her first full season as a setter, she averaged 6.62 assists per set and tied for third on the team with 0.50 blocks per set, leading the team in block assists (40) and total blocks (44).

The Coaches Award was given to senior defensive specialist Aneisha DeNio. She led the team in receptions-to-kill percentage (.284) and was second in service percentage (.922).

It was also announced that seniors Lindsay Bratland and Angela Koch were named All-State Academic Award winners, given to student-athletes with a minimum grade point average of 3.80.

The junior varsity awards handed out went to Laurel Denney (Sportsmanship), Emily Haeska (Co-Offensive Player), Michelle Harris (Defensive Player), Kaitly Motschenbacher (Coaches), Andrea Pearson (Server) and Liz Penshorn (Co-Offensive Player).

B-Squad award recipients were Amber Ammann (Server), Ashley Connolly (Sportsmanship), Addy Hanson (Defensive Player), Rachael Sarrette (Offensive Player) and Jolene Young (Coaches).

The 9A team awards went to Marissa Anderson (Coaches), Meghan Hokanson (Offensive Player), Anna Kessler (Defensive Player, Server) and Maegan McKernon (Sportsmanship).

The 9B team award recipients included  Payton Bolander (Co-Server), Mollee Girgen (Defensive Player), Jacki Lehman (Sportsmanship), Kellie Schlie (Coaches, Co-Server) and Brynia Westra (Offensive Player).

Varsity Awards: Head coach Heidi Ulwelling, Aneisha DeNio, Kayle Witzman, Chloe Jacobson, Paige Jones, Ashley Engen, assistant coach Jessica Timmons.

Cardinal volleyball banquet set for Nov. 16

The Coon Rapids Cardinals volleyball banquet has been set for Tuesday, Nov. 16, in the Coon Rapids High School cafeteria at 6 p.m.

Dinner will be catered by Acapulco Mexican Restaurant beginning at 6:30 p.m. with an awards program to follow.

The Menu includes:
Taco Bar and Enchilada Bar
Hard and Soft Taco shells
Seasoned Ground Beef
Seasoned Shredded Chicken
Cheese Enchiladas
Mexican Rice, Refried Beans
Cold fixings (lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo)
Chips and salsa
Acapulco famous cheese sauce

Beverages and cake will also be provided.

Cost per person is $8.50 and the Coon Rapids Volleyball Booster Club will cover the cost of the volleyball players. Checks are to be made out to the Coon Rapids Volleyball Boosters. RSVP for the banquet are requested by Nov. 10, with the number of people attending, including volleyball players who will be attending.
RSVP's should be turned into Tammy Cardinal in the athletic office in an envelope marked "VOLLEYBALL" with check enclosed.

For questions regarding the event, please contact Curtis Jones at bigredfan@comcast.net.

Cardinal season ends in five-set loss to Panthers

Coon Rapids saw its 2010 season come to an end in the first round of the Section 6AAA playoffs with a 27-25, 14-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-7 loss at Spring Lake Park.

After a tight battle throughout the match, the Cardinals fell victim to their own errors in the fifth set. Eight hitting errors, two service errors and two receptions errors accounted for 12 of the Panthers' 15 points. In finishing the match on a 9-2 run, Spring Lake Park recorded just one point via a kill.

The Panthers dominated early in the match and looked like they may make quick work out of the Cardinals, scoring the first five points of the night and eventually grabbing a six-point lead at 10-4.

Coon Rapids finally got untracked and finally created the first of five ties in the set at 18-18 and would twice serve for the opening set before a Brady Melberg tied the match at 25-25 with a kill and then served the Panthers' final two points.

The second set saw the Cardinals take command early. After ties at 2-2 and 3-3, they scored three consecutive points for a 6-3 lead and used an 11-3 run to help put the set away. Nine different players contributed points in the set for Coon Rapids with Ashley Engen recording three kills, Hannah Fitzer three blocks and Courtney Pasiowitz three aces to lead the way.

The third set, despite being an eight-point victory for the hosts, was the most contested set of the night, featuring 10 ties and five lead changes, but Spring Lake Park snapped a 13-13 tie with five consecutive points and took a 2-1 lead by finishing the set on a 12-4 run.

The Panthers carried that momentum into the fourth set, taking a 9-2 run and appeared poised to finish the match in four sets. Coon Rapids countered with an 11-2 run to take a 13-11 lead and Engen led the charge to the fourth-set win, collecting five kills in eight attacks while adding three aces to account for eight points.

The fifth set saw Coon Rapids hit -.160 with four kills and eight errors and the Panthers were able to escape with the five-set win.

The Cardinals finish the season with a 13-16 record and recorded their highest win total since 2003.

Coon Rapids closes out regular season with four-set win at Park Center

Coon Rapids started and finished strong but had a roller coaster ride in the middle before settling for a 25-18, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23 win at Park Center.

The opening set saw the Cardinals hit a solid .207 with 12 kills along with six service aces, Paige Jones registered 11 assists and a .440 setting percentage and the visitors led from start to finish en route to the seven-point win.

The second set saw errors in the service game, four receiving errors and four service errors, prove to be the difference in a two-point loss. The teams were tied on nine occassions and the lead changed hands three times before the Pirates got the final two points to close out the set on attack errors by Coon Rapids.

A six-point run, which snapped a 3-3 tie, seemed to put Park Center in front by a comfortable margin but the Cardinals countered with a 9-2 run to take a 12-11 lead. The Pirates responded with a four-point run and would not trail the remainder of the set.

After winning the second set, the hosts took a 5-3 lead in the third set before an 8-1 run by the Cardinals, followed shortly by a 5-0 run, gave the visitors an 18-10 lead and Ashley Engen would tally four kills in their final five points to give Coon Rapids a 2-1 lead.

Engen didn't slow down in the final set, adding seven kills in 13 attempts, and the Cardinals were perfect on 25 serves, putting pressure on the Pirates' passing game as Coon Rapids won its 13th games of the season, the most by a Cardinal team since a 24-win season in 2004.

Engen's 15-kill performance led an offense which featured five players with six or more kills. Olivia Jung and Megan Hayes each had seven kills and Courtney Pasiowitz and Lindsey Bratland while Jones tallied 38 assists.

Defensively, Emily Tronson had 17 kills and Aneisha DeNio added 10 while Hannah Fitzer had a team-high three blocks.

The Cardinals are idle for eight days before opening Section 5AAA playoff action with a first-round match at Spring Lake Park. The teams are slated to meet Wed., Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.

Cardinal attack sets stage for rout of Saints

Coon Rapids recorded a season-high attack percentage of .348 and cruised to a 25-10, 25-22, 25-14 win at Legacy Christian.

