Women's Volleyball News - 2009-10

Aderman Named MCC Setter of the Year
- Four Bees Earn First Team All-MCC, Two Get Honorable Mention

Nov. 17, 2009

St. Ambrose senior Lauren Aderman was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Setter of the Year today. She was also one of four Queen Bees named to the all-conference first team. Two other players received honorable mention.

Aderman, from Chicago, Ill., helped lead SAU to the MCC regular season and tournament championships, compiling 1,068 assists heading into the Bees' NAIA National Championship Opening Round match this Saturday. She also broke the school record for assists this year.

"Lauren has been a great leader for our team, both on and off the court," said St. Ambrose head coach Bruce Billingsley. "Her skill and work ethic have helped to rank us as one of the top teams in the country for kills and hitting percentage this season. Lauren's competitive instincts and determination over the past four seasons have helped us win 69 percent of our matches and three conference titles during her career."

Aderman was joined on the All-MCC First Team by fellow seniors Kait Gallagher and Megan O'Shea and junior Amy Royer.

Gallagher, from Palatine, Ill., is third on the team with 343 kills and 59 total blocks. She has added 57 assists and 90 digs to this point this season.

O'Shea, from Palos Heights, Ill., is on track to set the SAU single-season record for hitting percentage with a .357 mark. She has 333 kills against only 66 attack errors. O'Shea has also set school career marks for solo blocks, block assists and total blocks.

Royer, from Mokena, Ill., set the school record for career kills earlier this year. She leads the Bees with 425 kills this season and has added 51 total blocks.

Freshmen Jackie DalCerro and Catherine Wildner earned all-conference honorable mention.

DalCerro, from Chicago, Ill., has a team-best 653 digs from the libero position this year. She is also second on the team with 44 service aces. DalCerro tied a school record with 42 digs in a match earlier this season.

Wildner, an outside hitter from Oak Lawn, Ill., is second on the team with 361 kills and 409 digs. She has also tallied 30 service aces and 24 total blocks.

St. Ambrose (34-7 overall) will host the College of the Ozarks Saturday at 3 p.m. in an NAIA National Championship Opening Round match.

Aderman, DalCerro, Royer Named Players of the Week

Nov. 16, 2009

After winning the Midwest Collegiate Conference championship, three St. Ambrose volleyball players were named conference players of the week today. Lauren Aderman was the setter of the week, Jackie DalCerro was the libero of the week and Amy Royer was the player of the week.

Aderman, a senior from Chicago, Ill., led the Bees in assists in both matches last week. She recorded 32 assists in both the semifinal win over Ashford and in the championship win over Viterbo. This season, Aderman has a team-best 1,093 assists and 54 service aces.

DalCerro, a freshman from Chicago, Ill., picked up 17 digs against Ashford before adding 11 in the title match. She has a team-high 653 digs on the year.

Royer, a junior from Mokena, Ill., had 18 kills and only one attack error early in the week. She then added 17 more kills against Viterbo. Royer has 425 kills this season.

St. Ambrose (34-7 overall) will host the College of the Ozarks Saturday at 3 p.m. in an NAIA National Championship Opening Round match.

SAU to Host NAIA National Championship Opening Round Match

Nov. 15, 2009

St. Ambrose will host the College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in an NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round match in Lee Lohman Arena Saturday, Nov. 21. The match will start at 3 p.m.

The winners of the 12 opening round matches will advance to the NAIA National Championship at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa. Twelve other teams have already received byes into the National Championship.

St. Ambrose earned a berth in the tournament by winning the Midwest Collegiate Conference championship Saturday night. The Bees have a 34-7 overall record while the College of the Ozarks has a 26-10 mark and won the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference championship.

SAU Wins MCC Volleyball Championship

Nov. 14, 2009

Video highlights, courtesy TV-11

St. Ambrose capped a perfect season against Midwest Collegiate Conference foes by defeating Viterbo 3-1 Saturday night in the league's tournament championship match in front of an energetic crowd in Lee Lohman Arena. With the win, the Queen Bees clinch a berth in the NAIA National Championships which start Saturday, Nov. 21. SAU is 34-7 overall and won all 12 matches against MCC opponents this year.

Nothing came easy Saturday against a valiant Viterbo (31-11) squad. The V-Hawks dominated the first set 25-18 before the Queen Bees rallied to win the final three sets, by scores of 25-21, 26-24, 25-16.

"This was the kind of play you expect in a championship match," said SAU head coach Bruce Billingsley. "Both teams had scoring runs and opportunities to win. I'm excited that we were able to dig down and pull it out. This was a real team effort - 12 players played in this match and all 12 were criticial to our success."

With the match knotted at one set each, Viterbo led as late as 23-20 in the third set. But four straight SAU points put the Bees in front and Megan Macyauski's kill gave the Bees the set 26-24 and a 2-1 lead.

St. Ambrose left little doubt in the fourth set, taking a 12-5 lead before winning the final six points of the match to close out Viterbo 25-16.

Amy Royer led all players with 17 kills. Kait Gallagher had 13 and Catherine Wildner added 11 in the win. Lauren Aderman paced the Bees with 32 assists.

Now the Bees must wait until Sunday night to see where they will begin play in the 36-team national tournament.

Bees Advance to MCC Tournament Championship

Nov. 11, 2009

Video highlights, courtesy TV-11

For the third time this season, St. Ambrose defeated Ashford. But this victory meant a little more than the previous two. SAU's 3-1 win over Ashford sends the Bees into the Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament championship match Saturday night. Set scores were 25-20, 25-18, 15-25, 25-21.

St. Ambrose (33-7) came charging out of the gate, racing to an 11-2 lead in the opening set thanks to two kills each from Kait Gallagher and Catherine Wildner. Ashford (22-18) made a late charge before falling 25-20.

