Women's Volleyball News - 2010-11

NAIA release | National Championship website

Amy Royer and Tori Matzen were named first team all-Midwest Collegiate Conference and teammates Jackie DalCerro and Catherine Wildner earned all-league honorable mention as the conference released its postseason awards today.

The four have helped St. Ambrose to its second straight NAIA National Championship appearance.

Royer (pictured, right), an outside hitter from Mokena, Ill., is wrapping up a record-breaking senior season for the Queen Bees. This year, she set school records for kills in a match (32), in a season (570) and in a career (1,930).

She leads SAU with her 570 kills this season, the seventh-best mark in the country. Her average of 3.85 kills per set is second in the conference and 27th in all of NAIA. Royer is also 10th in the MCC with a .249 hitting percentage. She is second on the team with 440 digs and third with 57 total blocks.

Royer has been a part of the all-conference team in each of her four years at SAU. She received honorable mention as a freshman and sophomore before receiving first team honors her last two years.

She was joined on the first team by sophomore middle hitter Tori Matzen, from Orion, Ill.

Matzen (pictured, left) is second to Royer with 374 kills this season for St. Ambrose. She leads the team with 98 total blocks, a number that includes 20 solo blocks. Matzen is also third among Queen Bees with 27 service aces.

Royer and Matzen were joined on the all-conference team by DalCerro and Wildner, who have both now earned all-conference honorable mention in consecutive years.

DalCerro (left), a 5-1 sophomore libero from Chicago, Ill., leads St. Ambrose with 640 digs and 41 service aces. She is currently 29th in the nation in total digs. DalCerro is fifth in the conference in digs per set (4.32) and 10th in aces per set (0.28).

Wildner (right), a 5-8 sophomore from Oak Lawn, Ill., has shown her versatility by splitting time between setter and outside hitter. She is second on the team in assists (572) and service aces (39) and third on the squad in kills (261) and digs (410).

The Queen Bees will begin pool play at the 2010 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Tuesday, Nov. 30.

SAU to Open Pool Play with Texas at Brownsville

Nov. 21, 2010

St. Ambrose will start NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship pool play against Texas at Brownsville Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 5:45 p.m. in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Queen Bees will also face Concordia (Calif.) on Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. and Doane (Neb.) on Dec. 2 at 5:45 p.m. in other pool play matches. The top two teams in each of the six pools will advance to a single-elimination bracket beginning on Dec. 3.

All matches will be played at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City.

The Queen Bees qualified for the NAIA National Championships after winning the Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament. SAU then defeated #17 Dordt in a National Championship Opening Round match.

Bees Win NAIA Championship Opening Round Match at Dordt

Nov. 20, 2010

It didn't seem possible after an 0-2 start in conference play. But after rebounding to finish third in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, St. Ambrose won the league's tournament to receive an automatic berth into the 2010 NAIA National Championship, and now the magical season will continue.

SAU (27-12) posted a 3-1 win at #17 Dordt in a National Championship Opening Round match and now the Queen Bees advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, for pool play beginning Tuesday, Nov. 30.

This will be the second straight year SAU advances to the final site. Last year, the Bees defeated the College of the Ozarks in an opening round match before losing all three pool play matches.

It didn't look like St. Ambrose would have to worry about a return trip to Sioux City this year after dropping the first set to Dordt (32-8) 25-19 Saturday. But the Bees rallied to claim the next three sets by scores of 25-13, 25-21, 25-15.

As she has all season, Amy Royer (pictured, right) led the team with 20 kills against only four attack errors. Tori Matzen had 11 kills, Kelly Peck finished with nine and Catherine Wildner had eight. Kelsy Heiser led all players with 40 assists.

St. Ambrose must wait until Sunday night to find out their three opponents in pool play in Sioux City. The top two teams from each of the six pools will advance to a single-elimination bracket starting Dec. 3. The championship match will be Dec. 4 at 8 p.m.

Royer, Heiser and Matzen Earn Weekly Conference Honors

Nov. 15, 2010

After winning the Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament Saturday, St. Ambrose had three players earn the league's player of the week honors.

Amy Royer (pictured, right) was named the MCC Volleyball Player of the Week, Kelsy Heiser earned the conference's Setter of the Week award and Tori Matzen was tabbed as the league's Hitter of the Week.

Royer, a 5-10 outside hitter from Mokena, Ill., continued her tremendous senior season in the team's two matches last week. She came up with 17 kills and 13 digs in a 3-1 conference tournament semifinal win at Grand View before posting 21 kills and 13 digs in a 3-1 championship victory over William Penn.

