2015 Volleyball Camp Tour- Macalester

By: Kelsey Whaley

There probably are not many people who get as excited for the start of the college volleyball season as I do, but they should, especially with the teams in the MIAC. Every year, the conference produces some of the top teams in Division III, including three that were ranked in the top 25 during the 2014 season. 

With that in mind, it is officially time for volleyball season and the MIAC Volleyball Camp Tour to begin. First stop: Macalester College, and a team that is looking bounce back as a contender for the first time in many years.

Special thanks to head coach Annie Doman, her staff, and the Scots volleyball team for letting me invade their practice on Tuesday. I had a blast both on campus and at practice. Also, thank you to the manager of the team, who shook my hand and pointed me in the right direction as soon as I walked in the gym.

In honor of the six starters per team (sorry liberos, I had to take the traditional route), I have six observations after spending a practice with the Macalester Volleyball team.

1. They have depth- the Scots have an extremely deep and versatile team this season, meaning they have several players who can play different positions. Sometimes, that can get teams in trouble. A player who can fit in at many positions is not always a master at one. The Macalester players do not have this problem. The hitters are very adaptable, especially on the right and left sides, and they have several players who can enter the back row on defense and make a difference. This gives Coach Doman plenty of options for starting lineups.  
2. The have energy- it was only day two of camp when I visited, but the energy in

   

   Senior setter/right side hitter Arianna Hesterberg

   makes a set during practice

   the gym was undeniable. The players want to be at practice. They want to improve and learn more about the sport. They want to be contenders and compete for a spot in the conference tournament. That drive shows in all facets of practice, even when it's almost over.
3. They have fun- this might be the most important aspect of volleyball. The energy the players and coaches have is clearly on display in a positive fashion. The players have fun during drills, which isn’t always the case. Practice can be long, grueling, and difficult, especially at the beginning, but the players and coaching staff at Macalester really seemed to enjoy themselves.
4. They are smart- the players are intelligent, both athletically and academically. Macalester received AVCA all academic team honors last season. Those book smarts translate well on the court, especially for the setters, who have to make split second decisions on offense.

5. 

   Macalester players watch as head coach
   Annie Doman explains a drill during practice

   Their coach believes- while the players are crucial to the success of a team (without them, there would be no team), they need someone to give them instruction, direction, and believe in their performance. For Macalester, that is provided by their head coach. Coach Doman is dedicated to making the Scots a competitor in the conference, and has the tools to be successful for many years to come.
6. Everyone is dedicated- Yes, everyone in this program is dedicated to volleyball, not just the players. The coaches, manager, trainer... everyone is at practice to make the team better. They love Macalester and they love volleyball! Just like their coach, the players want to be in the playoff hunt in October, and they have the mentality to do it.

So, with this as evidence, I would say it’s time to get excited about the volleyball season!

Where to next?

Next up on the Volleyball Camp Tour is a stop at Saint Mary’s University on Saturday! Make sure to tune into Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where I’ll be posting live from their Red/White game. Also, make sure to check out Matt’s Football Camp Tour to read even more about your favorite MIAC programs!

2015 MIAC FB Tour - Bethel

By Matt Higgins, MIAC

Two days, two stops, two thunderstorms, two indoor practices. I'm starting to wonder if I'm bad luck...

Wednesday (Aug. 19) took the MIAC Football Camp Tour to Arden Hills, Minn., and Bethel University, where the Royals were in their first day of full-pad workouts. However, that excitement was tampered a little by the move indoors into the Sports and Recreation Center. Regardless, the team was excited for ramping up the contact (especially the defense) as it worked on a wide range of things from fundamental drills to an 11-on-11 scrimmage.

As always, it's great to see Head Coach Steve Johnson and his staff work with their guys. Few are better at building a culture within their program, and it doesn't take long for that culture to become apparent during a visit to a Bethel practice. My top four observations from Wednesday's workout are listed below with "Four Downs," and check out photos and a video from the visit as well.