Ashley Engen led the barrage with 14 kills and just one error in 26 attack attempts, hitting .500 on the night. Seven of her kills came in the final set.

Megan Hayes, who had nine kills and hit .478 on the night, recorded six kills in seven attack attempts in the opening set.

Cardinal setter and co-captain Paige Jones turned in a stellar all-around performance with 26 assists while recording four kills, without an error, a .333 hitting percentage and nine digs.

Emily Tronson had a match-high 16 digs for Coon Rapids while Engen added 10, to go with her 14 kills which marked her sixth double-double of the season.

The Cardinals also had six blocks in the match, getting solo blocks from Jones, Lindsey Bratland and Courtney Pasiowitz. Bratland tallied four blocks on the night and Pasiowitz three.

Coon Rapids closes out its regular-season campaign with its final Northwest Suburban Conference match of the year as the Cardinals travel to Park Center, Tuesday, for a 7 p.m. match.

Section 5AAA playoff pairings set

The playoff pairings for Section 5AAA have been set after the section coaches met to determine seeds for the playoff with Coon Rapids being seeded ninth in the 11-team section.

The top five seeds received first-round byes while the remaining six seeds will play to determine the eight teams slated for quarterfinal action.

The unanimous choice for the top seed was Centennial. With one Northwest Suburban Conference match, against Osseo, remaining on their scheduled, the Cougars have a 25-2 records, have won 16 consecutive matches and are ranked seventh in the state.

The second seed, also by a unanimous vote, went to Blaine. The Bengals are tied with Centennial in this week's state ranking at seventh and, with a conference match against Anoka slated for Tuesday, they sport a 21-4 record.

Totino-Grace received the third seed. Champions of the North Suburban Conference, the Eagles have one match remaining on their schedule and are 17-8 on the season.

The remaining two byes went to the fourth and fifth seeds, which will face off in a quarterfinal game. Osseo, 10-11 on the season with a match with Centennial and the Moorhead Invitational remaining on the schedule, will host Mounds View, 13-12, which is taking on Park Center this evening in their final match of the season.

Champlin Park, 15-10, was seeded sixth and gets a first-round match with the 11th seed, Irondale, which sports a record of 6-15.

Maple Grove, 13-8, received the seventh seed and will host 10th-seeded Rogers, 15-10.

The Cardinals, 11-15 heading into tonight's match at Legacy Christian, will travel to eighth-seeded Spring Lake Park for a first-round match.

All first-round matches will take place Wed., Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. with quarterfinal matches also being hosted by the higher seed, Fri., Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. Centennial will face the Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids winner while Blaine gets the Maple Grove/Rogers winner and Totino-Grace will host the Champlin Park/Irondale winner.

The Section 5AAA semifinals are scheduled for Wed., Nov. 3, at Osseo, with matches slated for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. starts. The championship game will be Sat., Nov. 6, at Blaine, at 7 p.m.

Coon Rapids Cardinals Section 5AAA Team
Front row: Student manager Zach Collins, Paige Jones, Megan Hayes, Olivia Jung, Lindsay Bratland, Aneisha DeNio, Hannah Fitzer.
Middle row: Kaitlyn Motschenbacher, Emily Tronson, Ashley Engen, Courtney Pasiowitz, Angela Koch, Kayle Witzman.
Back row: Head coach Heidi Ulwelling, assistant coach Jessia Timmons, Liz Penshorn, Chloe Jacobsen, Emily Haeska, assistant coach Tim McLean.

Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings

The final Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA state rankings have been released for 2010 and a pair of Northwest Suburban Conference teams are among the top 10 as is one other Coon Rapids opponent.

Centennial, which has clinched at least a share of the conference title, has moved from ninth into a tie for seventh after defeating Roseville and Maple Grove to extend its winning streak to 17 matches.

Blaine remained in seventh after going 5-1 last week. The Bengals' lone loss was a 2-0 loss at the Eastview Invitational to sixth-ranked Eden Prairie. They closed out that tournament with a 2-0 win over ninth-ranked Shakopee.

Stillwater, which participated in the Coon Rapids Invitational and handed the Cardinals a 2-0 loss, is third among other teams receiving votes with 10 points.

Team (1st Place Votes)       Record   Pts

 1. Lakeville North (12)    24- 1-0   180
 2. Wayzata                 20- 2-0   168
 3. Bloomington Jefferson   22- 3-0   152
 4. Eastview                16- 9-0   144
 5. Apple Valley            18- 7-0    99
 6. Eden Prairie            16- 9-0    97
 7. Centennial              25- 2-0    95
    Blaine                  21- 4-0    95
 9. Shakopee                17- 8-0    78
10. Lakeville South         19- 6-0    75


Others: Waconia (40), East Ridge (36), Stillwater (10), Woodbury (8), Owatonna (7), Chaska (6), Northfield (4), Hill-Murray (3), Chanhassen (2), Rochester Mayo (1).

Coon Rapids goes 2-2 at BSM Invitational

Coon Rapids lost its first two games but responded with a pair of wins late in the day to salvage a 2-2 record in the BSM Invitational at Benilde-St. Margaret's.

The opening match of the day pitted the Cardinals against Minnehaha Academy and only one lead changed occurred in the three-set affair. The Redhawks led through the opening set, but not without being pushed. Leading by seven, 18-11, Minnehaha was Coon Rapids close to within two points at 22-20 before escaping with a 25-22 win.

Conversely, the Cardinals were given little challenge in the second set as they opened up with a 5-0 lead but the Redhawks never got closer than three points as Coon Rapids used five service aces and six blocks to cruise to a 25-14 win.

The third set saw the Cardinals lead throughout the first half but an eight-point run by Minnehaha, helped by four attack errors by Coon Rapids, enabled them to overcome an 8-6 deficit en route to the decisive 15-10 win.

In their second match of the day, the Cardinals opened with a 25-14 win over Holy Angels. After three lead changes, Coon Rapids scored 15 of the final 19 points of the set to break a 10-10 tie.

After finishing the first set with momentum, the Cardinals failed to carry that over to the second set as the Stars opened with an 8-2 lead and never trailed as they evened the match with a 25-16 victory.

The third set came down to service as Holy Angels got four consecutive service aces from Katelyn Caron during an 8-0 run, which turned an 8-7 Coon Rapids lead into a 15-8 win for the Stars.

Relegated to the bronze pool in the afternoon. the Cardinals came out and needed just 34 minutes to hand Mounds Park Academy a 25-6, 25-11 defeat. Courtney Pasiowitz had six kills and hit .625 in the match, leading an attack effort which saw the Cardinals hit .270, its second-best total of the season.

The day ended with another three-set match, which saw Coon Rapids claim a 25-20, 20-25, 15-12 win over Holy Family with Pasiowitz leading the way with seven kills and five blocks.