Royer, the school-record holder for kills in a match, season and career, now has 550 kills this season.

Heiser (left), a 5-10 junior setter from McLean, Ill., had 95 total assists in the two matches to go along with 10 kills and five blocks.

She leads the team with 892 assists this season.

Matzen (right), a 5-11 sophomore middle hitter from Orion, Ill., recorded 26 kills, including 15 in the win at second-seed Grand View, in the two conference tournament wins last week.

She is second on the team with 363 kills this year.

The three will lead St. Ambrose into a 2010 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round match at Dordt College Saturday at 6 p.m.

SAU to Open NAIA Championships at Dordt

Nov. 14, 2010

NAIA release

St. Ambrose will visit Dordt College for a 2010 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round match Saturday at 6 p.m.

Dordt, located in Sioux Center, Iowa, received an at-large bid to the national tournament after finishing the season with a 32-7 record. The Defenders are ranked #17 in the final NAIA poll of the year, released earlier today. This will be the ninth national tournament appearance for Dordt.

St. Ambrose received an automatic bid after winning the Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament. The Queen Bees are 26-12 overall. SAU will be making its sixth national tournament appearance and its second straight. Last year, St. Ambrose defeated the College of the Ozarks 3-2 in an opening-round match before dropping all three matches in poll play action in Sioux City, Iowa.

The winner of Saturday's opening round match will advance to the 24-team NAIA Championship Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Bees Beat William Penn for NAIA Championship Berth

Nov. 13, 2010

Box score | Video highlights

William Penn came up with back-to-back road wins to open the Midwest Collegiate Conference championship tournament. St. Ambrose made sure they didn't get three straight.

SAU (26-12) defeated WPU (25-21) 3-1 in the championship match Saturday night to receive the league's automatic berth to the 2010 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship starting next week. It will be the Bees' second straight national tournament appearance.

The third-seeded Bees dominated the fifth-seeded Statesmen for much of the match, winning 25-16, 25-20, 21-25, 25-17 in front of a energetic crowd.

"I feel like playing at home gave us a huge emotional boost," said SAU head coach Bruce Billingsley. "We had a great audience who was very supportive. It helps that our returners have been in this situation before. We had a good week of practice that helped get us prepared for this match."

SAU jumped to early leads in every set. The lead was 10-3 in the first set after a string of six straight points. Senior Amy Royer (pictured, right) picked up eight of her 21 total kills in the first set.

The Bees led 7-3 in the second following consecutive kills from Kelly Peck. The Statesmen were never closer than three points the rest of the set.

It appeared SAU was in line for a 3-0 sweep after claiming a 9-4 advantage in the third set. But William Penn showed why it was able to pick up tournament wins at fourth-seed Clarke and top-seed Viterbo. Morgan Bailey had four aces, including three in a row, as part of a seven-point run as WPU grabbed a 17-13 lead before closing out the set 25-21.

The fourth set was close early and tied as late as 8-8 before the Bees went on a 9-1 stretch, helped by two kills each from Peck and Kelsy Heiser. Royer capped her night with her 21st kill on match point.

Peck (13 kills) and Tori Matzen (11) joined Royer with double-digit kills for St. Ambrose. Heiser had a match-best 52 assists. Catherine Wildner led the team with 16 digs while Royer and Dolores Wildner (pictured, right) each added 13.

Bailey led William Penn with 12 kills. Emily Stanton chipped in with nine. Katherine Stumberg (19) and Krista Pettit (18) combined for 37 of the team's 44 assists.

Now SAU will prepare for the NAIA National Championship. Opening round matches on campus sites will be Nov. 20. The final 24 teams will meet Nov. 30-Dec. 4 at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa. Last year, the Queen Bees defeated the College of the Ozarks 3-2 in an opening-round match before dropping all three matches in poll play action in Sioux City.

SAU to Host William Penn for Conference Championship

Nov. 10, 2010

The St. Ambrose volleyball team avenged an earlier loss to Grand View by defeating the Vikings 3-1 Wednesday night in a Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament semifinal match. The win paired with William Penn's upset victory at Viterbo in the other semifinal allows the Queen Bees to host WPU in the conference championship match Saturday.

SAU, the third seed in the tournament, took care of business Wednesday by handling second-seed Grand View 25-18, 25-14, 24-26, 25-22. The Vikings had defeated the Bees 3-1 during the regular season.

Amy Royer led three Queen Bees with double-digit kills with 17 in the semifinal win. Tori Matzen finished with 15 and Catherine Wildner added 12. Kelsy Heiser had five kills and a team-high 43 assists. Jackie DalCerro (pictured, right) led the team with 21 digs.

