2006 WIAC Women's Volleyball
Athletes of the Week

Week of Oct. 23 - 29
Leah Rosenbaum, Junior (Wrightstown), Middle Blocker of UW-Oshkosh
Rosenbaum led UW-Oshkosh to a share of the WIAC title with UW-Eau Claire when the Titans defeated UW-Whitewater in a thrilling five-game match on Oct. 25 in Whitewater. Rosenbaum totaled 14 kills and four blocks in the victory, including four kills in the deciding fifth game giving the Titans a second consecutive conference title.  Rosenbaum also led UW-Oshkosh to the Centre (Ky.) Classic title over the weekend as the Titans upended four opponents.  For the tournament, Rosenbaum totaled 52 kills, six service aces, nine digs and 23 blocks in 13 games played and was named to the seven player all-tournament team.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Carly Freiborg, Senior, Setter, Sacred Heart, Minn. (Renville County West)
UW-La Crosse, Brianne Stankus, Freshman, Rightside Hitter, Burlington
UW-Platteville, Kelly Laschinger, Junior, Setter, Verona
UW-River Falls, Kate Thompson, Senior, Outside Hitter, Forest Lake, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Shelly Maus, Junior, Middle Blocker, Green Bay (Southwest)
UW-Stout, Kendra Pagel, Sophomore, Middle Hitter, Wausau (West)
UW-Superior, Jessie Ebel, Freshman, Outside Hitter, Hermantown, Minn.

Week of Oct. 16 - 22
Jodi Dunbar, Senior (Platteville), Outside Hitter of UW-Eau Claire
Dunbar tied a school record for kills in a match as the Blugolds clinched a share of the conference championship with victories at UW-Platteville and UW-La Crosse.  Returning to her hometown, Dunbar collected 29 kills and hit .329 in a 3-2 victory over the Pioneers.  She tied the school mark set by Marnie Blau against UW-La Crosse on Sept. 2, 1995.  In a 3-0 win at UW-La Crosse, Dunbar notched a team-best 14 kills leading the Blugolds to a share of the WIAC regular season title for the first time since 1987.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Amber Schoonover, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Tomah
UW-Oshkosh, Samantha Schmidt, Sophomore, Libero, Waupun
UW-Platteville, Rachel Chapman, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Endeavor (Portage)
UW-River Falls, Kate Thompson, Senior, Outside Hitter, Forest Lake, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Lori Marten, Senior, Libero, Pittsville
UW-Stout, Kendra Pagel, Sophomore, Middle Hitter, Wausau (West)
UW-Superior, Courtney Stach, Junior, Outside Hitter, Bertha, Minn. (Bertha-Hewitt)
UW-Whitewater, Rebekah Nelson, Junior, Rightside Hitter, Delavan (Williams Bay)

Week of Oct. 9 - 15
Dana Alf, Senior (Eleva/Eleva-Strum), Middle Hitter of UW-Platteville
Alf hit .450 and recorded the two highest single-match kills totals in Pioneer history, 29 vs. No. 24-ranked Mt. St. Joseph (Ohio) and 31 vs. UW-Stevens Point.   She led the Pioneers to a 4-1 record on the week with the only loss to top-ranked Juniata (Pa.) and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational. In 22 games played, Alf registered 125 kills (5.68 per game) and added 21 blocks, nine digs, five assists and three service aces.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jess Groh, Senior, Middle Hitter, Eau Claire (North)
UW-La Crosse, Kaci O’Connell, Junior, Middle Hitter, Chippewa Falls (McDonell Central)
UW-Oshkosh, Leah Stumpf, Freshman, Setter, Kaukauna
UW-River Falls, Andrea Geehan, Senior, Middle Hitter, St. Paul, Minn. (Como Park)
UW-Stevens Point, Shelly Maus, Junior, Middle Hitter, Green Bay (Southwest)
UW-Stout, Kendra Pagel, Sophomore, Middle Hitter, Wausau (West)
UW-Superior, Anne Lebard, Junior, Leftside Hitter/Defensive Specialist, Superior
UW-Whitewater, Kate LaZotte, Junior, Setter, Stoughton