Ashley Engen led the Cardinals with 24 kills in the four matches. Meanwhile, Pasiowitz hit a team-high .386 with 22 kills to go with seven blocks, which tied Lindsay Bratland and Angela Koch for the team lead on the day. Paige Jones had 67 assists.

Emily Tronson led the team in both aces (12) and digs (38), and also received a team-high 64 serves.

The Cardinals head into the final week of the regular season with an 11-15 record, surpassing last season's win total of 10. Coon Rapids closes out the regular season with a pair of road matches this weekend, taking on Legacy Christian, Monday, before facing Park Center in the Northwest Suburban Conference finale.

Engen leads Cardinals to first conference win

Ashley Engen accounted for over one-third of all Coon Rapids points and her all-around play led the Cardinals to a 25-22, 25-23, 25-19 win at Robbinsdale Armstrong, the team's first Northwest Suburban Conference victory of the season.

In the opening set, the Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Engen recorded a kill to give her team the serve, and she then proceed to serve five aces in the next six points as Coon Rapids quickly took a 7-2 lead.

When the rotation returned Engen to the service line, the lead had been cut to 14-12, but she recorded two more aces as the Cardinals extended the lead to 17-12 and, after Armstrong came back to tie the score at 22-22, she combined on a block with Angela Koch and then served up two more aces, giving her nine for the set, to give Coon Rapids a three-point victory.

Engen again started the Cardinals off with five aces in the second set as the visitors took a 6-0 lead. The Falcons came back to tie the score at 9-9 but could never gain the lead.

The hosts would not go away, however, and were within one point late in the set when Courtney Pasiowitz notched one of her six kills on the night to give Coon Rapids set point at 24-22. Armstrong cut the lead to one once again but Olivia Jung struck a cross-court attack resulting in a kill and the final point to give the Cardinals a 2-0 match lead.

Armstrong scored the first point of the third set but a four-point run gave Coon Rapids the lead once again. The Falcons eventually tied the score at 6-6 with a four-point run of their own but an 8-2 run by the Cardinals gave them a lead they would never relinquish and Engen's 10th kill of the night finally ended the match.

Engen's double-double of 10 kills and 16 aces led Coon Rapids. She also had eight digs, a block assist, two set assists and received 18 serves without an error. Paige Jones, with 27 assists, averaged nine assists per game for the first time this season while Pasiowith had six kills and Angela Koch had five while hitting .444 on the night.

The Cardinals are idle until Saturday when they take part in the BSM Invitational at Benilde-St. Margaret's. Coon Rapids opens pool play at 9 a.m. by taking on Minnehaha Academy. The Cardinals second game is scheduled for 12 p.m. against Holy Angels to conclude pool play. Medal round play is slated to get underway at 2 p.m.

Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings

The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released the state rankings as of Oct. 4, 2010 and two Northwest Suburban Conference teams are in the top 10 for the first time this season.

Centennial moved into the top 10 for the first time this season, receiving 77 points to rank ninth, after defeating previously fourth-ranked Blaine, 3-1, and extending its winning streak to 14 matches.

Blaine fell to seventh, receiving 82 points, after two conference matches last week, falling to Centennial before sweeping Maple Grove.

Team (1st Place Votes)       Record   Pts
 1. Lakeville North (10)    22- 1-0   164
 2. Wayzata                 18- 2-0   155
 3. Bloomington Jefferson   19- 1-0   130
 4. Eastview                12- 8-0   119
 5. Apple Valley            14- 5-0   117
 6. Lakeville South         15- 4-0   100
 7. Blaine                  16- 3-0    82
 8. Shakopee                14- 5-0    78
 9. Centennial              24- 2-0    77
10. Eden Prairie            11- 8-0    70

Others: Waconia (60), Stillwater (18), Cretin-Durham Hall (6), Woodbury (6), Hopkins (5), Minneapolis Southwest (4), Owatonna (2), Hill-Murray (1).

Tornado hitters prove too much for Cardinals

Coon Rapids matched Anoka in many areas and all three sets were tightly contested but, in the end the 1-2 punch of Lesi Robinson and Mikayla Gallagher proved too much for the Cardinals to overcome as the Tornadoes claimed a 25-19, 25-19, 25-17 win.

The teams battled through the first half of the opening set to a 12-12 tie before an 8-1 run by Anoka put the visitors ahead, 20-13, and sent the Tornadoes on their way to a six-point victory.

The second set featured 12 tie scores and seven lead changes as the teams. Robinson recorded kills to account for four of Anoka's final 10 points of the set as the Tornadoes overcame a 17-16 deficit to finish out the second-set victory.

The third set played out much the same as the first two sets in the early going but Anoka would not give up the lead, finally breaking a 10-10 tie with an 8-1 run. Ashley Engen had seven of her match-high 15 digs in the set and the Cardinals were perfect in receiving 25 serve. The hitting game proved to be the difference as Anoka hit .303 while Coon Rapids had 10 kills and 10 errors.

"We didn't play bad," Cardinal head coach Heidi Ulwelling said. "We did a lot of things well tonight and just weren't able to finish at the end."

Defensively, Coon Rapids had one of its best nights of the season, averaging better than 14 digs per set while committing just four errors in 71 serve receptions to go with seven total blocks. Lindsey Bratland had a team season-high six blocks with a solo and five assists. Paige Jones had block assists as well. Emily Tronson chipped in with 12 digs.

Seven Cardinal seniors played their final match at the Carlson Fieldhouse. Co-captains Engen and Jones, were joined by fellow co-captain Megan Hayes as well as Tronson, Bratland, Angela Koch and Aneisha DeNio.

Coon Rapids returns to action Tuesday when the Cardinals will be at Robbinsdale Armstrong for a 7 p.m. match.

Cardinals suffer tought five-set loss to Rebels

In a match which featured 33 tie scores and 18 lead changes, including six lead changes in the final set, Champlin Park overcame a late deficit to score a 24-26, 25-14, 27-25, 16-25, 17-15 win over Coon Rapids.

Early on, the Rebels made the match look like it would be a runaway as they scored the first five points of the night. The Cardinals came back, behind the service of Chloe Jacobson, to tie the score at 6-6 but Champlin Park responded with a 7-1 and would eventually take a 20-11 lead in the opening set.


A Courtney Pasiowitz kill returned serve to the Cardinals at that point and, with Jacobson at the service line, they a 10-0 run to take a 21-20 lead. Champlin Park again responded, getting to set point by scoring four consecutive points, but a service error gave the ball back to Coon Rapids.
 
Paige Jones set Olivia Jung for two kills, Jung returned the favor once, and Jones and and Lindsey Bratland combined for a block as the Cardinals scored the last five points of the set to pull out the win and set the tone for the rest of the night.
 