FIRST DOWN - WHO'S UNDER CENTER?

Yesterday the Fargo Forum had a great piece on the three-man race to replace departed Concordia QB Griffin Neal, and Bethel finds itself in the exact same situation. Gone is three-year starter and former MIAC MVP Erik Peterson, which means the Royals will have a new face under center in 2015. How both Bethel and Concordia reload at the QB spot is one of the biggest questions in the whole conference this season, and how each team answers that question could make a big different in the balance of power at the top of the standings.

Joey Lee (4) is one of three QBs competing
for the Bethel starting job in 2015.

The Royals, a few days into practice, are locked in an entertaining three-man race for the job, with each showing very different levels of experience. Senior QB Andrew Dzurik transferred in last year from Division I Lafayette and sophomore QB Joey Lee also has a year in the Bethel system, while freshman Trey Anderson has also inserted himself into the conversation. Will they go with Dzurik and his experience while the other two get a year to learn, or will they go with youth in either Lee or Anderson? Wednesday, I thought all three certainly had highlights and couldn't really distinguish a leader from my vantage point.

SECOND DOWN - WEAPONS AROUND THE NEW QB

Whoever Bethel names as its starting QB will have the benefit of plenty of returning weapons around him. The Royals return not one, but two, workhorse running backs in senior Marshall Klitzke (859 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs) and sophomore Bridgeport Tusler (812 total yards, 11 total TDs), and junior WR Bryce Marquardt (56 catches, 933 yards, 13 TDs) leads a dynamic group of receivers that can go three- and four-deep. With Klitzke and Tusler in the backfield and its usually stout offensive line, expect Bethel to shift back to more of a run-heavy offense that had become more balanced in recent years with Peterson's passing ability. And when Bethel does take to the air, it could be more in the form of quick-hitting, high-percentage passes both to ease the new QBs transition and to get the ball into the hands of its speedy playmakers as soon as possible. It will be really fun to see how this offense comes together and develops its plan of attack.

Head Coach Steve Johnson teaches technique
to the Bethel defensive linemen Wednesday.

THIRD DOWN - IMPROVE AGAINST THE PASS

Bethel's identity is always built around a stout, aggressive defense and the 2015 team shouldn't be any different, but the team will look back at 2014 and notice one area where they need to get better - passing defense. The Royals had the top-ranked run-stuffing unit in the MIAC last year (108.8 yards allowed per game), but they were seventh against the pass (225.9) and fourth in scoring (23.0) and overall (334.7) defense. Now, part of those numbers are thrown out of whack by the season-ending 62-61 record-setting loss against Augsburg, which was basically played on an ice rink, but with several MIAC teams looking to unleash an aerial assault in 2015, how Bethel fares against the pass could be a huge indicator of success. The defense starts with senior LB Landon Mathis (64 tackles), and he'll have experience and talent behind him in fellow seniors Matt Mehlhorn (51 tackles, 7 pass breakups) and Daniel Leidall (70 tackles), so expect those upperclassmen to shoulder an even bigger load and lead the way for the Royals this fall.

FOURTH DOWN - 'YOU GOTTA LIVE IT'

This was my third time at a Bethel practice, and I'm always amazed at how consistent the message and the culture is from Johnson all the way down through the coaching staff and the roster. During my interviews with Johnson, Klitzke and Senior DB Daniel Liedall, all three said some form of one of Johnson's catchphrases, "You gotta live it." As he explained it to me, his team can't put forth one effort during practice and weight lifting and other workouts, and expect a better effort and result on game day. They need to ingrain a level of excellence on a day-to-day basis, so it becomes second nature when they need it most. You can see this in the team's attention to detail, in the way they approach each drill and repetition, and in the palpable camaraderie throughout the squad. They're definitely "living it" and it will be really exciting to see how that translates to wins and losses on Saturdays, especially with a huge home nonconference showdown looming with a great Wartburg team in Week 2 and a daunting slate in October and early November.