Week of Oct. 2 - 8
Kate Thompson, Senior (Forest Lake, Minn.), Outside Hitter of UW-River Falls
Thompson led UW-River Falls to a pair of conference victories during the week, including a 3-0 win over No. 21-ranked UW-Platteville and a 3-1 triumph over UW-La Crosse, which received votes in the latest national poll. Against the Pioneers, she led UW-River Falls with 13 kills and added six digs, four block assists and a .407 hitting percentage. Against the Eagles, Thompson led the squad with 26 kills and a .377 hitting percentage, while contributing 11 digs and two blocks.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Shanna Berger, Senior, Libero, Baldwin (Baldwin-Woodville)
UW-La Crosse, Brianne Stankus, Freshman, Rightside Hitter, Burlington
UW-Oshkosh, Katie Beining, Sophomore, Leftside Hitter, Brookfield (East)
UW-Stevens Point, Lori Marten, Senior, Libero, Pittsville
UW-Stout, Jenny McDermid, Senior, Outside Hitter, Oconto Falls
UW-Superior, Courtney Stach, Junior, Rightside Hitter, Bertha, Minn. (Bertha-Hewitt)
UW-Whitewater, Sarah Theis, Junior, Middle Blocker, Lodi

Week of Sept. 25 - Oct. 1
Dana Alf, Senior (Eleva/Eleva-Strum), Middle Hitter of UW-Platteville
Alf was named to the All-Tournament Team at the UW-Platteville Tournament and set the school record for career kills during the week. In 18 games played during the week, Alf registered 100 kills (5.56 per game), 13 blocks, eight digs, one assist and a .336 hitting percentage. She hit her 1,385th career kill in the Pioneers' match against Clarke (Iowa) on September 29.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Carly Freiborg, Senior, Setter, Sacred Heart, Minn. (Renville County West)
UW-La Crosse, Samantha Dries, Junior, Setter, Pine Island, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Kim Vail, Junior, Rightside Hitter, Madison (Memorial)
UW-River Falls, Kate Thompson, Senior, Outside Hitter, Forest Lake, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Shelly Maus, Junior, Middle Hitter, Green Bay (Southwest)
UW-Stout, Linda Meyer, Junior, Outside Hitter, Cedarburg (Grafton)
UW-Superior, Alicia Fairchild, Junior, Setter, Bemidji, Minn.
UW-Whitewater, Carley Polk, Junior, Middle Blocker, Dousman (Mukwonago)

Week of Sept. 18 - 24
Callie Kunde, Sophomore (Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley), Setter/Rightside Hitter of UW-Stevens Point
Kunde had a big week for the Pointers as they improved to 2-0 in the WIAC for the first time since 1998. The two conference wins also matched the total of the previous two seasons combined. In a 3-2 win over UW-Stout on September 22, Kunde compiled a triple-double with a career-high 18 kills, 36 assists and 15 digs. She stayed hot the next day in a 3-1 win over UW-River Falls, nearly achieving a triple-double for the second straight day with nine kills, 26 assists and 14 digs. In the nine games played during the weekend, Kunde totaled 62 assists (6.89 per game), 29 digs (3.22 per game), 27 kills (3.00 per game) and six service aces. The Pointers snapped an 18-match losing streak against the Falcons with the last victory happening on October 28, 1994.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Carly Freiborg, Senior, Setter, Sacred Heart, Minn. (Renville County West)
UW-La Crosse, Samantha Dries, Junior, Setter, Pine Island, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Leah Rosenbaum, Junior, Middle Blocker, Wrightstown
UW-Platteville, Rachel Chapman, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Endeavor (Portage)
UW-River Falls, Kat Krtnick, Senior, Setter, Fridley, Minn.
UW-Stout, Linda Meyer, Junior, Outside Hitter, Cedarburg (Grafton)
UW-Superior, Alicia Fairchild, Junior, Setter, Bemidji, Minn.
UW-Whitewater, Sarah Theis, Junior, Middle Blocker, Lodi

Week of Sept. 11 - 17
Carley Polk, Junior (Dousman/Mukwonago), Middle Blocker of UW-Whitewater
Polk helped UW-Whitewater to a 5-1 record on the week and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut Invitational. In 21 games played during the week, she recorded 75 kills (3.57 per game), 33 blocks (1.52 per game), 11 digs and a .456 hitting percentage. In a 3-2 victory over No. 24-ranked Carthage, Polk registered a team-high 23 kills and seven blocks and followed that performance with a 14-kill, eight-block showing in a 3-2 win over No. 11-ranked UW-Oshkosh. The Warhawks also defeated Chicago (Ill.), Carroll (Wis.) and Marian (Wis.) in matches earlier in the week before falling to No. 4-ranked St. Thomas (Minn.).