After seeing Grand View (32-9) win the third set, St. Ambrose crushed any Viking comeback hopes early in the fourth set. The Bees won the first five points of the final set before closing out the match 25-22.

With a win, St. Ambrose was expected to visit MCC regular-season champion Viterbo, who defeated the Bees 3-1 just over a week ago. But William Penn stunned the V-Hawks 3-1 in La Crosse, Wis., setting up a SAU-WPU championship match Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Bees swept the Statesmen 29-27, 25-19, 25-21 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in early October.

The conference tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championships.

Royer Named MCC Hitter of the Week

Nov. 8, 2010

Senior Amy Royer (pictured, right) was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Volleyball Hitter of the Week on Nov. 8 after her record-setting week.

The outside hitter put down 18 kills against both Viterbo and Ashford last week giving her the SAU single-season school record with 512 kills this season. She broke the previous mark of 509 kills set in 2007 by Emily Russell.

Along with leading the Queen Bees in kills in both matches, Royer added 25 total digs over the two matches last week.

This season, Royer leads the team in kills and is second with 409 digs.

St. Ambrose will now prepare to visit Grand View Wednesday night in a MCC Tournament semifinal match. The championship match will be Saturday.

Royer Sets School Record in Quarterfinal Win

Nov. 6, 2010

Amy Royer (pictured, right) set the school's single-season kill record in St. Ambrose's 3-1 win over Ashford in a Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament quarterfinal Saturday night. Set scores were 20-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-23. SAU (24-12) will now face Grand View in a semifinal match in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Royer finished with 18 kills in the match to give her 512 in her senior season. She passed the previous record of 509 set by Emily Russell in the 2007 season.

Despite Royer's heroics, the Bees had to overcome an early deficit. Ashford (28-17) won eight straight points early in the first set to turn a 4-3 deficit into an 11-4 lead. SAU got to within a point at 21-20 before falling 25-20.

St. Ambrose jumped to a quick 6-2 lead in the second set on the way to evening the match at a set apiece after a 25-17 win.

Leading 19-18 in the third, SAU won six straight points to wrap up the set. Royer had three kills while Kelly Peck added a kill and Tori Matzen had a service ace during the run.

A back-and-forth fourth set saw the Saints take a late 23-22 lead. But consecutive kills from Matzen, Kelsy Heiser and Royer sent the Bees into the conference tournament semifinals.

There, SAU will battle a Grand View team that defeated the Bees 3-1 way back on Sept. 22. The winner will advance to the championship match Saturday, Nov. 13.

Matzen and Catherine Wildner each finished with 12 kills against Ashford. Heiser had a match-best 49 assists and added 12 digs. Royer led the team with 15 digs while Wildner also had 12.

SAU Opens MCC Tournament with Ashford

Nov. 2, 2010

MCC Championship bracket

For the third time this season, St. Ambrose will welcome Ashford to Lee Lohman Arena. But this time the stakes are a little higher as the two teams will meet Saturday at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championship tournament.

The Queen Bees enter the tournament as the third seed with a 23-12 record overall and a 5-3 mark in the MCC. Ashford, the sixth seed, is 28-16 overall and 4-4 in league play.

The Bees have defeated the Saints twice in competitive matches already this season. SAU claimed a 29-27, 25-15, 20-25, 25-18 win over Ashford on Oct. 9 as part of the Quad City Classic and later posted a 25-21, 22-25, 28-26, 25-15 conference win on Oct. 12.

The winner would face the winner of the Grand View-Iowa Wesleyan quarterfinal in a semifinal match on Wednesday, Nov. 10. The championship match will be played on Saturday, Nov. 13. Viterbo (37-4, 8-0 MCC) and Grand View (32-8, 7-1 MCC) are the top two seeds in the tournament.

Bees Honor Royer Prior to Regular Season Finale

Nov. 1, 2010

Senior Amy Royer (pictured, right), playing in her final regular season home match, was recognized for her accomplishments before the Queen Bees dropped a 3-1 decision to conference-leading Viterbo Monday night at Lee Lohman Arena.

Royer holds school records for kills in a match and in a career and added to her numbers Monday. She finished with a team-best 18 kills but it wasn't enough as SAU fell to Viterbo 25-20, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17.

Viterbo (37-4, 8-0 MCC) wrapped up the outright regular-season conference title with the win. The teams were tied at 16-16 in the first set before the V-Hawks won three straight points en route to claiming the set 25-20.

