DC picked to defend title

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The votes have been counted and the Yellow Jackets begin the season as the favorite to defend their Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title.

DC received 86 points overall and four first place votes to be named the favorite heading into the 2014 season.  Bluffton and Mount St. Joseph followed closely behind with 84 points and 82 points, respectively.  Bluffton, MSJ, and Rose-Hulman also took the remaining first place votes with four, one, and one, respectively.

The Yellow Jackets will look to replace a lot of fire power that departed with a trio of seniors from last year's HCAC Champs.  Christa Seidenstricker, Lexy Pierce, and Chelsea Ludeman all departed from DC's first ever HCAC volleyball championship team.

"You can never fully replace a player or class once they leave your team," Coach Brie Brenner said.  "We look for a lot of contribution from young players and took care of our needs in the recruiting process.  Plus we have a nice group of retuning players as we get started into the season."

DC has plenty of leadership coming back in Alicia Kalik (South Lyon, Mich. / South Lyon) and Bree Anderson (Huntertown, Ind. / Carroll), who were both All-HCAC selections.  These two will look for some underclassmen to step up to help them bid for a second straight league title.

Kalik finished first on the team and second in the HCAC with 10.12 assists per set.  She is the school's all-time leading assister and set a single season record last year in the 25-point rally scoring era with 1,063 assists.

Anderson returns after being second on the team in kills with 262.  Her 2.57 kills per set is the highest returning from a season ago.  She was also the lone Yellow Jacket named to the All-HCAC Tournament Team.

"It is an honor to be selected as the favorite in the HCAC by my fellow coaches," Brenner said.  "Though we will come into the season ready to work hard and prove ourselves once again.  It isn't about where you are picked in the preseason, but where you finish after the last game of the season is played."

DC will begin its season on August 29 in the Ohio Northern Invitational.  The play Wooster first with a start time of 3 p.m. in Ada, Ohio.