The second set was the only set of the night that didn't hold to the script of a tight battle. The teams traded the lead twice early but a 10-1 run by the Rebels sent them on their way to the 11-point victory to tie the match at 1-1.
 
Much of the third set appeared to be going the way of the home team. After falling behind early, they grabbed a 4-3 lead and, after snapping a 10-10 tie, they pulled out to a 23-17 lead.
 
Once again, the Rebels came back, pulling to within one point with a 5-0 run, but a service error gave Coon Rapids a chance to win the set. Back-to-back kills by Lexi Wood tied the match at 24-24. The teams were tied again, at 25-25, before one of Taylor Goar's 26 kills on the night final put the set away for the Rebels.
 
The fourth set proved to be one of the the Cardinals' best of the season as they hit a stunning .522. Champlin Park also had its best hitting performance of the night, at .286, but, despite 10 tie scores and five lead changes, couldn't keep pace with the home squad.
 
"That was as well as we've played all year," Coon Rapids head coach Heidi Ulwelling said. "Both our hitting and our defense came together in that set."
 
Eight of the Cardinals nine plays who saw action in the set recorded kills, they committed just one reception error and the back row grouping of Aneisha DeNio, Emily Tronson and Kayle Witzman combined for 10 digs.
 
The fifth set proved to be the most hotly contested set of the night. The set saw more lead changes (6), and as many ties (10) as any other set of the night despite being played to just 17 points.
 
The Cardinals would serve for the match at 14-13 but Wood stepped up for the visitors, notching her 15th kill of the night, to tie the score. Goar's 26th kill of the night gave the Rebels their first match point of the night but Jung collected her 14th kill to tie the score one more time.
 
A service error gave Champlin Park a second chance to serve for the match and Christa Koep converted the opportunity with an ace.
 
Despite being disappointed with the loss, Ulwelling found plenty of positive things from her team.
 
"We battled back when we were down," she said. "I had nothing but positives for the team afterwards. We did so many things well tonight, against a good team, and that was my message."
 
Ulwelling stated that she was happy with the play of senior setter and co-captain Paige Jones. "She really distributed the ball well tonight," she said.
 
All four of the Cardinals' front-row maintstays, Bratland, Jung, Pasiowitz and Ashley Engen, had at least 22 attack attempts. Engen finished with 16 kills while Jung had 14 and Pasiowitz 11 while Jones finished with 40 assists.
 
Defensively, Coon Rapids matched its season high with nine blocks, getting four each from Angela Koch, who played just two sets, and Bratland. Tronson, who sat out the third set before moving into the libero role for the final two sets, finished with a team-high 16 digs while Engen had 15.
 
Up next for the Cardinals is Anoka, Thursday at the Roger E. Carlson Fieldhouse. The opening serve is slated for 7 p.m. and, as the team's final home match of the season, is slated to be Senior Night.

Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings

The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released the state rankings as of Oct. 4, 2010 and three Northwest Suburban Conference teams are in this week's poll.

Blaine remained fourth, after moving up from ninth last week, following conference wins over Robbinsdale Armstrong and Andover and a 4-0 record, and the championship, in the Bengals' invitational. In all, they won 14 of 15 sets on the week.
After winning a pair of conference games and the Coon Rapids Invitational, Centennial, for the third week in a row, sits on the edge of poll, earning 49 points. The Cougars take on Blaine, Oct. 5, with the winner having the inside track to the 2010 NWSC title.

Andover received six points in the poll for the second week in a row.


Team (1st Place Votes)       Record   Pts

 1. Lakeville North (9)     16- 1-0   135
 2. Wayzata                 16- 2-0   126
 3. Bloomington Jefferson   17- 1-0   117
 4. Blaine                  15- 2-0   102
 5. Eastview                10- 8-0    84
 6. Apple Valley            13- 4-0    79
 7. Lakeville South         14- 3-0    75
 8. Waconia                 14- 5-0    66
 9. Eden Prairie            11- 6-0    60
10. Shakopee                13- 5-0    58

Others: Centennial (49), Hill-Murray (14), Cretin-Durham Hall (13), Stillwater (13), Andover (6).

Cardinals take third in Invitational with four wins

Coon Rapids won four of six matches and finished third of seven teams while hosting the Coon Rapids Invitational.

The day opened well for the Cardinals as they used runs of seven, four and five points to take a 21-7 lead over Hastings in the day's opening set en route to a 25-11, 25-17 win.

Paige Jones had her best setting game of the season with 20 of 36 set attempts, a .556 efficiency, resulting in kills. Courtney Pasiowitz had five kills, without an error, in seven attacks to go with four service aces while Lindsey Bratland put away four of her five attacks and Ashley Engen had a team-high six kills.

The second match of the day featured a matchup with Northwest Suburban Conference-leading Centennial and the Cougars wasted little time, scoring the first five points of the match before cruising to a 25-10, 25-20 win.

The Cardinals began to find their game in second set of the match, taking the lead on two separate occassions, but a 7-1 run by Centennial put the Cougars ahead, 12-8, and they would not relinquish the lead.

Pasiowitz, who had three aces, and Megan Hayes led the way for Coon Rapids with four kills apiece.

The third match of the day came against another NWSC foe in Robbinsdale Armstrong. Despite being outhit by the Falcons, the Cardinals showed that the time spent at Friday's practice on service and serve reception was beneficial. Coon Rapids had 14 aces to just four for Armstrong and an .892 serve reception compared to just .674 for the Falcons.

Lindsay Bratland had a season-high six kills in the match while Engen, Jones and Chloe Jacobson each had three aces. The Cardinals also had five blocks in the match with Hannah Fitzer assisting on four of them.

Coon Rapids ran its record to 3-1 on the day with a 25-17, 25-16 over Providence, behind a balanced hitting attack which saw five players record at least three kills. Pasiowitz, who had three kills, added five services aces to account for a team-high eights points while Jones, who had 11 assists, led the way with a season-best six kills.

After dropping a 25-12 decision in the opening set against Stillwater, a set in which they never led, the Cardinals and Ponies battled neck and neck through much of the of the second set. However, Stillwater snapped a 17-17 tie by running off seven consecutive points before finishing off a 25-18 win.

Olivia Jung's four kills and .273 hitting percentage led Coon Rapids.

The Cardinals finished out the day with a 25-14, 25-23 win over Rogers to capture third place. Coon Rapids scored the first seven points of the first set and were not caught en route to the 11-point win, but the second set saw eight tied scores and six lead changes A block by Bratland and Engen finally snapped a 19-19 tied in the final set and the Cardinals hung onto the lead until the end.