The Queen Bees found themselves in early 5-1 and 12-7 holes in the second set before rallying. A Royer kill followed by a Viterbo miscue got SAU to within a point at 17-16 but the V-Hawks won five of the next six points to pull away.

The Bees got rolling in the third set. Four kills from Royer and another from Tori Matzen helped St. Ambrose build a 6-2 lead. SAU maintained at least a two-point lead the rest of the way before closing out the set 25-21.

The momentum was short-lived as Viterbo raced to an 8-1 lead in the fourth set. The Bees could never overcome the early deficit and fell 25-17.

Behind Royer's 18 kills, Catherine Wildner (pictured, right) finished with 12 and Tori Matzen added 11. Kelly Peck narrowly missed double digits, finishing with nine kills.

Kelsy Heiser had a match-high 48 assists to go along with 11 digs. Jackie DalCerro led the Bees with 12 digs.

SAU (23-12, 5-3 MCC) will now prepare for the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships. The Bees, the tournament's third seed, will host a quarterfinal match Saturday at 7 p.m. in Lee Lohman Arena.

SAU Rolls to Fifth Straight Conference Win

Oct. 26, 2010

Amy Royer had 14 kills and Tori Matzen (pictured, right) chipped in with 10 as St. Ambrose swept Waldorf 3-0 for its fifth straight Midwest Collegiate Conference victory. SAU is now 23-11 overall and 5-2 in the MCC following the 25-18, 25-13, 25-21 win Tuesday night.

The Queen Bees took control from the start, winning the first three points of the match and taking an 8-4 lead in the first set. Waldorf (8-26, 0-7 MCC) eventually evened the set at 13-13 but following a timeout, SAU won seven of the next eight points before closing out the set.

The second set was more of the same as the Bees raced to a 6-1 lead and never looked back. The Warriors got to within two points at 10-8 before SAU pulled away.

The third set was close throughout. Waldorf led much of the way and had a two-point lead at 17-15 late in the set. Catherine Wildner had two kills and combined with Matzen on a block as SAU won three straight points to take the lead. Royer later followed with back-to-back kills to end another three-point spurt for a 23-19 advantage. Kelly Peck's kill ended the match 25-21.

Wildner was third on the team with five kills and added 10 digs. Kelsy Heiser led all players with 29 assists. Jackie DalCerro finished with a match-best 20 digs.

The Queen Bees will close the regular season at home Monday against Viterbo at 7 p.m. The MCC Tournament begins with quarterfinal play on Nov. 6.

Royer, Heiser Named MCC Players of the Week for Second Time

Oct. 25, 2010

Senior Amy Royer was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Volleyball Player of the Week and junior Kelsy Heiser was named the MCC Volleyball Setter of the Week today. The pair also won the awards on Oct. 11.

Royer (pictured, right) came up with 35 kills and 39 digs in a pair of St. Ambrose wins last week. She totaled 19 kills and 19 digs in a 3-0 win at Iowa Wesleyan Wednesday night, SAU's fourth straight conference win.

Friday, she followed with 16 kills, against only two attack errors, and added a team-best 20 digs in a 3-0 sweep of Saint Xavier to avenge a 3-2 loss just a week prior.

Royer leads the Queen Bees with 462 kills and is second on the team with 377 digs.

Heiser (pictured, right) had 81 total assists in the two SAU wins last week. She came up with 40 assists in the 3-0 win at Iowa Wesleyan before picking up 41 assists against Saint Xavier at Palos Courts in Palos Heights, Ill. She also put down six kills against Saint Xavier.

Heiser leads the team with 671 assists this season.

The two have helped St. Ambrose claim a 22-11 overall record this season. The Bees have also climbed the conference standings after dropping their first two conference matches. The team is now in second place in the MCC with a 4-2 league mark.

SAU will visit Waldorf Tuesday night before closing the regular season at home against conference-leading Viterbo Monday night. The MCC Tournament will start Nov. 6.

Royer Leads Bees to Win on Senior Night

Oct. 22, 2010

Amy Royer (pictured, right), the lone senior on the team, finished with 16 kills and only two attack errors in helping St. Ambrose sweep Saint Xavier 3-0 on Senior Night Saturday at Palos Courts in Palos Heights, Ill. Set scores were 25-22, 25-14, 25-23 as the Queen Bees improved to 22-11 overall.

It wasn't easy as SAU had to rally from late deficits in two of the three sets. Trailing 21-20 in the first set, St. Ambrose caught Saint Xavier (17-10) at 22-22. Royer finished things from there with three straight kills to close out the set.