The second set was knotted at 6-6 before SAU won nine of the next 11 points for a 15-8 lead. The Bees closed the set 25-18.

Ashford fought back in the third set and led throughout, posting a 25-15 win. The fourth set was similar to the third as the Saints led by as many as 15-11. But the Bees proved why they were the MCC regular season champs by reeling off five straight points and nine of the next 10 to grab a 20-16 lead.

Amy Royer finished an outstanding effort with her 18th kill of the match on match point to claim victory for the Bees. Royer had only one attack error in 35 attempts to finish with a .486 attack percentage.

Gallagher also reached double figures, finishing with 10 kills. Catherine Wildner finished with nine. Lauren Aderman led the team with 32 assists and Megan Gordon chipped in with 19. Catherine Wildner (18) and Jackie DalCerro (17) led the team in digs.

SAU will now host Viterbo at 7 p.m. for the MCC championship and an automatic berth into the NAIA National Championships.

SAU Begins MCC Tournament with Win

Nov. 7, 2009

St. Ambrose opened Midwest Collegiate Conference championship tournament play with a 3-1 win over Waldorf Saturday night in Lee Lohman Arena. Set scores were 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 25-19.

The Bees led throughout the majority of the first two sets before stumbling in the third. After falling behind 1-0 in the fourth, SAU raced to an 8-3 lead and led by as much as 20-11 before coasting to the win.

Megan O'Shea led the team with 14 kills and five total blocks. Amy Royer had 12 and Kait Gallagher added 11. Lauren Aderman paced the team with 33 assists while Megan Gordon finished with 14. Jackie DalCerro (13), Catherine Wildner (12) and Dolores Wildner (10) each reached double figures in digs.

St. Ambrose (32-7 overall) will next host a tournament semifinal match against Ashford Wednesday at 7 p.m. With a win, the Bees would host the conference championship next Saturday night.

Bees Wrap Up Regular Season with Sweep

Nov. 3, 2009

St. Ambrose geared up for post-season play by sweeping the University of Dubuque in a non-conference match Tuesday night in Lee Lohman Arena. Set scores were 25-18, 25-19, 25-22 as the Bees moved to 31-7 overall.

Megan O'Shea led all players with 10 kills. Amy Royer had eight, Katelyn Lilienthal added seven and Tori Matzen finished with five. Lauren Aderman paced the Bees with 25 assists and Megan Gordon added 12. Dolores Wildner (14) and Jackie DalCerro (12) led the team in digs.

SAU will next host a Midwest Collegiate Conference championship quarterfinal match Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bees will play the winner of Thursday's Waldorf-Clarke match.

Aderman, O'Shea Recognized by Conference

Nov. 2, 2009

Lauren Aderman and Megan O'Shea were named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Women's Volleyball Setter and Player of the Week, respectively, on Monday, Nov. 2.

Aderman (pictured, top), a senior from Chicago, Ill., averaged 8.19 assists per game over five matches as St. Ambrose went 4-1 last week. Included was a victory over Clarke to wrap up a perfect record in the MCC regular season and a win over Carthage, the #9 team in NCAA Division III.

This season, Aderman has played in all 136 sets over 37 matches. She leads the team with 971 assists and has surpassed 3,000 career assists to break the St. Ambrose career school record. She also leads the Bees with 50 service aces.

O'Shea (pictured, bottom), a 5-9 middle hitter from Palos Heights, Ill., averaged 2.10 kills per set and finished with a .420 attack percentage to help the Bees to the four wins last week.

Helping SAU to a 30-7 record and the MCC regular season title, O'Shea leads the team with a .374 attack percentage and is third on the team with 295 kills.

O'Shea also leads the team with 96 total blocks. Earlier this season, she set the St. Ambrose school record for career blocks. She has more than 400 in her time at SAU.

The Bees will close the regular season at home Tuesday with a 7:30 p.m. match against Dubuque. SAU will have home-court advantage throughout the MCC championship tournament, which starts with quarterfinal matchups on Saturday.

SAU Wins Three-of-Four at UW-Whitewater Tournament

Oct. 31, 2009

St. Ambrose won three matches, including a 3-1 win over Carthage, the #9-ranked NCAA Division III team, at a tournament hosted by UW-Whitewater Friday and Saturday. However, the Bees also saw their 13-match winning streak snapped in a 3-2 loss to Lakeland. SAU was one of just three teams to finish 3-1 at the two-day event.

St. Ambrose is now 30-7 overall.

St. Ambrose 3, Carthage 1 (28-30, 25-19, 25-23, 25-23)
Amy Royer, Catherine Wildner and Megan O'Shea each reached double figures in kills as SAU beat the nationally-ranked NCAA Division III team. Royer led the Bees with 14 kills while Wildner finished with 13 and O'Shea added 10. Lauren Aderman led the team with 34 assists and Megan Gordon added 15. Dolores Wildner led four players in double-digit digs with 25.

Lakeland 3, St. Ambrose 2 (15-25, 25-14, 23-25, 26-24, 16-14)
After the big win over Carthage, St. Ambrose stumbled and saw its 13-match winning streak snapped by Lakeland. Catherine Wildner had team highs of 15 kills and 25 digs. Amy Royer added 13 kills while Megan O'Shea and Kait Gallagher each chipped in with 10. Lauren Aderman finished with 44 assists and Jackie DalCerro had 18 digs. Tori Matzen finished with five total blocks.

St. Ambrose 3, Millikin 2 (25-16, 25-27, 25-22, 19-25, 15-5)
Kait Gallagher, Catherine Wildner and Amy Royer each finished with 10 kills as SAU outlasted Millikin in five sets. The Bees dominated the decisive set, taking it 15-5. Lauren Aderman had 29 assists and Megan Gordon finished with 16. Jackie DalCerro (20 digs) was one of six players to finish with double-digit digs.

