November 16, 2012
For Immediate Release
Fort Wayne, Ind. – The Indiana Tech volleyball ball team had a successful first season under new head coach Kourtney Volkmer, securing their seventh straight 20-win season and just missed qualifying for the NAIA National Championship tournament.
The Warriors completed their season at 25-12 overall with a 9-2 record in the WHAC, which tied for second in the regular season standings. Tech was also nearly impossible to beat at home this season, posting a 14-1 mark in the Schaefer Center.
Tech received the No. 3-seed in the WHAC Tournament, and after getting an opening round bye, defeated No. 6-seed Aquinas College in straight sets to advance to the semifinals.
In the semis, the Warriors met No. 2-seed Davenport University for a chance to meet the No. 1-seed, and regular season champions, Madonna University for the tournament title. Because Madonna had already secured one of the WHAC’s automatic bids to the national tournament for winning the regular season crown, the winner between Tech and DU would grab the league’s second automatic berth.
However, the Panthers would prevail in three sets over the Warriors, and end Tech’s postseason run and their season.
Indiana Tech got off to a slow start in 2012, winning just three of its first 10 matches, but faced tough competition going 0-6 against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll.
Coach Volkmer and her Warriors found their groove though and finished the regular season going 21-4, which included an incredible 13-match win streak, while owning a 7-2 record against teams ranked or receiving votes during that stretch.
In the final match of the regular season, the Warriors hosted WHAC rival University of Northwestern Ohio in the NAIA National Match of the Week, where Tech defeated the Racers 3-1 in front of a charged up crowd in the Schafer Center on Senior Night.
Tech was well represented on the league’s postseason awards, landing four players on the WHAC All-Conference teams. Kelsey Cox (Flushing, MI/Grand Rapids) and Stacy Nagy (Temperance, MI/Bedford) earned a First Team All-WHAC selection and seniors Darcie Faylor (Ft. Wayne, IN/Kishwaukee) and Kelsea Nova (Toledo, OH/Bowsher) received Honorable Mention All-WHAC honors.
The Warriors will have to replace Cox, Faylor, Nova, and Kayla Foreman (Decatur, IN/Adams Central), who capped off their outstanding careers this season, but with a core group of playmakers returning in Nagy, Christine Foest (Welland, Ont./Notre Dame HS), and Kelsey Fitzpatrick (Holland, OH/Notre Dame Academy), Tech will look to returning to the top of the conference in 2013.
For more information on Indiana Tech athletics please call the Athletic Office at 260-422-5561 ext. 2492 or visit our website at http://www.indianatech.edu/athletics