The second set was less dramatic. The Bees led 15-12 before winning 10 of the final 12 points to win going away.

SAU found itself in a 22-20 hole late in the third. But a kill from Dolores Wildner and three attack errors from Saint Xavier gave the Bees two match points. Fittingly, Royer put down a kill on the second match point to send SAU to victory.

Behind Royer's 16 kills, Tori Matzen had 11 and Catherine Wildner added 10. Kelsy Heiser finished with a match-high 41 assists. Royer also led the team with 20 digs while Jackie DalCerro and Catherine Wildner each finished with 16.

The Bees have just two remaining regular-season matches - Tuesday at Waldorf at 7 p.m. and Nov. 1, at home against Viterbo at 1 p.m. The Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament will begin Nov. 6.

Bees Win Fourth Straight Conference Match

Oct. 20, 2010

St. Ambrose swept Iowa Wesleyan 3-0 Wednesday night to win its fourth straight Midwest Collegiate Conference match. The Queen Bees are 21-11 overall and 4-2 in the MCC following the 25-22, 25-15, 29-27 win in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

SAU turned a 7-5 deficit into a 24-16 lead thanks to three kills from Amy Royer (pictured, right) and two from Catherine Wildner in the first set. Iowa Wesleyan (8-20, 1-5 MCC) rallied with six straight points before a service error handed the first set to St. Ambrose.

The Bees won 14-of-19 points in the middle of the second set to take control. Royer and Tori Matzen led the charge. The duo combined for 11 kills in the set, including seven during the run.

The third set was close throughout. SAU had five match points before finally closing out the match on back-to-back kills from Matzen.

Royer finished with a match-high 19 kills and Matzen added 14. Kelsy Heiser led all players with 40 assists. Wildner (20), Royer (19) and Jackie DalCerro (15) each reached double digits for digs.

The Queen Bees will step out of conference to play Saint Xavier Friday at 7 p.m. The match at Palos Courts in Palos Heights, Ill., will be senior night.

Matzen Named to All-Tournament Team

Oct. 16, 2010

Tori Matzen (pictured, right) was named to the all-tournament team at the St. Francis (Ill.) Big Guns Classic Saturday. The sophomore middle hitter finished with 52 kills over four matches in the two-day event. St. Ambrose finished 1-3 to move to 20-11 overall this season.

Bethel 3, St. Ambrose 0 - Box score
Tori Matzen led the Queen Bees with 14 kills but it wasn't enough as St. Ambrose opened the tournament with a three-set loss to Bethel by scores of 25-19, 25-22, 32-30. Kelly Peck joined Matzen in double figures with 10 kills. Kelsy Heiser led the team with 34 assists and Jackie DalCerro led the team with 11 digs.

St. Francis (Ill.) 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
After winning the first set, St. Ambrose dropped two straight close sets before falling 3-1 to host St. Francis. Set scores were 23-25, 32-30, 25-23, 25-17. Four Bees reached double-digit kills, led by 16 from Amy Royer. Catherine Wildner finished with 14, Tori Matzen had 12 and Kelly Peck added 10. Kelsy Heiser had a team-high 47 assists. Jackie DalCerro and Dolores Wildner each finished with 11 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Cornerstone 2 - Box score
St. Ambrose opened Saturday with a 3-2 win over Cornerstone. Set scores were 25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 26-28, 15-9. Amy Royer finished with a team-best 24 kills and Tori Matzen finished with 15. Kelly Peck (pictured, right) and Catherine Wildner each added seven. Kelsy Heiser led the team with 49 assists. Jackie DalCerro (25), Catherine Wildner (21), Royer (20) and Dolores Wildner (17) all reached double figures in digs. Royer also finished with four solo blocks and five block assists while Peck added eight block assists as part of SAU's 18.5 total team blocks.

Saint Xavier 3, St. Ambrose 2 - Box score
Just minutes after defeating Cornerstone in five sets, St. Ambrose turned right around and played another five setter. This time, the Bees came up short to Saint Xavier by scores of 16-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 15-4. Amy Royer led the team with 17 kills while Catherine Wildner added 14 and Tori Matzen finished with 11. Kelly Peck narrowly missed double figures with her nine kills. Kelsy Heiser had 49 assists and Jackie DalCerro had 23 digs in the loss.

The Bees return to Midwest Collegiate Conference action Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. match at Iowa Wesleyan.