St. Ambrose 3, UW-Platteville 1 (25-21, 26-24, 23-25, 25-21)
St. Ambrose finished 3-1 at the tournament by defeated UW-Platteville 3-1 in the team's final match of the weekend. Catherine Wildner led a balanced attack with 12 kills. Kait Gallagher and Amy Royer each finished with 11 while Megan O'Shea added 10. Lauren Aderman (41) and Megan Gordon (16) led the Bees in assists. Jackie DalCerro had a team-best 23 digs.

The Bees will host Dubuque on Parents' Night Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. before the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament starts Saturday. By winning the MCC regular-season championship, SAU will have home-court advantage throughout the league tournament.

Bees Win MCC Regular Season Title with Sweep of Clarke

Oct. 28, 2009

St. Ambrose clinched its ninth Midwest Collegiate Conference regular season women's volleyball championship after sweeping Clarke 3-0 Wednesday night in Lee Lohman Arena.

SAU, 27-6 overall, led almost wire-to-wire in capping an undefeated 8-0 conference season. The Bees trailed in the opening stages of the first and third sets before posting a 25-17, 25-23, 25-18 win over the Crusaders.

"The conference is very balanced from top to bottom so to go undefeated throughout the conference means a lot," said SAU head coach Bruce Billingsley, who won his eighth conference title with the Bees. "I'm especially excited for this year's seniors, who earned their third MCC title and have been great leaders. Now we're anxious to host the conference playoffs."

As they have all season, the three seniors came up big for the Bees. Kait Gallagher shared team-high honors with nine kills, Megan O'Shea added six kills and four blocks and Lauren Aderman recorded a match-best 24 assists.

St. Ambrose will take a 12-match winning streak into a two-day tournament at UW-Whitewater this weekend. The Bees will host Dubuque on Tuesday, Nov. 3, for Parents' Night before the MCC Tournament quarterfinals on Nov. 7. The conference semifinals are scheduled for Nov. 11 and the championship match is slated for Nov. 14.

Heading into the final week of the regular season, the top four seeds are set. Following St. Ambrose in order are Grand View (6-1 MCC), Viterbo (5-2) and Ashford (4-3). Clarke (0-7) will finish ninth and have to open the MCC Championships with a play-in match on the road. Iowa Wesleyan (3-4), William Penn (2-5), Mount Mercy (2-5) and Waldorf (2-5) are battling for the 5-8 spots, which will be determined after Monday's matches.

Aderman Sets Career Assist Mark

Oct. 24, 2009

Lauren Aderman recently became the St. Ambrose University women's volleyball all-time assist leader.

The 5-8 senior setter from Chicago, Ill., surpassed the 3,000 career assist mark in a win over Saint Xavier on Oct. 15 before setting the SAU mark in a win at Viterbo on Oct. 21.

Following a pair of wins on Saturday, Aderman has handed out 3,195 assists in a Queen Bee uniform. She broke the previous record of 3,131 assists set by Becky Fetter from 2004-06.

Aderman has recorded 799 assists through 32 matches this season. She has helped lead the Bees to a 26-6 mark.

Bees Finish 2-0 at Fall Classic

Oct. 24, 2009

St. Ambrose improved to 26-6 overall after winning both matches at the Fall Classic Saturday. The Bees defeated McKendree 3-1 (17-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-23) before getting past Ashford 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-18) in a non-conference match.

It didn't look promising for SAU early as McKendree won the first set and took a 7-2 lead in the second. The Bees won four straight points to get back in the set before finally catching McKendree at 15-15. With the set knotted at 21-21, SAU won four straight points, the final two points on service aces from Megan Gordon, to win the second set.

The third set wasn't as dramatic as the Bees raced to a 9-3 lead before taking the 25-18 win. The final set went back and forth before SAU prevailed 25-23.

Kait Gallagher (15), Catherine Wildner (14) and Amy Royer (11) each reached double figures in kills. Megan O'Shea and Tori Matzen each added eight. Lauren Aderman finished with a match-best 39 assists while Gordon had 14. Jackie DalCerro paced the team with 20 digs.

Against Ashford, St. Ambrose never trailed in taking the first two sets 25-17 and 25-11. The third set was a different story as the Saints grabbed an 8-2 lead. But SAU rolled off 11 straight points, thanks to two kills each from Tori Matzen and Kait Gallagher, to take a 13-8 lead en route to the 25-18 win.

Catherine Wildner led the team with 11 kills and 15 digs. Matzen had nine, Royer and Gallagher each added eight and O'Shea finished with seven. Aderman (23) and Gordon (13) combined for 36 of the team's 43 assists. DalCerro finished with 14 digs.

In the day's other match, McKendree defeated Ashford 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22).

St. Ambrose will look to complete an undefeated conference regular season Wednesday at 7:30 against Clarke. A win would give the Bees the outright MCC regular season championship.

SAU Guaranteed Share of MCC Regular Season Title

Oct. 21, 2009

St. Ambrose has guaranteed itself at least a share of the Midwest Collegiate Conference regular season volleyball championship following a 3-0 win at Viterbo Wednesday night. Set scores were 25-16, 25-18, 25-21.

With one MCC match remaining, the Bees are a perfect 7-0 in league play and have a one-game lead on Grand View (6-1 MCC). SAU, 24-6 overall, knocked off a Viterbo team that entered the night with only one conference loss.

After falling behind 11-7 in the first set, the Bees won 10-of-11 points to take a 17-12 lead before cruising to the 25-16 win. SAU won seven straight points in the middle of the second set, two points coming on service aces from Lauren Aderman and two more on kills from Catherine Wildner, before closing out Viterbo (23-10, 4-2 MCC) 25-18. The Bees jumped to a 23-15 lead in the final set before hanging on for the 25-21 win.