The four wins gave Coon Rapids a 5-4 record on the week and and raises the team's mark to 8-11 on the season. The Cardinals' final two home matches of the season take place this week as they host Champlin Park, Tuesday, and Anoka, Thursday, in a pair of 7 p.m. games at the Coon Rapids Fieldhouse.

Service game proves to be difference in Cardinals loss to Orioles

Osseo held a 16-point advantage in four sets, 13 of which came from the service game, as the Orioles defeated Coon Rapids, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 25-17.

Osseo had 12 aces to five for the Cardinals, and 10 errors to 16 for the hosts. Coon Rapids served just 80.7 percent on 83 attempts for the night compared to .897 on 97 attempts for the Orioles.

Coon Rapids committed six service errors in the opening set, which spelled the difference in a three-point loss. Ashley Engen had five kills, without and error, in 10 attacks and Paige Jones had 10 assists in 23 set attempts as the Cardinals offense was on track in the early going.

The second set saw 10 tie scores and five lead changes before a kill by Engen broke a 23-23 tie and her service ace gave Coon Rapids the win and tied the match at one set apiece. Once again, Engen paced the offense with six kills and a .417 hitting percentage while Jones recorded 10 more assists while setting at a .455 clip.

The Cardinals never led in the third set as an 8-0 run by Osseo turned a 4-4 tie into a 12-4 lead. The hosts came back, cutting the lead to 18-16 at one point, but the Orioles finished on a 7-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the final set, an early five-point run by Osseo broke a 3-3 tie and, when a block Angela Koch and Courtney Pasiowitz cut the lead to 13-12, the visitors went on a six-point run and cruised to the eight-point win to close out the match.

Engen accounted for a match-high 19.5 points with 15 kills, hitting .324 on the night, with a block and four aces. Jones had a season-high .392 setting percentage with 31 assists while also contributing three blocks.

The Cardinals are next in action Saturday, Oct. 2, when they hosts the Coon Rapids Invitational. The Cardinals open tournament play at 9 a.m. by taking on Hastings. The round-robin event also features Centennial, Providence, Robbinsdale Armstrong, Rogers and Stillwater.

Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings

The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released the state rankings as of Sept. 27, 2010.

Three Northwest Suburban Conference teams are in this week's poll.

Blaine moved from ninth to fourth despite going 3-2 on the week. The Bengals won their only conference match of the week, a 3-1 decision over Elk River, before taking part in the Apple Valley Invitiational over the weekend. There, Blaine went 2-2, knocking off Chaska and seventh-ranked Apple Valley, 2-0, before dropping 2-0 decisions to top-ranked Wazyata and fifth-ranked Eastview.

Centennial, for the second week in a row, sits on the edge of poll, earning 49 points while Andover received votes for the first time this season, earning six points.

Stillwater, which received 13 points this week, will join Centennial in taking part in the Coon Rapids Invitational, which gets underway Saturday, Oct. 2, at 9 a.m.

Team (1st Place Votes)       Record   Pts
 1. Wayzata (11)            15- 1-0   220
 2. Lakeville North (4)     13- 1-0   214
 3. Bloomington Jefferson   15- 1-0   194
 4. Blaine                   9- 2-0   148
 5. Eastview                 9- 7-0   147
 6. Lakeville South         13- 2-0   144
 7. Apple Valley            11- 4-0   139
 8. Shakopee                11- 5-0   108
 9. Waconia                 12- 5-0   105
10. Eden Prairie             9- 6-0    81

Others: Centennial (49), Hill-Murray (14), Cretin-Durham Hall (13), Stillwater (13), Andover (6)

Cardinals falter in four-set loss to Elk River

Coon Rapids won its first set in Northwest Suburban Conference play this season but dropped the final three sets in a 23-25, 25-11, 25-23, 25-11 loss at Elk River.

A perfect effort serving in the first set and four blocks helped key the Cardinals opening-set win. However, it didn't open well for the visitors as they quickly fell behind 4-2. A seven-point run, keyed by Ashley Engen's service game, enabled Coon Rapids to open up a 9-4 lead.

The Elks would make several runs at retaking the lead, finally attaining a 20-20 tie before each team score three consecutive points to knot the set at 23-23. A service error gave the Cardinals the lead back and Chloe Jacobson then served up an ace to close out the opening frame.

The second set sat the hosts open with a six-point run and they never looked back as 17 Coon Rapids errors led to an 14-point win for the Elks.

Set three saw the Cardinals fall behind 4-1 and they trailed until a 5-1 run saw them take a 13-11 lead, which they would eventually extend to 18-13 before Elk River began its comeback, one which ended with an 8-2 run to overcome a 21-17 deficit.

The teams battled to a 5-5 tie early in the fourth set but the Elks ran off five consecutive points to take a lead they would not relinquish and then finished the match with another five-point run.

Engen posted a double-double on the night with 11 kills and 12 digs. Olivia Jung had five kills and Chloe Jacobson had three kills, two aces and 10 digs.

Coon Rapids returns home for conference match with Osseo, Thursday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.

Engen's triple-double helps Cardinals to five-set win over Bluejackets

Ashley Engen had a triple-double with 20 kills, 20 digs and 11 services aces, and her final ace gave Coon Rapids its last lead of the night in a 25-19, 22-25, 25-15, 23-25, 17-15 win over Cambridge-Isanti to snap a four-match losing streak.

The match featured 13 lead changes, the final change came when Lindsay Bratland killed a Paige Jones set and Engen followed with her 11th ace of the night to give the Cardinals a 16-15, fifth-set lead. Jones and Bratland then combined one their third block of the set to finish the match.

"We did a great job coming back," Coon Rapids head coach Heidi Ulwelling said. "We battled and came up with a win."

The opening set saw a series of runs cause a pair of lead changes but, with an 18-12 lead, the Cardinals appeared headed to a first-set win. A 7-1 run by the Bluejackets closed the gap to one-point and the teams traded points to give Coon Rapids the serve back with a 20-19 lead.

From there, Jones served out the set, ending streak of 12 consecutive sets lost by the Cardinals.

Cambridge-Isanti found itself trailing 4-0 and, eventually, 10-5, before mounting a comeback, using a 9-2 run to take a 14-12 lead, forcing a Coon Rapids timeout. The Cardinals would eventually come back to take an 18-17 lead on a pair of Engen service aces but it wasn't enough to derail the Bluejackets, who tied the match at 1-1.

The third set featured two big runs which resulted in the only lead change of the stanza. The Bluejackets scored the first three points of the set and then used a 6-0 run to take a 9-2 lead.

Facing a seven-point deficit, at 10-3, the Cardinals got the serve back and Engen took over, recording eight of her aces during an 11-point run which gave Coon Rapids a four-point lead, which it would not relinquish.

