DETROIT -- The Wayne State University volleyball team will take a brief hiatus from GLIAC play this week for the 15th annual Midwest Region Crossover at the Hammond Sportsplex in Hammond, Ind. The Warriors will face Illinois Springfield and Upper Iowa of the GLVC on Friday before seeing Ohio Dominican (G-MAC) on Saturday.
COACH KOTH
"We're looking forward to being a part of the Midwest Regional Crossover. It's a unique opportunity to see and play against the entire Midwest region and support our conference....Go GLIAC!"
WHAT'S UP?
Wayne State (5-12 overall, 2-7 GLIAC) will wrap up an eight-match road trip with three matches in two days on Friday and Saturday. The Warriors have already played seven neutral matches this season and recorded a record of 3-4 in those outings. Against this week's three opponents, WSU has gone a combined 12-4, including 1-2 against Illinois Springfield, 1-0 vs. Upper Iowa and 10-2 while facing Ohio Dominican.
ABOUT THE CROSSOVER
The 15th annual Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover Tournament, the nation's largest collegiate volleyball event at one venue, will be held in Hammond, Ind., at the Hammond SportsPlex on Oct. 13-14, 2023. The regional volleyball event will feature 38 NCAA Division II Midwest Region programs in the Association's 50th year. The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and Great Midwest Athletic Conference (Great Midwest) will both be represented by 14 teams, while the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association (GLIAC) will bring 10.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD (5-10 overall, 2-3 GLVC)
Led by third-year head coach Kamille Jones (31-39 overall, 17-18 GLVC), Illinois Springfield enters this week having won two of its last three matches. Three of those five total victories have come at home as the Prairie Stars are just 2-7 away from their court. Individually, UIS' kill department is paced far and away by Eirini Glynou with 228 of them. Also on offense, Erica Sledge runs the show with 445 assists and Marta Perez-Tapia is the team's top threat on the service line with 13 aces. Defensively, Amanda McConnell has racked up 239 digs and Ericka Snopko has notched 34 total blocks.
SCOUTING UPPER IOWA (7-9 overall, 3-2 GLVC)
The 2023 season is year No. 13 for Upper Iowa's head coach, Aaron Nelson, but first as a member of the GLVC as the Peacocks were a part of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) prior to that. In that time at UIU, Nelson has amassed an overall record of 179-158, including a conference mark of 103-122. Prior to becoming a Peacock, Nelson was an assistant coach with the 2010 National Champion Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul. Stat wise, Upper Iowa has turned to Zoe Semelroth (212 kills, 25 aces, 45 total blocks), Nicole Pozorski (599 assists) and Kaci Beesecker (235 digs).
SCOUTING OHIO DOMINICAN (9-7 overall, 6-4 G-MAC)
Ohio Dominican has been on the right side of the scoreboard in four-straight matches and five of the last six. Head coach Amy Bambenek is in her fourth season at the helm with an overall mark of 45-44 and G-MAC record of 28-26. The Panthers' offensive attack features a quartet of student-athletes with at least 100 kills, including Lauren Lucas (201 kills), Jenna Peters (177), Ashley Aselage (175) and Grace Zinchuk. Also on that side of the ball, the headlines have featured Saige Avery with 341 assists and 30 aces. Defensively, the top of the stats feature Kelsey Shoup (299 digs) and Zinchuk (50 total blocks).
G-MAC SOUTH OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ohio Dominican's Jenna Peters appeared in seven sets as the Panthers went 2-0 over the weekend. The sophomore recorded 28 kills while averaging 4.00 kills per set. She tallied 17 against Lake Erie and 11 against Ursuline. Peters also added seven digs and three blocks with an overall hitting percentage of .404.