Wildner and Amy Royer led SAU with nine kills each. Tori Matzen had six, Kait Gallagher had five and Megan O'Shea added four. Lauren Aderman shared match-high honors with 18 assists and had five of the team's eight service aces. Jackie DalCerro had nine digs to lead seven players with at least five digs.

St. Ambrose will host McKendree and Ashford as part of the Fall Classic Saturday before looking to claim the outright MCC title next Tuesday at home against Clarke.

Aderman, DalCerro, O'Shea Honored by MCC

Oct. 19, 2009

St. Ambrose swept the Midwest Collegiate Conference volleyball player of the week honors today as Lauren Aderman, Jackie DalCerro and Megan O'Shea were recognized by the MCC.

The three helped St. Ambrose win all six matches last week, including four to win the St. Francis (Ill.) Big Guns Tournament.

Aderman (pictured, top), a senior from Chicago, Ill., recorded her 3,000th career assist in a match against Saint Xavier to earn MCC Setter of the Week honors. She averaged 7.71 assists per game over the six Queen Bee victories.

This season, Aderman leads the team with 719 assists. She also tops the team with 37 service aces.

Aderman was won the MCC Setter of the Week award four times this season.

DalCerro (pictured, middle) was named the MCC Libero of the Week after averaging 4.81 digs per set over the week.

DalCerro, a freshman from Chicago, Ill., has a team-best 467 digs through 29 matches this season. She is second on the team with 30 service aces.

O'Shea (pictured, bottom), a senior from Palos Heights, Ill., set the St. Ambrose school record for career blocks on her way to earning MCC Volleyball Player of the Week accolades.

At the end of the week, O'Shea has 386 career blocks to better the previous career mark of 372 set by Kate Levsen from 2001-03.

Along with setting the block record, O'Shea averaged 2.55 kills per game over the week. This season, she leads the team with 70 total blocks and is third with 232 kills.

The three players have helped the SAU volleyball team to a 23-6 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in MCC play this season.

St. Ambrose had a total of four student-athletes win a weekly award from the MCC as senior Dusty Drenth was named the conference's men's golfer of the week.

O'Shea Sets Blocks Record as SAU Wins Big Guns Tournament

Oct. 17, 2009

Senior middle hitter Megan O'Shea broke the St. Ambrose University school record for total career blocks as the Queen Bee volleyball team won the St. Francis (Ill.) Big Guns Tournament over the weekend.

O'Shea, from Palos Heights, Ill., broke the previous record of 372 blocks set by Kate Leusen, of Bettendorf, Iowa, from 2001-2003. O'Shea set the mark in SAU's first match of the tournament - a 3-2 win over Montreat. She finished the four-match tournament with 386 career blocks.

St. Ambrose won five matches on the weekend, including a three-set sweep of Saint Xavier Thursday night, to improve to 23-6 overall this year.

St. Ambrose 3, Montreat 2 (25-13, 23-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-3)
The Bees survived a five-set match against Montreat by dominating the fifth set 15-3. Amy Royer had 16 kills against only one attack error to lead the way. Megan O'Shea and Catherine Wildner each had 12 kills while Kait Gallagher finished with nine. Lauren Aderman had a team-high 40 assists and Megan Gordon added 13. Jackie DalCerro (18) and Catherine Wildner (10) each reached double digits in digs. O'Shea finished with eight total blocks to break the SAU career record.

St. Ambrose 3, Cornerstone 0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-21)
Amy Royer finished with 15 kills as St. Ambrose swept Cornerstone 3-0. Kait Gallagher and Catherine Wildner each added eight kills. Lauren Aderman had a team-best 23 assists. Jackie DalCerro had 20 digs, Catherine Wildner had 13 and Dolores Wildner finished with 10.

St. Ambrose 3, St. Francis 1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 25-18)
Kait Gallagher (16 kills), Megan O'Shea (13) and Amy Royer (12) led St. Ambrose past host school St. Francis (Ill.) 3-1. Lauren Aderman led the team with 34 assists. Jackie DalCerro had a team-high 18 digs while Catherine Wildner added 16 and Dolores Wildner chipped in with 11.

St. Ambrose 3, Illinois Tech 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-17)
St. Ambrose won the Big Guns Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record after defeating Illinois Tech 3-0. Amy Royer had a team-best 10 kills and was one of 14 Bees to record at least one kill. Lauren Aderman (18) and Megan Gordon (16) combined for 34 of SAU's 37 assists. Jackie DalCerro had a team-high 17 digs.

Aderman Hands Out 3,000th Career Assist

Oct. 15, 2009

Senior setter Lauren Aderman picked up her 3,000th career assist in a win over Saint Xavier Thursday night, fittingly on Senior Night. In front of 360 people at Palos Courts in Palos Heights, Ill., Aderman helped the Queen Bees pick up a 25-23, 25-19, 25-17 victory to move to 19-6 overall this season.

Aderman finished with 28 assists helping SAU hit .398 for the match in the three set win. Catherine Wildner and Amy Royer each had nine kills while Kait Gallagher finished with eight and Megan O'Shea added seven. Jackie DalCerro had a team-high 16 assists.

The Bees' three seniors - Aderman, O'Shea and Gallagher - were recognized after the match.

The Bees will play four matches at a tournament hosted by St. Francis (Ill.) Friday and Saturday.

Bees Remain Unbeaten in MCC Play

Oct. 13, 2009

St. Ambrose improved to 6-0 in Midwest Collegiate Conference play with a 3-0 sweep of Waldorf Tuesday night in Lee Lohman Arena. Set scores were 25-14, 25-15, 25-22. SAU is 18-6 overall.

Trailing 10-9 in the first set, the Bees won 11 of the next 13 points, including seven straight thanks to two kills each from Kait Gallagher and Catherine Wildner, to take a 20-12 lead before closing the set out a few points later. SAU wasted little time in taking control of the second set, racing to a 10-4 lead before cruising for the 25-15 win.