It appeared the Cardinals were headed for a four-set win when they took a 21-17 lead. The Bluejackets fought back, however, overcoming eight kills by Engen in the set, hitting .394 themselves with just one attack error, claiming a 25-23 victory to send the match to a fifth and deciding set.

That final set saw more tie scores (8) and lead changes (4) than any of the previous four sets.

Coon Rapids led much of the way in the fifth set. Cambridge-Isanti tooks its first lead when it scored four consecutive points to go ahead, 13-12. The teams would then trade two points apiece, with each serving for the match, before Bratland's kill tied the score for a final time, at 15-15, and the Cardinals then closed out the match.

Besides Engen's team season-highs in kills, digs and aces, Oliva Jung came off the bench to contribute 12 kills. Angela Koch had five kills along with two solo blocks and two block assists. Jones also had four blocks along with a season-high 43 assists.

The Cardinals continue their busy week by returning to Northwest Suburban Conference action, Tuesday, with a 7 p.m. match at Elk River.

Lineup changes unable to change results for Cardinals

Head coach Heidi Ulwelling made several lineup changes and, despite signs of improvement, Coon Rapids was unable to find the win column, dropping its fourth consecutive match, a 25-13, 25-17, 25-20 decision at Maple Grove.

Ashley Engen was moved from middle to outside hitter and the Cardinals went to a three-middle lineup. In addition, sophomore Chloe Jacobson was brought up from the junior varsity squad and saw action in the second and third sets as the team's libero.

The Crimson got off to an inauspicious start, being called for a lineup violation on the first service of the match to fall behind 1-0, but they reeled off seven consecutive points and did not see their lead fall to fewer than five points the rest of the set, hitting .440 with 12 kills and just one error.

Coon Rapids took an early lead in the second set as back-to-back kills by Courtney Pasiowitz put the Cardinals ahead, 2-1, and they eventually jumped out to a 5-2 lead. A 7-1 run by the hosts, however, gave them a lead they would not relinquish, despite the visitors closing the gap to one point on two occassions.

Two separate runs set up the finish to the match as Coon Rapids used a 7-1 run to take a 10-8 lead in the third set, getting four points on Engen's serve while Olivia Jung had a pair of kills to spark the rally.

After the teams traded points, Maple Grove put together a six-point run and never led by fewer than three points the rest of the match.

With the move to the outside, Engen had 10 kills in 32 attack attempts, her highest totals since recording 15 kills in 35 attempts in the season opener. It was also her first double-double of the season as she recorded 10 digs to go with her 10 kills. Jung chipped into the offensive attack with a season-high nine kills.

"I think it's workable," Ulwelling said of the changes she made. "The middle back piece worked well with Chloe and I like the consistency in hitting that Ashley gives us on the outside."

Jacobson had five digs and a set assist in her varsity debut.

Coon Rapids returns to action Monday, Sept. 27, with a non-conference match against Cambridge-Isanti. It will be Youth Night at the CRHS Fieldhouse with all junior high and elementary school volleyball players wearing their team jersey being admitted to the match free of charge.

Burger King to host Cardinal Volleyball fund raiser

The Coon Rapids Burger King, located at 2025 Northdale Boulevard, will be hosting a fund raiser for Coon Rapids Volleyball.

The event will take place Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and a portion of all sales, accompanied with the ticket below, will be donated to Coon Rapids Volleyball.

Fans can stop by the Burger King, just two blocks from Coon Rapids High School, for dinner and then make the short trip up highway 10 for the Cardinals' match that evening at Elk River, which gets underway at 7 p.m.

Cardinals to host Youth Night, Sept. 27

Coon Rapids' non-conference match with Cambridge-Isanti, Sept. 27, will be Youth Night.

All current middle- and elementary-school volleyball players are invited to attend. Players were their team jersey will be admitted to the 7 p.m. match free of charge. The Cardinal varsity team will be throwing out t-shirts during introductions. Everyone is encouraged to arrive early for pregame warmups and introductions.

Following the match, all youth players in attendance can come to the floor to meet the Cardinal varsity team as well as enjoy cookies and juice.

Anyone with questions concerning the night's events can contact head coach Heidi Ulwelling.

Centennial out hits, out serves Coon Rapids

Centennial racked up 43 kills and 13 service aces, to just 18 and two for Coon Rapids, as the Cougars handed the Cardinals a 25-15, 25-13, 25-12 loss.

Both teams had eight kills in the opening set but Centennial had seven aces while Coon Rapids had seven service errors which spelled the difference.

In the second set, Leigh Pudwill record eight kills and an ace to account for nine of the Cougars' 25 points. Centennial hit .567 in the set and was able to side out on 12 of the Cardinals' 14 services.

An early three-point run by Coon Rapids in the final set gave the hosts a 4-2 lead but the visitors would score 17 of the next 21 points, taking a 19-8 lead before ending the match in 57 minutes.

Courtney Pasiowitz accounted for five points for Coon Rapids with three kills, an ace and two block assists. Ashley Engen, Megan Hayes and Olivia Jung also had three kills each.

CTN will broadcast the game four times, Wednesday, beginning at 12 a.m. Other broadcast times for the day are at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The Cardinals return to action with another Northwest Suburban Conference match at Maple Grove, Thursday, beginning at 7 p.m.

Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings

The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released the state rankings as of Sept. 20, 2010.

Two Northwest Suburban Conference teams are in this week's poll. Blaine, which handed Coon Rapids, a 25-10, 25-17, 25-17 loss, Tuesday, checks in at number nine in this weeks poll. The Bengals are 6-0-0 on the season. 


Just four points out of the top 10 is Centennial, tomorrow's opponent for the Cardinals. The Cougars are 5-0-0 on the season.

Team (1st Place Votes)       Record   Pts
 1. Lakeville North (10)     8- 0-0   150
 2. Wayzata                  9- 1-0   140
 3. Bloomingon Jefferson    13- 1-0   130
 4. Apple Valley             7- 2-0   106
 5. Shakopee                 7- 3-0    94
 6. Waconia                 11- 3-0    89
    Lakeville South         12- 1-0    89
 8. Eastview                 5- 5-0    54
 9. Blaine                   6- 0-0    52
10. Eden Prairie             5- 5-0    47

Others receiving votes: Centennial (43), Stillwater (19), Hopkins (10), Bloomington Kennedy (7), Chaska (6), Owatonna (6), Hill-Murray (6).

Errors plague Cardinals in loss to Andover

A total of 45 errors led to Andover points and the enabled the Huskies to cruise to a 25-10, 25-14, 25-16 win over Coon Rapids.

Hitting errors by the Cardinals on the match's first three points put the hosts on top early and Andover put together seven different multiple-point runs to sail to a 15-point opening-set win.