CAMP TOUR CONTINUES THURSDAY

The MIAC Football Camp Tour continues Thursday as I head to Minneapolis for a late-morning session at Augsburg. The full camp tour schedule is listed below with my date that I'll be visiting each team, and expect a blog and video to go online a day or two after each stop.

2015 MIAC Football Camp Tour

Tuesday, Aug. 18 -Gustavus - St. Peter, Minn.

Wednesday, Aug. 19 - Bethel - Arden Hills, Minn.

Thursday, Aug. 20 - Augsburg - Minneapolis, Minn.

Friday, Aug. 21 - St. Olaf and Carleton - Northfield, Minn.

 Monday, Aug. 24 - St. Thomas - St. Paul, Minn.

Tuesday, Aug. 25 - Hamline - St. Paul, Minn.

Wednesday, Aug. 26-  Saint John's and Concordia - Collegeville and Moorhead, Minn.

Follow along with the tour on social media, as I'll be posting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at each stop, and we'll be using the hashtag #MIACcamptour for both our football and volleyball treks around the MIAC. Kelsey will be starting the volleyball tour today as well with her first stop, which will be at Macalester, so stay tuned to the blog and YouTube channel for information from each stop.

2015 MIAC FB Tour - Gustavus

By Matt Higgins, MIAC

Hopefully the official kickoff of the 2015 MIAC football season goes a little smoother - at least weather-wise - than the start of the 2015 MIAC Football Camp Tour. Mother Nature rained on my parade to St. Peter - literally - as I made my first visit of the tour to Gustavus. (Although the extremely hard rain made the drive home much more interesting ... I've never been happier to reach the MIAC office in one piece.)

Huge thanks to Gustavus Sports Information Director CJ Siewert & Asst. Sports Information Director Nick Hoelmer for showing up with umbrellas to help me out, and for getting me access to all the various indoor locations once the inclement weather set in. Thanks also to Head coach Peter Haugen, his staff and players for welcoming me into their camp for my first stop.

Despite the rain during the outdoor portion of practice, and the lightning that chased the practice indoors, the weather couldn't dampen the excitement of the first stop on the tour. It was actually really interesting to see a team adapt their practice on the fly due to the conditions, and I saw some new things due to the circumstances that I hadn't seen in previous years, and I'll outline my top four observations below with "Four Downs" from my trip to Gustavus. Also, check out the photo gallery and video from my trip to St. Peter (embedded below and on YouTube).

Gustavus QB Mitch Hendricks throws deep
during Tuesday's practice in St. Peter, Minn.

FIRST DOWN - GETTING DETAILED

I got to see about 15 minutes of outdoor drills - mostly full team and seven-on-seven stuff before lightning sent the Gusties indoors, but both phases of Tuesday's practice revealed that this is a veteran, experienced team. Just three days into camp, they appear to pretty advanced, and worked on some very detailed, specific things. I saw some interesting special teams drills once they moved inside that I haven't seen too often - working on technique on kick/punt block, fielding kicks and punts on the hop, blocking downfield on punt return. It will be interesting to see Gustavus apply that attention to detail in game situations once the season kicks off.

SECOND DOWN - ALREADY IN STRIDE

Speaking of detailed, it's clear this team has been able to warp ahead during its offensive install. All-MIAC QB Mitch Hendricks (3,403 yards, 35 TDs) and preseason All-American WR Matt Boyce (1,170 yards, 17 TDs) are among the 10 starters back on offense, and the group's experience shows. Limited somewhat in the field house, the offense focused on getting in and out of formations and getting in play calls and audibles and, for the third day of camp, they looked extremely in-sync. Now a senior, Hendricks appears to have complete command of the offense, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Gusties work on pushing the tempo and putting even more on his plate. After practice, Head Coach Peter Haugen, Hendricks and Boyce all referenced "offensive improvement," so if this unit really can get better after finishing second in the MIAC in scoring (37.9 poitns per game) and total offense (485.4 yards per game), that will be a sight to behold. Haugen described the defense as, "Young but very athletic," so the learning curve may be a bit steeper on that side of the ball, but if that athleticism can yield some improvements, the Gusties could have a pretty complete team.