The third set was tight throughout with Waldorf (7-19, 2-3 MCC) leading at several points. The Warriors led as late as 20-19 but back-to-back attack errors pushed SAU in front. With the set tied at 22-22, the Bees won three straight points to close out the match.

Catherine Wildner led the Bees with 11 kills. She had only one attack error to finish with a .417 hitting percentage. Megan O'Shea finished with eight kills while Amy Royer had seven and Gallagher ended with five.

Lauren Aderman had a team-high 19 assists and Megan Gordon finished with six. Jackie DalCerro led the Bees with 12 digs. Tori Matzen and Cari Brenneman each had two total blocks as SAU finished with four blocks as a team.

SAU will battle Saint Xavier in Palos Heights, Ill., on Senior Night Thursday at 7 p.m. The Bees won't return to MCC play until next Wednesday, Oct. 21, when SAU visits Viterbo at 7 p.m.

SAU Picks Up Non-Conference Win Over Cornell

Oct. 8, 2009

St. Ambrose moved to 17-6 overall after a three-set victory over Cornell College Thursday night. Set scores were 25-16, 25-23, 25-22 in favor of the Queen Bees.

The Bees never trailed in the first set and used a 9-1 run in the middle of the set to take control 16-8. SAU did have to rally in the second and third sets. Cornell (16-8) led 16-14 in the second before the Bees rallied. With the game tied 23-23, back-to-back kills from Amy Royer and Kait Gallagher gave the set to St. Ambrose. The Rams grabbed a 15-14 lead in the final set before the Bees rolled off five straight points and held on for the win.

Royer led SAU with 12 kills and had only one attack error. Megan O'Shea finished with nine kills while Gallagher and Katelyn Lilienthal each added six. Lauren Aderman led all players with 25 assists and Megan Gordon chipped in with 11. Jackie DalCerro led the team with 12 digs.

The Bees (5-0 MCC) will look to remain perfect in Midwest Collegiate Conference play when Waldorf visits Lee Lohman Arena Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Bees Sting Tigers to Stay Undefeated in MCC Play

Oct. 7, 2009

St. Ambrose swept Iowa Wesleyan in three sets to improve to 5-0 in Midwest Collegiate Conference play. The Bees are 16-6 overall after the 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 win.

Despite being down 2-1 and 3-2 in the first set, SAU led most of the way in the first two sets. The third set was a different story as Iowa Wesleyan (10-9, 2-2 MCC) raced to a 9-4 lead and maintained a 14-10 lead midway through the final set. But SAU responded with six straight points to grab a 16-14 lead. Catherine Wildner had two kills and Kait Gallagher added one during the surge. The Tigers knotted the game at 18-18 before SAU responded by winning seven of the final nine points, including match point on a kill from Tori Matzen.

Catherine Wildner led all players with 12 kills and had a team-high 10 digs. Amy Royer had seven while Megan O'Shea and Gallagher each had six. Lauren Aderman had a match-high 23 assists and Megan Gordon chipped in with 11. Jackie DalCerro had nine digs and Dolores Wildner had eight. Matzen was involved in four total blocks and Gallagher finished with three as SAU had seven total team blocks.

The Bees host Cornell in a non-conference match Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before returning to MCC play next Tuesday when Waldorf visits Lee Lohman Arena for a 7:30 p.m. match.

SAU Finishes 1-3 at Indiana Tech Tournament

Oct. 3, 2009

Facing a pair of nationally ranked teams among four strong opponents, St. Ambrose won one of four matches at a tournament hosted by Indiana Tech. The Bees lost to #6 Georgetown, #13 Olivet Nazarene and host Indiana Tech and defeated Saint Francis, Ind. to move to 15-6 overall this season. Freshman outside hitter Catherine Wildner was named to the all-tournament team.

#6 Georgetown 3, St. Ambrose 1 (25-20, 25-18, 24-26, 25-22)
Catherine Wildner and Kait Gallagher led St. Ambrose with 10 kills each but the Bees fell to sixth-ranked Georgetown in four sets. Amy Royer added six kills, Megan O'Shea had five and Molly Byrnes finished with four in the loss. Lauren Aderman had a team-high 24 assists. Jackie DalCerro (18) and Dolores Wildner (12) led the team in digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Saint Francis, Ind. 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-15)
Four players finished with at least six kills in SAU's 3-0 win over Saint Francis. Kait Gallagher led the way with nine. Tori Matzen finished with eight, Megan O'Shea had seven and Amy Royer chipped in with six. Lauren Aderman added a team-best 19 assists and Jackie DalCerro picked up 12 digs.

#13 Olivet Nazarene 3, St. Ambrose 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-20)
Catherine Wildner had eight kills in a three-set loss to #13 Olivet Nazarene. Amy Royer had six kills, Tori Matzen added five and three players (Megan O'Shea, Kait Gallagher and Dolores Wildner) each finished with four. For the second straight match, Lauren Aderman finished with 19 assists. Dolores and Catherine Wildner tied for team-high honors with 10 digs each.

Indiana Tech 3, St. Ambrose 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-21)
Tori Matzen paced SAU with six kills as the Bees ended the two-day tournament with a 3-0 loss to host Indiana Tech. Kait Gallagher and Catherine Wildner each finished with five kills. Lauren Aderman had 12 assists. Jackie DalCerro led the team with 16 digs.

SAU returns to Midwest Collegiate Conference play Wednesday when the Queen Bees host Iowa Wesleyan at 7 p.m.

Bees Remain Perfect in MCC Play with Win at Ashford

Sept. 29, 2009

St. Ambrose moved to 14-3 overall and 4-0 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference following a 3-1 win at Ashford Tuesday night. The Bees snapped the Saints' six-match winning streak with the 25-21, 21-25, 25-13, 25-18 win.