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jodi Dunbar, Senior, Outside Hitter, Platteville
UW-La Crosse, Brianne Stankus, Freshman, Rightside Hitter, Burlington
UW-Oshkosh, Kim Vail, Junior, Rightside Hitter, Madison (Memorial)
UW-Platteville, Dana Alf, Senior, Middle Hitter, Eleva (Eleva-Strum)
UW-River Falls, Andrea Geehan, Senior, Middle Hitter, St. Paul, Minn. (Como Park)
UW-Stevens Point, Shelly Maus, Junior, Middle Hitter, Green Bay (Southwest)
UW-Stout, Linda Meyer, Junior, Outside Hitter, Cedarburg (Grafton)
UW-Superior, Alicia Fairchild, Junior, Setter, Bemidji, Minn.

Week of Sept. 4 - 10
Dana Alf, Senior (Eleva/Eleva-Strum), Middle Hitter of UW-Platteville
Alf earned All-Tournament honors and helped the Pioneers to the team title after hitting .573 in four matches at the UW-Platteville Tournament. In 15 games played during the weekend, she totaled 80 kills (5.33 per game), 10 blocks, five digs, two assists and one service ace. Alf recorded 19, 16, 21 and 24 kills in each match and only made five errors in 131 atttempts. The Pioneers defeated Edgewood, Lawrence, Monmouth (Ill.) and Augustana (Ill.) en route to the championship.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jess Groh, Senior, Middle Hitter, Eau Claire (North)
UW-La Crosse, Brianne Stankus, Freshman, Rightside Hitter, Burlington
UW-Oshkosh, Samantha Schmidt, Sophomore, Libero, Waupun
UW-River Falls, Andrea Geehan, Senior, St. Paul, Minn. (Como Park)
UW-Stevens Point, Shelly Maus, Junior, Middle Hitter, Green Bay (Southwest)
UW-Stout, Kendra Pagel, Sophomore, Middle Hitter, Wausau (West)
UW-Superior, Alicia Fairchild, Junior, Setter, Bemidji, Minn.
UW-Whitewater, Kate LaZotte, Junior, Setter, Stoughton

Week of Aug. 28 - Sept. 3
Leah Rosenbaum, Junior (Wrightstown), Middle Blocker of UW-Oshkosh
Rosenbaum led UW-Oshkosh to the 12-team Elmhurst (Ill.) Invitational title and was named to the All-Tournament Team. In 15 games, she had 62 kills on 105 attempts for a .552 hitting percentage. Averaging 4.13 kills per game, Rosenbaum also pitched in with 13 blocks. In a 3-2 win over No. 26-ranked Carthage in the championship match, she had 19 kills and six blocks. The Titans also defeated No. 14-ranked St. Benedict (Minn.), No. 25-ranked Elmhurst and Alma (Mich.) in the tournament.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jessica Groh, Senior, Middle Hitter, Eau Claire (North)
UW-La Crosse, Samantha Dries, Junior, Setter, Pine Island, Minn.
UW-Platteville, Dana Alf, Senior, Middle Hitter, Eleva (Eleva-Strum)
UW-River Falls, Molly Thompson, Senior, Outside Hitter, Forest Lake, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Callie Kunde, Sophomore, Setter, Burnsville, Minn. (Apple Valley)
UW-Stout, Linda Meyer, Junior, Outside Hitter, Cedarburg (Grafton)
UW-Superior, Courtney Stach, Junior, Outside Hitter, Bertha, Minn. (Bertha-Hewitt)
UW-Whitewater, Rebekah Nelson, Junior, Rightside Hitter, Williams Bay

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