Mother Nature forced Gustavus to move indoors Tuesday,
but the Gusties still got in a great practice.

THIRD DOWN - FINISH STRONG

A year ago, Gustavus raced out to an impressive 6-0 start, only to go 0-4 down the stretch against the MIAC's top four teams. The above-.500 finish was certainly solid, but the team had higher aspirations heading into the home stretch after its hot start. This year, the Gusties are likely facing a same script. They open with Crown on the road, home against Lake Forest, then face Hamline, Augsburg, Carleton and St. Olaf in their first four MIAC games, again closing with the murder's row of Saint John's, Bethel, Concordia and St. Thomas. It's clear this team feels its trending in the right direction, and another 6-0 start won't be a surprise, but those final four weeks will once again truly tell the tale of Gustavus' season. If they can find a way to flip a couple of those losses into wins, suddenly contention for a MIAC title and an NCAA Playoff bid become realities. If Gustavus could knock off either Saint John's or Bethel on the road to close October, it would make its final two games - both at home against Concordia and St. Thomas - extremely interesting and must-see events in St. Peter.

FOURTH DOWN - TEAM BUIDLING

One of the coolest aspects of this camp tour is the all-access that our coaches are kind enough to grant me. I particularly enjoy hearing the coaches address the team at the end of each practice, which really helps get a feeling of how the staffs will guide their teams through camp and toward the first game. Two things really stuck out to me about Coach Haugen's post-practice talk today. No. 1 - the team had a pretty good laugh when a handful of guys were asked to stick around to re-do their bio forms due to poor handwriting. As a former SID, I really appreciated a coach doing that. But the second and bigger takeaway was the emphasis on building his team and bringing his guys together. He told his players to eat each meal during camp with a different teammate, or different group of teammates, so they all bond and get to know each other, and to be sure they integrate the new faces into inner fabric of the team. That might seem like a really small detail on Aug. 18, but starting to build those bonds now won't only make a difference on the field down the road, but they'll also develop into something these guys take with them long after their playing days are over.

CAMP TOUR CONTINUES THURSDAY

The MIAC Football Camp Tour continues Wednesday as I head to Bethel for a visit with the Royals. The remainder of the schedule is listed below. I've been calling this a "tentative" schedule, but if today's storms didn't keep me away from Gustavus, I'm thinking this is pretty much finalized.

2015 MIAC Football Camp Tour

Tuesday, Aug. 18 -Gustavus - St. Peter, Minn.

Wednesday, Aug. 19 - Bethel - Arden Hills, Minn.

Thursday, Aug. 20 - Augsburg - Minneapolis, Minn.

Friday, Aug. 21 - St. Olaf and Carleton - Northfield, Minn.

 Monday, Aug. 24 - St. Thomas - St. Paul, Minn.

Tuesday, Aug. 25 - Hamline - St. Paul, Minn.

Wednesday, Aug. 26-  Saint John's and Concordia - Collegeville and Moorhead, Minn.

Follow along with the tour on social media, as I'll be posting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at each stop, and we'll be using the hashtag #MIACcamptour for both our football and volleyball treks around the MIAC. Kelsey will be starting the volleyball tour on Thursday most likely, so expect plenty of updates on your favorite teams in the coming days and weeks.

'MIAC Camp Tour' kicks off

By Matt Higgins, MIAC

It's that time of year again!

The time when student-athletes across the MIAC begin showing up on campus full of anticipation for the start of a new sports season and school year. The time when all the hard work during the off-season begins to manifest itself. The time when teams come together and really start working toward those common goals.

Also, it's that time of year where the MIAC office hits the road to get a first-hand look at how teams around the conference are preparing for the start of the season. This unofficially started two years ago, in 2013, when I visited Saint John's practice for a story I was working on, and enjoyed it so much I worked in a few other stops.