Amy Royer and Tori Matzen each finished with a team-high nine kills. Kait Gallagher, Catherine Wildner and Molly Byrnes each added seven and Megan O'Shea chipped in with six. Lauren Aderman led all players with 22 assists with teammate Megan Gordon right behind with 20. Catherine (11) and Dolores Wildner (10) paced the Bees in digs.

SAU sits atop the MCC standings with the 4-0 mark. Viterbo, the only other team unbeaten in conference play, is a game back with a 2-0 record.

The Bees will play four matches at the Indiana Tech Tournament Friday and Saturday before hosting Iowa Wesleyan in a conference match at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Aderman Named MCC Setter of the Week for Third Time

Sept. 28, 2009

For the second straight week and the third time overall, senior Lauren Aderman was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Setter of the Week. She had previously won the MCC honor on Sept. 8 and Sept. 21.

Aderman, from Chicago, Ill., averaged 6.72 assists per game and added 44 digs as the Queen Bees went 4-1 last week. She started the week with a match-high 28 assists and a team-best 16 digs in a conference win over William Penn Wednesday night.

Last weekend, she finished with 93 assists and 28 digs as SAU won three of four matches at the Quad City Classic.

This season, Aderman has 413 assists as SAU is off to a 13-3 start, including a 2-0 mark in conference play.

Aderman was one of four St. Ambrose student-athletes to win the weekly conference award, joining Dusty Drenth (men's golf), Caiti Childers (women's golf) and Allison Bevenue (women's soccer defensive).

SAU Wins 3-of-4 at Quad City Classic

Sept. 26, 2009

Senior Kait Gallagher (pictured) was named to the all-tournament team after helping St. Ambrose win three of its four matches at the Quad City Classic. All three wins came in straight sets at the two-day event hosted by SAU. The Bees defeated Stephens, Peru State and St. Mary, and suffered a 3-2 loss to Concordia (Wis.). SAU is 13-3 overall.

St. Ambrose 3, Stephens 0 (25-9, 25-15, 25-14)
Amy Royer led the way with 10 kills as SAU opened with a quick victory over Stephens. Every Bee in uniform played and nine players finished with at least two kills. Lauren Aderman (15) and Megan Gordon (14) combined for all 29 SAU assists. Hannah Fischer had 12 digs and Jackie DalCerro added 11. Tori Matzen was involved in six of the team's 14 total blocks.

Concordia (Wis.) 3, St. Ambrose 2 (25-23, 19-25, 25-15, 12-25, 18-16)
Concordia was able to win five straight points on two different occasions in the fifth set to get past SAU. After the Bees won the fourth set, SAU grabbed a 6-2 lead in the decisive fifth set. But Concordia put together its two big runs, sandwiched around three straight SAU points, to take a 12-9 lead. St. Ambrose rallied to hold a match point at 14-13 but could not convert before Concordia closed out the match a few points later. Catherine Wilder led the Bees with 15 kills. Megan O'Shea and Kait Gallagher each had 13 while Amy Royer added nine. Lauren Aderman had a match-best 36 assists while Jackie DalCerro led all players with 30 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Peru State 0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-15)
Kait Gallagher and Catherine Wildner each had 11 kills as SAU got past Peru State 3-0. The Bees were pushed in the second set, having to come back from a 14-9 deficit. SAU won nine of the final 11 points of the second set before closing out Peru State a set later. Lauren Aderman finished with 22 assists and Jackie DalCerro had 17 digs in the win.

St. Ambrose 3, St. Mary 0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-15)
St. Ambrose closed its own event with another three-set win, this one over St. Mary. Amy Royer led a balanced attack with nine kills. Megan O'Shea finished with eight, Catherine Wildner added six and Kait Gallagher had four. Lauren Aderman (20) and Megan Gordon (11) led the team in assists while Jackie DalCerro and Dolores Wildner each finished with 10 digs. SAU set the tone early, finishing with 13 kills and only one attack error in the first set.

St. Ambrose will look to remain unbeaten in Midwest Collegiate Conference play when the Bees visit Ashford Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Bees Improve to 3-0 in MCC Play with Win Over WPU

Sept. 23, 2009

St. Ambrose moved to 10-2 overall and 3-0 in Midwest Collegiate Conference action following a 3-1 win over William Penn Wednesday night.

William Penn (14-6, 0-2 MCC) entered Wednesday on an eight-match winning streak but couldn't slow SAU. The Queen Bees won the first two sets 25-15, 25-19 before letting the Statesmen sneak away with the third set 25-23. But SAU slammed the door in the fourth set, winning the final eight points of the match to take the set 25-9.

Kait Gallagher finished with a match-high 11 kills. Amy Royer reached double figures with 10 kills while Megan O'Shea and Catherine Wildner each added eight. Lauren Aderman led all players with 28 assists and paced the Bees with 16 digs. Jackie DalCerro (14), Dolores Wildner (12) and Hannah Fischer (11) reached double digits in digs.

SAU's serving kept WPU off balance all night. Catherine Wildner had six of the team's 14 aces. Megan Gordon finished with four and Tori Matzen had three.

The Bees will look to keep their momentum this weekend when they host the Quad City Classic Friday and Saturday.

Aderman Again Named MCC Setter of the Week

Sept. 21, 2009

For the second time this season, Lauren Aderman was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Setter of the Week. She won the award today after leading the Bees to a pair of victories last week. She previously took home the honor on Sept. 8.

Aderman, a senior from Chicago, Ill., had a match-high 33 assists as St. Ambrose improved to 2-0 in the conference after outlasting Mount Mercy 3-2 (22-25, 25-10, 25-22, 23-25, 17-15) last Tuesday.

Against cross-river rival Augustana, Aderman handed out 23 assists helping the Bees romp 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-12) Friday night.

With the Bees off to a 9-2 start, Aderman leads the team with 292 assists and 13 service aces and is second on the squad with 102 digs.