Bees Continue Climb Up Conference Standings

Oct. 12, 2010

A two-game conference losing streak has long been forgotten as the Queen Bees won their third straight Midwest Collegiate Conference match Tuesday by defeating Ashford 3-1. Set scores were 25-21, 22-25, 28-26, 25-15 as SAU improved to 19-8 overall and 3-2 in the MCC. The Bees are now tied for fourth place in the conference, just a half-game out of third.

Playing Ashford for the second time in four days, St. Ambrose got out of the gates quickly. The Bees took a 19-12 lead in the first set before earning the 25-21 win.

After Ashford (22-10, 3-3 MCC) tied the match by winning the second set 25-22, SAU took immediate control of the third set. Tori Matzen had two early kills as the Bees grabbed an 8-1 lead. The Saints battled back and eventually tied the set at 24-24. An Amy Royer kill gave the Bees their fifth set point at 27-26 and an Ashford error gave the set to SAU.

The Bees carried that momentum into the fourth set, taking a 7-2 lead, capped by a kill from Cassie Rio. With the set tied at 12-12, SAU reeled off 11 straight points, highlighted by five Royer kills, to take a 23-12 lead on the way to take the set 25-15.

Royer led all players with 23 kills. Catherine Wildner and Matzen each finished with 11 while Kelly Peck added six. Kelsey Heiser had a match-high 46 assists. Jackie DalCerro led the team with 18 kills, Catherine and Dolores Wildner (pictured, right) each had 17 and Royer added 12.

The Bees will take a break from conference play to compete in the two-day St. Francis Big Guns Classic in Joliet, Ill., Friday and Saturday. SAU will face Bethel, St. Francis, Cornerstone and Saint Xavier. St. Ambrose will return to conference play on Oct. 20 by visiting Iowa Wesleyan for a 7 p.m. match.

Royer, Heiser Named MCC Players of the Week

Oct. 11, 2010

Senior Amy Royer and junior Kelsy Heiser were honored by the Midwest Collegiate Conference today. Royer was named the conference Player of the Week while Heiser took home the conference honor for Setter of the Week.

It was a record-setting week for Royer (pictured, right), from Mokena, Ill. The 5-10 outside hitter set a modern-day school record with 32 kills in SAU's 3-2 win over William Woods Friday.

She reached double figures in kills in all five matches on the week and had double-digit digs in four of the five matches.

Royer has recorded at least 10 kills in 17 straight matches and in 23 of the team's 26 matches this season. She leads the team with 339 kills this year.

For her efforts, Royer was named to the all-tournament team of the Quad City Classic.

Heiser (pictured, right), from McLean, Ill., led the Queen Bees in assists in all five matches on the week. She posted 56 assists in the team's five-set win over William Woods Friday, which is the ninth-most in a match in modern-day school history.

Heiser had 46 assists in a four-set win over Ashford, 45 in a three-set win at William Penn and 44 in a five-set win over St. Francis (Ill.) to close the week.

This season, Heiser is second on the team with 365 assists but leads the team by averaging almost 7.8 assists per set.

Royer and Heiser helped the Queen Bees go 5-0 last week, which included winning all four matches at the SAU Quad City Classic.

St. Ambrose (18-8 overall, 2-2 MCC) returns to MCC action Tuesday night when the Queen Bees host Ashford at Lee Lohman Arena at 7 p.m.

Bees Survive Two Five-Setters to Finish 4-0 at QC Classic

Oct. 9, 2010

Photos

Amy Royer, Jackie DalCerro (pictured, right) and Tori Matzen were named to the all-tournament team as St. Ambrose finished 4-0 at its own Quad City Classic over the weekend. It wasn't easy as the Queen Bees won a pair of five-set matches to improve to 18-8 overall.

St. Ambrose 3, William Woods 2 - Box score
Amy Royer set a school record with 32 kills (story) as St. Ambrose opened the two-day tournament with a 29-27, 20-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-12 win over William Woods. Catherine Wildner finished with 16 kills and Tori Matzen had 15 in the win. Kelsy Heiser posted a match-best 56 assists, the ninth-best single-match mark in school history. Dolores Wildner and Jackie DalCerro each finished with 19 digs while Catherine Wildner added 16.

St. Ambrose 3, St. Francis (Ill.) 0 - Box score
Tori Matzen (14) and Amy Royer (10) each reached double-digit kills as St. Ambrose picked up its quickest win of the tournament - 25-15, 25-12, 25-22 over St. Francis. Kelsy Heiser led all players with 35 assists. Jackie DalCerro and Catherine Wildner each had 13 digs, Dolores Wildner had 12 and Royer finished with 10.

