HCAC Coaches Select Lady Jacket Volleyball to Take Third

GREENWOOD, Ind. – After a fantastic first year under head coach Brie Brenner, the 2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year is aiming for a conference title run in year two with a Yellow Jacket squad that was chosen to finish third in the HCAC.

Defiance received 77 points in the preseason poll and followed only co-reigning regular season conference champions Mount St. Joseph (88) and Transylvania (81), while MSJ grabbed the crown in the HCAC tournament. To round out the top five, Hanover was selected fourth with 62 points and both Rose-Hulman and Bluffton received 60 for a fifth-place tie.

Behind Brenner's solid coaching, the DC volleyball squad compiled an overall record of 18-13 last season, which was the best since 2009. It also concluded the year fourth in the HCAC with a 6-3 mark that was tops since 2008.

The Purple and Gold's strong season came from the effort of a talented upper classmen group. Along with Defiance being selected third in the preseason poll, senior middle blocker Alexis Pierce and outside hitter Chelsea Ludeman, as well as junior setter Alicia Kalik were named to the HCAC Preseason Players to Watch List.

Leading DC in multiple statistical categories was Pierce. The native of Wauseon, Ohio totaled 358 kills on an average of 3.28 kills per set, which was fourth best in the HCAC. The middle blocker was also a stalwart at the defensive end. Pierce ranked first on the squad in solo blocks (41), total blocks (93) and blocks per set (.85). Overall, the senior's team-leading 4.01 points per set average gave her the second-highest mark in the conference. Pierce's outstanding season earned her a spot on the First-Team All-HCAC list for the first time in her career.

This will be Ludeman's fourth year for the Yellow Jackets and comes into the 2013 campaign off her best season. The Napoleon High product also garnered First-Team All-HCAC honors after racking up 331 kills, with a 2.96 kills per set average.  The outside hitter's success on the attack led to a .257 hitting efficiency that ranked fourth in the conference. Ludeman also added 82 total blocks on the season to finish with the second most on the squad.

Finally, the lone junior of the group was the main facilitator to Pierce and Ludeman's success. Kalik has racked up 1,737 assists over her first two seasons at Defiance, including a team-high 961 last year. That mark held for the third most in the HCAC, while the setter's 9.33 assists per set average ranked second. The South Lyon, Mich. native, also chipped in with the top hitting efficiency (.260) and second best digs per set average (2.51) for the Jackets. After earning HCAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2011, these marks bumped her up to First-Team All-HCAC last season.

This trio of Lady Jackets will be joined by a stout group of experienced second and third-year players and have their sights set on a HCAC Championship. The squad will be providing DC fans with a little preview to the upcoming season when it holds the team's first ever Purple and Gold intersquad scrimmage to kick off the 2012-13 sports year. The match is set to be held on its home floor of the Karl H. Weaner Center on Sunday, August 25 at 5:30 p.m.