Aderman was one of four Bees to win a weekly award from the MCC. John Darmody was the men's cross country harrier of the week, Lauren Gunawan was the women's soccer defensive player of the week, and Ashley Dexter was the women's soccer offensive player of the week.

Three Queen Bees Reach Career Milestones

Sept. 21, 2009

Easily overlooked through the SAU volleyball team's 9-2 start this season, three individuals have reached career milestones. Junior libero Hannah Fischer (Frankfort, Ill.) has surpassed 1,000 digs while senior middle hitter Megan O'Shea (Palos Heights, Ill.) and junior outside hitter Amy Royer (Mokena, Ill.) each reached 1,000 career kills.

Fischer was the first to reach her milestone, recording her 1,000th career dig in a 3-2 win over Trinity International in the first match of the Saint Xavier Tournament.

Later that day, as part of a 3-1 win over St. Francis (Ill.), O'Shea picked up her 1,000th kill.

It took Royer another 11 days to join the exclusive 1,000-kill club. She hit the mark in SAU's 3-2 win at Mount Mercy on Sept. 15.

Through the Bees' first 11 matches this season, Fischer has accumulated 1,068 career digs, O'Shea has 1,042 career kills and Royer has 1,014 kills.

All three players will look to add to their totals when St. Ambrose resumes Midwest Collegiate Conference play against William Penn on Wednesday. The match will begin at 7 p.m. at Lee Lohman Arena.

SAU Dominates Augustana in Straight Sets

Sept. 18, 2009

On a night St. Ambrose head coach Bruce Billingsley was recognized for winning his 500th match earlier this season, the Queen Bees wasted little time in adding to their coach's career total. St. Ambrose dominated Augustana 25-13, 25-12, 25-12 to improve to 9-2 this season.

After the Vikings grabbed an early 3-2 lead in the first set, it was all St. Ambrose. The Bees rolled off nine straight points to take an 11-2 lead and never looked back. In the second set, with an 11-7 advantage, SAU scored eight straight for a 19-7 lead. The final set was never in question as the Bees won the first 11 points to sweep their cross-river rival.

As a team, St. Ambrose finished with 37 kills and only six attack errors. Catherine Wildner led the way with nine kills while Megan O'Shea, Kait Gallagher and Amy Royer each finished with eight kills. Neither O'Shea nor Royer had an attack error.

Lauren Aderman handed out a match-high 23 assists. Megan Gordon finished with nine. Jackie DalCerro recorded 16 digs. Gallagher was credited with five solo blocks.

Before the match, Billingsley was presented with a volleyball commemorating his 500th career win, which came in a 3-0 decision over Midland Lutheran on Aug. 29. As the St. Ambrose women’s coach since 1997, Billingsley has won 274 matches. He has a total of 309 wins at SAU, which includes his four years as the head coach of the men’s program. Billingsley started his coaching career at Marycrest, where he won nearly 200 matches while coaching both the men’s and women’s teams.

The Bees return to Midwest Collegiate Conference action Wednesday night. SAU will host William Penn in a match slated for 7 p.m.

SAU Survives in Five at Mount Mercy

Sept. 15, 2009

St. Ambrose improved to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference but it wasn't easy as the Bees outlasted Mount Mercy 3-2 Tuesday night in Cedar Rapids.

After dropping the first set 25-22, SAU dominated the second set 25-10 and won the third to take a 2-1 lead. But the Mustangs won a tight fourth set 25-23 and grabbed a 9-6 lead in the decisive set before the Bees won 11 of the final 17 points to squeak out the win. Final set scores were 22-25, 25-10, 25-22, 23-25, 17-15 in favor of SAU.

Amy Royer led three Bees in double-digit kills with 15. Kait Gallagher had 14 and Megan O'Shea finished with 11. Tori Matzen and Catherine Wildner each chipped in with eight. Lauren Aderman had a match-best 33 assists and Megan Gordon finished with 13. Jackie DalCerro (13) and Dolores Wildner (12) led the team in digs. Matzen finished with six block assists as the Bees finished with eight total team blocks.

SAU will next host Augustana Friday at 7 p.m.

Bees Begin MCC Action with Victory

Sept. 9, 2009

St. Ambrose got off to a strong start in Midwest Collegiate Conference play as the Bees swept Grand View 3-0 Wednesday night in Des Moines. Set scores were 25-17, 25-20, 25-22.

St. Ambrose, off to a 7-2 start overall, finished with 43 kills and only 16 attack errors. Amy Royer led the way with 11 kills while Catherine Wildner added 10. Megan O'Shea and Megan Macyauski each finished with seven.

Reigning MCC Setter of the Week Lauren Aderman continued her strong play with a match-high 23 assists. Megan Gordon finished with 12.

Dolores Wildner had a team-best 12 digs. Jackie DalCerro added 10 digs to go along with three service aces. Tori Matzen and Kait Gallagher were each involved in three blocks as SAU finished with five total team blocks.

The Bees will visit Mount Mercy Tuesday night before returning home to host Augustana next Friday at 7 p.m.

Aderman Named MCC Setter of the Week

Sept. 8, 2009

Lauren Aderman was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Volleyball Setter of the Week today after helping the Queen Bee finish 3-1 at the Saint Xavier Tournament this weekend.

Aderman, a senior from Chicago, Ill., has led St. Ambrose in assists in each of the team's first eight matches as the Bees are off to a 6-2 start. She had 38 assists in the Bees' 3-2 win over Trinity International, 20 assists in a 3-1 win over St. Francis (Ill.), 32 assists in a 3-1 win over McKendree, and 18 assists in a 3-1 loss to Aquinas.

Through eight matches, Aderman has 213 assists, averaging 6.7 per set.

Aderman was one of four SAU student-athletes named conference player of the week. Molly Rockrohr was named the MCC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, Tori Bown was named the MCC Women's Golfer of the Week, and Jim Forner was named the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Defensive Player of the Week.