The second set started out in much the same fashion, with the Huskies running out to a 4-0 lead but a pair of service aces by Lindsay Bratland keyed a six-point run for Coon Rapids, which gave them their first lead of the nights.

After the teams trade points, Karlie Hauer got a kill to bring Andover to within 7-6 and she then proceed to serve five consecutive points, getting a pair of aces in the process, to give the Huskies a lead which they would not relinquish.

The third set was a back-and-forth battle early as the teams traded leads five times and were tied on eight occasions. However, a kill by Danielle McNallan tied the score for a final time at 13-13 and she then served four consecutive points as the Huskies finished the match on a 13-3 run.

Ashley Engen, with a team-high seven kills, was one of just two Cardinal players to finish the match with a positive hitting percentage. Olivia Jung, with two kills in 12 attacks, was the other. Courtney Pasiowitz chipped into the scoring effort with three aces.

Coon Rapids returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 21, when they host 10th-ranked Centennial in a Northwest Suburban Conference match beginning at 7 p.m.

Final match statistics are available here.

Cardinals fall in conference opener

Despite jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, and scoring first in each of the next two sets, Coon Rapids was unable to maintain enough momentum to overcome Blaine in 25-10, 25-17, 25-17 loss to the Bengals in the Northwest Suburban Conference opener for both teams.

Blaine scored the first point of the match but the Cardinals reeled off five consecutive points to jump out to an early four-point lead. But an 11-1 run by the Bengals turned the first set around and the visitors cruised to a 15-point win.

A service ace by Hannah Fitzer saw Coon Rapids open the second set with a lead but Blaine scored three quick points to take the lead and would eventually go up by 11 points before a late charge by the hosts narrowed the gap to seven before it was over.

The third set was evenly contested, except for an early 7-0 run by the Bengals, but to no avail for the Cardinals, whose record fell to 3-4 on the season.

Fitzer had three kills, three aces and two solo blocks to lead Coon Rapids while Ashley Engen had five kills, two blocks and two aces. Both players accounted for eight Cardinal points on the night.

Coon Rapids returns immediately to conference play as they play their first road game of the season, a 7 p.m. affair at Andover tomorrow night.

Final match stats can be found here.

Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings

The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released the state rankings as of Sept. 13, 2010.

Class AAA
---------
School (1st place votes) Record Pts
1. Lakeville North (11) 7-0-0 165
2. Wayzata 7-1-0 152
3. Bloomingon Jefferson 11-1-0 143
4. Apple Valley 7-1-0 119
5. Shakopee 6-2-0 108
6. Waconia 10-3-0 82
7. Lakeville South 7-1-0 73
8. Eastview 4-5-0 72
9. Eden Prairie 5-4-0 57
10. Centennial 3-0-0 47

Others: Blaine (42), Stillwater (30), Hopkins (24), Eagan (13), Andover (12), Woodbury (9), Owatonna (7), Chaska (6), Maple Grove (6).

Cardinals take third in Keller Klassic

After starting the season with a pair of losses earlier in the week, Coon Rapids won three of four matches while hosting the annual Keller Klassic to claim third in the 2010 tournament.

The Cardinals opened tournament action by taking a 25-22, 25-21 win from Providence Academy.

The Lions jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening set and held the lead until a Courtney Pasiowitz kill tied the score at 14-14, sparking a 9-2 run by the hosts which eventually led to the first-set win.

In the second set, the teams traded points at the start for a 2-2 tie but Coon Rapids then went on a 12-0 run, getting four service aces from Megan Hayes and four kills from Olivia Jung to take a 14-2 lead.

Despite the large lead, the Lions slowly climbed back into the match, getting to within two points, at 22-20, before Angela Koch combined on a block with Pasiowitz and then Hayes to put the Cardinals up 24-20.

Jung, who had six kills in the second set, finished with a match-high eight kills and a .363 hitting percentage. Ashley Engen had seven kills, two service aces and a block to account for 9.5 points.

In its second match, Coon Rapids had to overcome a first-set loss before advancing to the semifinals with a 22-25, 25-18, 15-8 win over Big Lake.

The second set didn't start off any better as the Hornets jumped out to an 8-3 lead before a seven-point run by the Cardinals turned the match around. Pasiowitz would help extend the lead as back-to-back kills by the sophomore gave Coon Rapids a 16-12 lead and back-to-back aces gave her team a seven-point lead.

Big Lake made a late charge in the set but Engen and Jung combined for a block to get service back for the Cardinals at 23-18 before Paige Jones recorded a kill and set Jung for the a kill for the final point of the set.

Although Coon Rapids got out to an 8-3 lead, the Hornets closed to within 10-8 but the Cardinals reeled off the final five points of the match for the victory.

Jung's six kills paced the Coon Rapids front row while Paige Jones had three kills, three aces, two blocks and 14 assists.

The Cardinals' semifinal match with Fridley saw 12 lead changes but it was the Tigers who came away with a 25-16, 25-23 victory to advance to the championship.

Although Fridley controlled much of the first set, the second set turned into a game of scoring runs as an eight-point Tiger run turned a 15-12 deficit into a 20-15 lead. Coon Rapids responded with a five-point run, getting three consecutive aces from Pasiowitz, to tie the score at 20-20.

The Cardinals responded in the third-place game, taking a first-set lead at 10-9, from which point they would never trail in the match, earning a 25-17, 25-22 win over Cloquet.

Engen had three kills and three blocks in the first set, finishing the match with six kills and four blocks, to lead Coon Rapids.

The three victories evens the Cardinals' record at 3-3 on the season as they enter the conference portion of their schedule. Tuesday, Coon Rapids opens Northwest Suburban Conference play by hosting Blaine. Opening serve is slated for 7 p.m.

Courtney Pasiowitz

Coon Rapids falls in three to Mounds View

After an error-plagued first set, Coon Rapids matched Mounds View for much of the next two sets but, in the end, were unable to overcome the Mustangs, dropping a 25-17, 25-20, 25-23 decision.

Fifteen Cardinal errors in the first set resulted in the Mustangs never trailing as they claimed an eight-point opening-set win. After taking an 8-1 lead, Mounds View was never seriously threatened in the opening frame.

The second set was a tightly-contested battle with seven tie scores and four lead changes, but a 6-1 run by the Mustangs snapped a 14-14 tie and sent them on their way to taking a 2-0 lead.

Coon Rapids found itself trailing 7-2 in the third set but a 14-2 run gave the Cardinals a seven-point lead. Mounds View, however, put together a 9-2 run of its own, ending the game with back-to-back blocks by Sarah Atkinson and Rachael Parupsky.

For the second consecutive night, Ashley Engen paced the Cardinals offensively with seven kills. She also chipped in with three blocks and three service aces, tallying 11.5 points on the night.