St. Ambrose 3, Ashford 1 - Box score
SAU used a balanced attack to defeat conference foe Ashford 29-27, 25-15, 20-25, 25-18 in a non-conference matchup. Catherine Wildner led the way with 16 kills while Kelly Peck (14), Tori Matzen (14) and Amy Royer (10) also reached double figures. Kelsy Heiser again led everyone with 46 assists. Royer finished with a team-best 17 digs and Jackie DalCerro chipped in with 15.

St. Ambrose 3, St. Francis (Ill.) 2 - Box score
St. Ambrose won the final five points of the match for a come-from-behind 25-18, 17-25, 17-25, 25-22, 15-13 rematch with St. Francis. After rallying from a 2-1 deficit to force a decisive fifth set, the Bees found themselves down 13-10 late in the match. But Amy Royer put down two of her match-high 19 kills and Kelsy Heiser ended the match with a service ace as SAU won five straight points to claim the win. Catherine Wildner had 14 kills and Tori Matzen (pictured, right) added 13 in the win. Heiser finished with 44 assists.

The Bees will face Ashford for the second time in four days Tuesday night. The Midwest Collegiate Conference match begins at 7 p.m. at Lee Lohman Arena.

Royer Sets School Record with 32 Kills in Win

Oct. 8, 2010

Senior outside hitter Amy Royer set a modern-day St. Ambrose record by putting down 32 kills in SAU's 3-2 win over William Woods Friday.

She is the first Queen Bee to reach 30 kills since volleyball switched to rally scoring in 2001. Royer, from Mokena, Ill., broke the previous school record of 27 kills set by Emily Buchanan at Viterbo on Oct. 24, 2001.

In the 29-27, 20-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-12 win over William Woods, Royer finished with her 32 kills against only five attack errors in 69 total attacks for a .391 hitting percentage. In the process, she also set a St. Ambrose record with her 69 total attacks.

"I knew I had quite a few kills but I didn't realize I had that many," Royer said. "It's really exciting but I definitely didn't expect it. As a senior, it's a great accomplishment."

With 1,670 career kills already to her credit, Royer is the school all-time kills leader.

She has helped the Queen Bees to a 16-8 start this season.

St. Ambrose Gets Big Road Win at William Penn

Oct. 6, 2010

St. Ambrose climbed back to .500 in Midwest Collegiate Conference play following a 3-0 sweep at William Penn Wednesday night. The Queen Bees are 14-8 and 2-2 in the MCC following the 29-27, 25-19, 25-21 win.

SAU had to battle back from an early deficit. William Penn (15-8, 3-1 MCC) had a 16-11 first-set lead but St. Ambrose won nine of the next 11 points to take a 20-18 lead. The Statesmen had a set point at 26-25 but Catherine Wildner (pictured, right) put down a kill to knot the set before the Bees eventually won 29-27.

Trailing 11-10 in the second set, SAU got back-to-back service aces from Dolores Wildner and Tori Matzen had a kill as part of four straight points to put St. Ambrose in front for good.

The third set was a similar story as WPU led early 14-9. SAU fought back and reeled off five straight points, highlighted by a pair of Matzen kills, to take a 22-18 lead. Catherine Wildner's match-best 19th and final kill ended the set and match 25-21.

Matzen (11 kills) and Amy Royer (10) joined Catherine Wildner with double-digit kills. Kelsy Heiser (pictured, right) led all players with 45 assists.

Jackie DalCerro finished with a match-high 29 digs. Royer added 17, Heiser had 13 and Dolores Wildner chipped in with 11. Kelly Peck was involved in four blocks in the win.

After dropping their first two conference matches, the Bees have won two straight to sit in the middle of the conference pack.

SAU will take a break from conference action to host the Quad City Classic Friday and Saturday. William Woods, St. Francis (Ill.) and Ashford will join St. Ambrose in the four-team field with matches beginning at 4 p.m. Friday in Lee Lohman Arena.

Queen Bees Drop Five-Setter at Cornell

Sept. 29, 2010

St. Ambrose took a break from Midwest Collegiate Conference play and dropped a five-set match at Cornell Wednesday night. Set scores were 25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 9-25, 15-11 as the Bees fell to 13-8 overall.

Amy Royer (pictured, right) led all players with 19 kills. Tori Matzen finished with nine, Kara McCarthy added seven and Kelly Peck and Cassie Rio each chipped in with five.

Catherine Wildner had a match-high 43 assists. Four players finished with double figures in digs, led by 24 from McCarthy. Jackie DalCerro and Royer each had 11 and Dolores Wildner had 10.

The Queen Bees will next visit William Penn for a 7 p.m. match on Oct. 6.