Bees Win Three Matches at Saint Xavier Tournament

Sept. 5, 2009

St. Ambrose is off to a 6-2 start this season after winning three-of-four matches at the Saint Xavier Tournament Friday and Saturday. SAU defeated Trinity International 3-2 and St. Francis, Ill., 3-1 on Friday and McKendree 3-1 on Saturday. The Bees' only loss came in the team's final match, a 3-1 loss to Aquinas.

St. Ambrose 3, Trinity International 2 (16-25, 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 15-13)
St. Ambrose survived a sluggish start in outlasting Trinity International in five sets. The Bees dropped the opener before rallying to win the second and third sets. After losing the fourth set, SAU hung on in the decisive fifth set. Amy Royer led the team with 14 kills. Megan O'Shea had 12 and Kait Gallagher added 10. Lauren Aderman had a team-high 38 assists. Jackie DalCerro led five players with double digits in digs with 32. Aderman (19), Hannah Fischer (16), Catherine Wildner (14) and Dolores Wilder (11) each had more than 10 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, St. Francis, Ill. 1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19)
For the second straight match, SAU dropped the first set only to come back and secure the victory. Megan O'Shea and Kait Gallagher each finished with 10 kills while Amy Royer added eight and Catherine Wildner and Tori Matzen each had seven in the four-set win. Lauren Aderman (20) and Megan Gordon (10) combined for 30 assists. Jackie DalCerro had a team-best 42 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, McKendree 1 (25-15, 18-25, 25-18, 25-14)
Catherine Wildner led the way with 17 kills in the Bees' 3-1 win. Megan O'Shea and Amy Royer each finished with eight kills, Kait Gallagher had seven and Molly Byrnes added five. Lauren Aderman finished with 32 assists and 13 digs. Jackie DalCerro finished with 21 digs and Dolores Wildner added 14. Tori Matzen was involved in five of SAU's 12 total blocks.

Aquinas 3, St. Ambrose 1 (25-15, 15-25, 25-17, 25-15)
St. Ambrose closed the two-day tournament with a tough four-set loss to Aquinas. Amy Royer had a team-high 10 kills. Kait Gallagher finished with eight, Megan Macyauski had six and Catherine Wildner added five. Lauren Aderman led the team with 18 assists and Megan Gordon finished with 13. Jackie DalCerro had 12 digs.

St. Ambrose will open Midwest Collegiate Conference play Wednesday when the Bees visit Grand View at 7 p.m.

Bruce Billingsley Wins 500th Career Match

Aug. 29, 2009

St. Ambrose women’s volleyball coach Bruce Billingsley won his 500th career match today with the Bees’ 3-0 win over Midland Lutheran at the SAU Early Bird Tournament. St. Ambrose, off to a 3-1 start this season, defeated Midland Lutheran by scores of 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 for the milestone victory. SAU defeated Robert Morris and Trinity Christian Friday before falling to Upper Iowa in the team’s final match of the day Saturday.

As the SAU women’s coach since 1997, Billingsley has won 268 matches. He has a total of 303 wins at St. Ambrose, which includes his four years as the head coach of the men’s program.

Billingsley started his coaching career at Marycrest, where he won nearly 200 matches while coaching both the men’s and women’s teams.

His 2009 Queen Bees will compete in tournaments hosted by the Illinois Institute of Technology and Saint Xavier next weekend.

Bees Start Season 3-1 at Home Tournament

Aug. 29, 2009

St. Ambrose started the 2009 season by winning three of the team's first four matches at the SAU Early Bird Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Bees defeated Robert Morris and Trinity Christian by 3-0 scores Friday before defeating Midland Lutheran 3-0 Saturday. The team suffered its first loss in a 3-1 setback to NCAA Division II Upper Iowa in the final match of the tournament. SAU's Megan O'Shea was named to the all-tournament team.

With the victory over Midland Lutheran, head coach Bruce Billingsley earned his 500th career win. He has now won 268 matches with the Queen Bees. Billingsley has also won matches as coach of the SAU men's team and as the men's and women's coach at Marycrest.

St. Ambrose 3, Robert Morris 1 (25-16, 25-27, 25-16, 25-23)
Amy Royer finished with 13 kills while Megan O'Shea and Kait Gallagher each added nine as the Bees opened the season with a victory. Tori Matzen came off the bench to finish with six kills. Lauren Aderman led the way with 26 assists while Megan Gordon finished with 15. Catherine Wildner added a team-high 19 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Trinity Christian 1 (25-20, 20-25, 29-27, 25-10)
Megan O'Shea (13) and Amy Royer (11) each finished with double figures in kills as St. Ambrose swept its two matches Friday. Kait Gallagher had seven kills, Catherine Wildner and Tori Matzen each had five, and Molly Byrnes chipped in with four. Lauren Aderman paced the team with 25 assists. Wildner and Aderman each had 10 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Midland Lutheran 0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-23)
Megan O'Shea and Amy Royer had 10 blocks, Catherine Wildner added nine and Kait Gallagher finished with seven as St. Ambrose started the year with its third consecutive win. Lauren Aderman (26) and Megan Gordon (10) combined for 36 of the Bees' 40 assists. Jackie DalCerro led the team with 19 digs.

Upper Iowa 3, St. Ambrose 1 (25-21, 25-15, 19-25, 25-17)
St. Ambrose suffered its first loss of the season as NCAA Division II Upper Iowa picked up the four-set win. Amy Royer had a team-high 17 kills while Megan O'Shea finished with 13 in the loss. Catherine Wildner picked up eight kills. Lauren Aderman had 28 assists and Megan Gordon had 15. Jackie DalCerro led the Bees with 11 digs.

St. Ambrose will compete in tournaments hosted by the Illinois Institute of Technology and Saint Xavier next weekend.