Coon Rapids returns to action Saturday with four matches on the slate as the Cardinals host the annual Keller Klassic, which gets underway at 9 a.m. Coon Rapids plays its first match of tournament at 9 a.m., facing Providence Academy.

Cardinals lose opener in five

Despite taking the first two sets, Coon Rapids was unable to gain a victory in its season opener, dropping a 25-27, 17-25, 25-17, 25-10, 15-11 decision to Heritage Christian.

The first two sets were both seesaw affairs, seeing a total of 27 ties scores and 11 lead changes, but the Cardinals closed out the second set on an 8-1 run, including the final five points of the set, and entered the third set with momentum.

The Eagles found their game in the third set. After falling behind, 2-0, the visitors went on an 11-3 run and used 15 Cardinal errors to cruise to a 25-17 win.

With momentum on its side, Heritage ran out to a 9-0 lead in the fourth set before cruising to a 15-point win, setting up a pivotal fifth set, which would see six ties and three lead changes. The final change came when the Eagles took an 11-10 lead and finished the match on a 5-1 run.

"This match was a good learning experience for us," Coon Rapids head coach Heidi Ulwelling said. "It was a great opportunity to face a competitive team and to be challenged from start to finish.

"It was a great first match of the season and I believe it gave the girls some perspective on the game and how momentum plays a role in this sport."

Lauren Williams led the Eagles to the victory, leading the team with 20 kills, nine digs and five blocks.

Ashley Engen record 15 kills for Coon Rapids and added a match-high 12 digs. Courtney Pasiowitz chipped in with five kills and five blocks while Oliva Jung and Angela Koch also had five kills.

Starting the season late, Coon Rapids makes up for lost time this week with six matches, all at home. The second of those six matches comes Thursday when the Cardinals host Mounds View in a 7 p.m. match.

Ashley Engen

Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings

The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released this week's coaches poll.

School (1st place votes) Record Pts

1. Lakeville North (12) 1- 0-0 180

2. Bloomington Jefferson 5- 0-0 145

3. Wayzata 2- 0-0 140

4. Shakopee 2- 0-0 136

5. Apple Valley 1- 1-0 112

6. Waconia 4- 1-0 104

7. Eastview 0- 2-0 99

8. Lakeville South 4- 0-0 87

9. Centennial 2- 0-0 63

10. Hopkins 0- 2-0 56



Others: Eden Prairie (51), Blaine (47), Stillwater (36), Chaska (9), Woodbury (7), Eagan (6).

Green Mill to host pancake breakfast fundraiser

The Coon Rapids volleyball team, in conjunction with the CRHS gymnastics team, will hold a pancake breakfast at the Green Mill, Saturday, Sept. 18, from 8-10 a.m.

Tickets are $5 apiece and the breakfast includes unlimited pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice. Tickets can be purchased from members of the volleyball team and will also be available during lunch in the school cafeteria, Sept. 14.

Cardinal t-shirt fundraiser

The Cardinal volleyball program is holding a t-shirt fundraiser through September 7. Anyone interested in purchasing a t-shirt can contact any player or coach Ulwelling (cardinalsvb@yahoo.com).

Cost of the t-shirts, which come in either gray or black, is $10 and come in size from youth small to adult XL. Adult XXL shirts cost $12.

All checks should be made payable to the Coon Rapids Girls Volleyball Boosters.
 

Scrimmages useful as Cardinals prep for 2010 season

The Cardinals took part in a six-team scrimmage, hosted by Osseo, today facing five opponents during the 3 1/2-hour event, meeting up with DeLaSalle, Minnetonka, Legacy Christian and Northwest Suburban Conference foes Osseo and Centennial.

With nearly two weeks to go until the season opener, Sept. 8, at home versus Heritage Christian, the Cardinals are making strides towards being ready.

"I think they're starting to figure out our defensive strategy," head coach Heidi Ulwelling said of her team. "We're doing a better job of reading hitters."

That much was clear in the team's final scrimmage of the day versus Centennial. A state tournament qualifier last season and one of the state's top-ranked teams in the preseason coaches poll, the Cougars are a good benchmark for the Cardinals to check themselves against.

"I thought we battled Centennial even up," Ulwelling said. "It would have been an interesting score."

With senior starter and co-captain Ashley Engen absent from today's scrimmages, Coon Rapids was forced to change its lineup.

"Despite not having one of our senior captains there, I thought we played well," Ulwelling said. "I thought we handled competitive adversity well today."

However, there is still more to do before Sept. 8.

"We still have plenty to work on before then," Ulwelling added. "We need to work on more aggressive serving, being quicker in transition and overall communication.

"We still haven't put in our offense yet but that will come. The name of the game is ball control and defense and we're making good progress in those areas."

Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association releases preseason rankings

The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released its preseason rankings for 2010.

                Class AAA
                ---------
                               2009
School (1st place votes)     Record   Pts
 1. Lakeville North (4)     17- 9-0    74
 2. Wayzata (4)             24- 9-0    67
 3. Eastview                20- 7-0    61
 4. Eden Prairie            18-10-0    52
 5. Stillwater              27- 6-0    42
 6. Apple Valley            15-13-0    35
 7. Bloomington Jefferson   17-12-0    30
 8. Hopkins                 18-12-0    26
 9. Lakeville South         16-11-0    17
10. Chaska                  25- 4-0    12

Others receiving votes: Blaine (8), Shakopee (6), Centennial (4), Waconia (3), Farmington (2), Alexandria (1).

Coach Ulwelling to be inducted into MSU Hall of Fame

Coon Rapids volleyball coach Heidi Ulwelling will be inducted into the Minnesota State University Athletics Hall of Fame, Oct. 8.

A four-year letterwinner during her career (1991-94), she became the first player in school history to record 3,000 career assists and still ranks seconds on the school's all-time list (3,963). As a sophomore, in 1992, she set a school record, since broken, with 1,210 assists and set the school's single-match record, which still stands, of 82 assists in a match with North Dakota State.

As a senior, not only did Ulwelling lead the Mavericks in assists (1,142) for a fourth consecutive season, she also led the team in hitting percentage (.266) and digs (358).

During her career, she helped three different players earn All-North Central Conference honors as hitters and was also an all-conference selection herself.

Tryouts Announced

Coach Ulwelling has announced the tryout schedule for the upcoming season.

Check in for all players will take place at 8 a.m., Monday, Aug. 16, with tryout sessions to follow from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-3:30 pm.

Further sessions will take place, Tuesday, Aug. 17, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-3:30 p.m. and again, Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Players will return at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, where they will be informed of roster decisions.

For all questions regarding team tryouts, please contact Coach Ulwelling.