Lofty goals are once again the focus of the Madison College women's volleyball team as it prepares to begin the 2016 season. And it's for a good reason, as head coach Toby Parker returns a potent offense from a squad that was ranked #1 in the NJCAA Division III Poll most of last season and finished third at the national tournament. The same poll has once again pegged the WolfPack as the nation's top team to start the year, sitting one spot ahead of last year's champions.

"With lofty goals come challenges," reiterates Parker, who will start his 12^th season at the helm. "As always, staying healthy and remaining focused on said goals is going to be crucial. Our schedule, again, will be one of the toughest in the country."
Leading the charge will be five returning players, highlighted by the top two attackers from a season ago. Outside hitter TeAnn Harms tallied a team-best 2.63 kills per set, while fellow outside Andrea Bauer posted 2.34. The duo earned All-North Central Community College Conference honors as they helped the WolfPack to a fourth consecutive N4C title. Middle blocker Taylor Genthe also returns and looks to build upon her 1.75 kills per set numbers as a freshman. Together the three represent nearly 70% of the team's offense in 2015.

"We remain confident that the 2016 roster is one that could be pretty special," boasts last year's N4C and NJCAA Region IV coach of the year. "Our returning kids had a heck of a spring season…Our leadership is fantastic! On paper, this has all the makings  of something special, but we all know that isn't worth much if the work and effort doesn't continue."

The WolfPack will receive a major boost from Rock Valley College transfer Keifer Zimmerman. The 5'9" Green Bay, Wisconsin, native was second on the Golden Eagles with 3.24 kills per set. She joins a talented incoming class that also includes a pair of Madison College basketball transfers: 6'1" Mandi Sargent and 6'0" Rachel Slaney. Both were all-conference volleyball players during their high school years.

"Strengths for this team will be our depth and size," states Parker. "That depth will allow us to keep our own gym extremely competitive, which bodes well for the program in a big picture sense. I really like the physical presence of this group! With nine kids 5'10" or taller, we will be much improved at the net this season, both offensively and defensively."

The biggest challenge to the 2016 campaign may be finding the right person to drive the bus and the right person to clean up the messes. Aside from losing All-American and top blocker Allie Lehner, the team also will be without all-conference setter Brianne Brueggen and all-conference defensive specialist/libero Stevie Winer, who transferred to UW-La Crosse. While the back row gaps will likely be filled by second year player Kaitlin Mooney, it will be one of two freshmen that will step in at setter and run the show.

"No different than any other year, we want to remain relevant on the national scene," points out Parker. "A trip back to the national tournament is something this group is rather focused on, and have been since December 2015. It is certainly attainable, but there is plenty of work to do."

The WolfPack will officially open the new season on August 23 with a match against the Clarke University (IA) JV (NAIA Division I) in Dubuque, Iowa. The first home match is slated for August 25 against Elgin Community College, followed a week later with the first conference game at rival Rock Valley College. The early portion of the schedule also features tournaments at JustAGame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells, the College of DuPage Invitational, and the Rochester CTC Invitational.

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