Aug. 25, 2010

This Week: Saint Louis kicks off the 2010 volleyball campaign this weekend at the IPFW Invitational in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Billikens open the season with a 3:30 p.m. CT match against Milwaukee Friday, Aug. 27. Saturday, SLU faces the host Mastodons at noon before closing out tournament action against Tulsa at 3:30 p.m.

Following the Action: Live stats for this weekend's matches will be available at IPFW's Web site GoMastodons.com. Navigate to the volleyball page and click on the 2010 IPFW Invitational link on the right side of the page. Live stats links for each contest will be available shortly before the match begins.

About the Billikens: Saint Louis returns two starters and four additional letterwinners from last season's team that went 24-8 overall, 14-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Last season, the Billikens captured a share of the league's regular-season title and made their third NCAA Tournament appearance. The 2010 Bills, who are one of the youngest Division I volleyball teams in the country with eight freshmen on their roster, have been picked to finish second in the A-10, according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches. Outside hitter Megan Boken is SLU's lone senior and its only returner with experience playing all six rotations. In 2009, she averaged 2.58 kills and 2.53 digs per set and was named to the All-Conference second team and the A-10 All-Championship squad. Junior outside hitter Alyssa Deno also returns to the lineup in 2010. She led SLU with 55 blocks last season and registered 2.27 kills per set.

Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes enters her seventh season at Saint Louis with a 127-62 (.672) ledger. The 1998 Louisville graduate guided the Billikens to the program's first Atlantic 10 Conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006. A three-time A-10 Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2009), Kordes helped her 2008 squad become the first team since 1997 to complete the league slate with an unblemished record. That same season, she earned CVU.com (Collegiate Volleyball Update) National Coach of the Year honors and was named AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year. Kordes is the first coach in program history to lead her teams to four consecutive 20-win campaigns. She is joined on the sideline by assistant coaches Kyle Walton and Angela Powers and volunteer assistant Jeannette Abbott.

About the Panthers: Milwaukee, which returns five starters and six additional letterwinners from last season, compiled a 16-15 overall record in 2009 with a 10-6 ledger in Horizon League action. The Panthers advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the conference tournament. Senior outside hitter Jena Berg, a transfer from Tennessee, led Milwaukee with 3.21 kills per set last season and finished second on the team with 3.49 digs per set. The 2009 All-Conference selection posted 20 double-doubles in her first season as a Panther and reached double-figure kills 23 times. Milwaukee, the preseason favorite in the Horizon League, also returns both of its middle blockers in seniors Natalie Schmitting (1.09 blocks per set) and Maddie Sueppel (1.08 blocks per set). Head coach Susie Johnson is 65-27 in three seasons with the Panther program, 85-74 in five career seasons. SLU leads the all-time series 3-2 with the last meeting occurring in 2004.

About the Mastodons: Tournament host IPFW returns five starters and three additional letterwinners from last season's NCAA Tournament squad. The Mastodons, who have been picked to finish second in the Summit League, went 20-12 overall, 11-7 in conference play in 2009 en route to the program's first conference tournament crown. Senior outside hitter Maya Schlindwein captured All-Conference second team honors last season in addition to earning a spot on the conference All-Tournament team. She ranked second on the club with 2.67 kills per set. Also returning to the lineup in 2010 are senior middle blocker Taryn Parker and junior middle blocker Alli Hook, who each recorded more than 100 blocks last season. Kelley Hartley Hutton is 229-121 in 11 seasons as the head coach at IPFW, 366-188 in 16 career campaigns. The Billikens defeated the Mastodons in 2005 in the only meeting between the teams.

About the Golden Hurricane: Tulsa, which amassed a 26-7 overall record and a 13-3 Conference USA mark in 2009, returns four starters, its libero and two additional letterwinners from last season. Sophomore outside hitter Tyler Henderson, who has been tabbed the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year by league coaches, earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America honorable mention plaudits last season in addition to garnering C-USA Freshman of the Year laurels. She led her team and ranked 10th in the nation with 4.62 kills per set. Senior middle blocker Hannah Stout and sophomore libero Jessica Adams joined Henderson on the preseason All-Conference squad. Adams paced the 2009 club with 5.25 digs per set, while Stout registered 95 blocks. Head coach Ed Allen is 102-34 entering his fifth season at the helm of the program, 467-180 in 18 career seasons. SLU leads the series 8-5, though the teams haven't met since 1993.

Season Openers: The Billikens are 6-0 in season openers during the Anne Kordes era. The last time SLU dropped a match to open the season was in 2003.

Polling Place: Saint Louis, which is slated to play six NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, received 18 votes in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Bills have been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Poll 23 times since 2008. Three of SLU's opponents this season received votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll. Dayton came in at No. 21 with 266 points, while Oklahoma (69 points) and Utah (34 points) were listed among the other teams receiving votes.

Billiken Veterans: Six players return to the Billiken lineup in 2010. The only six-rotation player reappearing on the roster is senior outside hitter Megan Boken. SLU's junior class consists of outside hitter Alyssa Deno, defensive specialist/libero Ashley Gaillot and setter Amelia Karges. Defensive specialist/libero Andrea Bolt and middle blocker Carly Marcum comprise the Bills' sophomore class.

Fab Freshmen: Saint Louis heads into the 2010 campaign with one of the largest freshman classes in the country. PrepVolleyball.com voted SLU's rookies as the No. 18 recruiting class in the nation. SLU's roster features seven true freshmen and one redshirt freshman. Middle blocker Carly Schumacher returns to the lineup after sitting out the 2009 campaign. The true freshmen are outside/right-side hitter Lauren Baumet, middle blocker/outside hitter Andrea Beaty, defensive specialist/libero Grace Bonoma, right-side hitter Emma Goldschmidt, setter/defensive specialist Sarah Knouse, setter Hannah Kvitle and middle blocker Kelsey Toebben.

Saint Louis Billikens Women's Volleyball

• VB: Billiken Invitational