Last year, I took it a step further by hitting all nine MIAC football camps, with a blog and a video from each stop, and wrapped it up with a story and video to serve as a springboard into the 2015 season.

This year, I'm hitting the road again, starting tomorrow. Between Aug. 18-26 I'll again hit all nine MIAC football practices and plan to file my observations and a behind-the-scenes look at training camp from each stop. Below is my tentative Camp Tour schedule, and expect social media posts that day from each stop, and a blog and video to follow a day or two later.

2015 MIAC FOOTBALL CAMP TOUR

Tuesday, Aug. 18 - Gustavus - St. Peter, Minn.

Wednesday, Aug. 19 - Bethel - Arden Hills, Minn.

Thursday, Aug. 20 - Augsburg - Minneapolis, Minn.

Friday, Aug. 21 - St. Olaf and Carleton - Northfield, Minn.

 Monday, Aug. 24 - St. Thomas - St. Paul, Minn.

Tuesday, Aug. 25 - Hamline - St. Paul, Minn.

Wednesday, Aug. 26 - Saint John's and Concordia - Collegeville and Moorhead, Minn.

However, we have exciting news regarding this "Camp Tour" idea. We're doubling down on the concept this fall, and are happy to introduce our first-ever MIAC Volleyball Camp Tour as well! Our new intern, Kelsey Whaley, joined us in early August, and she's excited to start visiting campuses and filing similar reports from as many volleyball teams as she can visit in the next two weeks. In future years, we're hoping to rotate among the fall sports and get men's and women's soccer and maybe even golf and cross country involved as well.

A huge thanks in advance to the coaches, student-athletes and sports information directors for accommodating us and allowing us to get an all-access look at their teams before they line up for their first games and matches of the year!

If you have any pressing questions you'd like asked on our Camp Tours or anything you're particularly interested in seeing, let us know on Twitter at @MIACathletics, or leave a comment at the end of this blog. We can't wait to see the latest crop of MIAC student-athletes in action, and we're excited to help promote their hard work as they prepare for another great season on the field and on the court.

Before we kick off the 2015 tour, let's take a look back at the highlights from 2014's trip around the MIAC!

D3 Week - Megan Gaard, MIAC

April 6-12, 2015, is NCAA Division III Week. To continue the MIAC's celebration, MIAC Assistant Director Megan Gaard reflects on her experiences as a Division III student-athlete and administrator.

DIVISION III AT HEART

By Megan Gaard, MIAC

Megan Gaard

As I reflect back on my time as a student-athlete in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), I am reminded why I have such a strong passion for the Division III experience. While at Gustavus Adolphus College, the emphasis placed on the "well-rounded" experience afforded me the opportunity to compete as a two-sport student-athlete while participating in several other aspects of campus life including GACTV, Gustavus Ambassadors, a J-Term study abroad, and Student-Athlete Volunteer Educators (SAVE) while pursuing a Communication Studies Major. It is through these organizations and experiences that I was able to foster meaningful relationships and why I still feel so connected to my alma mater years later.

The MIAC is a special conference to be a part of because of the high level of athletics, strong emphasis on academics and overwhelming support of student-athlete well-being from campus athletic administrators, coaches and staff. Working as the Assistant Director for the MIAC over the past two years, has given me an even greater understanding of the hard work and efforts put forth by athletic coaches and administrators to provide a positive and impactful experience for all student-athletes. Those involved at this level participate for the love of the game and the positive experience it can provide and for that I am forever grateful.

Division III week is a time to celebrate the unique student-athletes that participate at this level and highlight their achievements in sport, in the classroom and in life. I am, and always will be, a proud advocate of Division III and I fully embrace the missions and values at the forefront of the MIAC. I want to thank Division III athletic administrators for making the positive student-athlete experience a reality, and thank the student-athletes for carrying out the missions of Division III with integrity and passion.

Happy Division III Week!

| MIAC Division III Week Home Page | Happy Division III Week video |