St. Ambrose Picks Up First Conference Win

Sept. 28, 2010

After losing its first two Midwest Collegiate Conference matches, the St. Ambrose volleyball team swept Mount Mercy 3-0 to move to 13-7 overall and 1-2 in the MCC. Set scores were 25-19, 25-20, 25-20.

The Queen Bees won the first three points of the match and grabbed a 6-1 lead in the early going. Mount Mercy (8-10, 0-4 MCC) battled back to tie the set at five different points but SAU reeled off five straight points, two coming from kills from Rebecca Gillen (pictured, right) and Amy Royer, to retake control before closing out the set 25-19.

The second set was close with the teams being tied as late as 18-18. But a kill from Kelly Peck followed by one from Kara McCarthy started a run of four straight SAU points as the Bees won the set 25-20.

St. Ambrose trailed on a handful of occasions in the third set and led only 21-20 late. Royer and Gillen had consecutive kills as the Bees won the final four points of the set to close out the match 25-20.

Royer led a balanced attack with 13 kills. Tori Matzen (pictured, right) and Peck each finished with nine, McCarthy added seven and Gillen had six.

Catherine Wildner led all players with 41 assists and 12 digs. Jackie DalCerro (11), McCarthy (10) and Royer (10) also had double-digit digs. Peck, Gillen and Matzen each had two blocks.

St. Ambrose will visit Cornell in a non-conference match Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Bees return to conference play on Oct. 6 by traveling to Oskaloosa, Iowa, to battle William Penn in a 7 p.m. match. SAU will next play at home Oct. 8-9 by hosting the Quad City Classic. William Woods, St. Francis (Ill.) and Ashford will compete in the two-day, four-team tournament at Lee Lohman Arena.

Bees Split Four Matches at UW-Whitewater Invitational

Sept. 25, 2010

The Queen Bees moved to 12-7 overall after winning a pair of matches at the UW-Whitewater Invitational. SAU defeated Finlandia Friday and Iowa Wesleyan Saturday. The Bees also dropped matches to Chicago and Emory.

St. Ambrose 3, Finlandia 0 - Box score
SAU swept Finlandia 25-16, 25-14, 25-13 to open the two-day tournament. Amy Royer led the team with 10 kills. Tori Matzen finished with nine, Catherine Wildner had seven, Rebecca Gillen added six and Kara McCarthy (pictured, right) had five. Kelsy Heiser (27) and Wildner (13) split 40 of the Bees' 43 assists. Wildner also led the team with 10 digs while her sister Dolores added nine.

Chicago 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
The Bees fell to Chicago by scores of 25-19, 25-27, 25-21, 25-11. Amy Royer had 13 kills and Kara McCarthy finished with 10. Catherine Wildner led the team with 28 assists. McCarthy had a team-best 18 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Iowa Wesleyan 1 - Box score
St. Ambrose defeated conference foe Iowa Wesleyan in a non-conference matchup 25-22, 25-12, 24-26, 25-18. Amy Royer again led the team with 17 kills. Tori Matzen finished with 11. Kelsy Heiser had 39 assists while Jackie DalCerro finished with 28 digs.

Emory 3, St. Ambrose 0 - Box score
The Bees fell 25-20, 25-14, 26-24 in the team's final match of the tournament. Amy Royer was the only player to finish with double-figure kills with 11. Catherine Wildner led the team with 27 assists and Dolores Wildner had a team-high 16 digs.

SAU will return to Midwest Collegiate Conference action Tuesday night against Mount Mercy. The match will start at 7 p.m.

St. Ambrose Stumbles to 0-2 in MCC Play

Sept. 22, 2010

St. Ambrose dropped to 0-2 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference after a 3-1 loss to Grand View Wednesday night in Lee Lohman Arena. The Queen Bees are 10-5 overall after falling 16-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-21.

The match started well as SAU won the first three points and never trailed in closing out the first set 25-16. Grand View (14-5, 2-0 MCC) followed suit in the second set, claiming the first three points and leading wire-to-wire in a 25-22 win.

The Vikings kept the momentum in the third set, winning the first four points. The Bees got to as close as 6-4 just moments later but that would be as close as SAU would get before falling 25-16.

St. Ambrose again found itself in an early hole in the fourth set. Grand View won six straight points to break a 3-3 tie and take a 9-3 lead. Midway through the set, SAU battled back with five straight points, helped by kills from Kara McCarthy (pictured, right), Tori Matzen and Amy Royer, to get within a single point at 14-13. The Bees finally knotted the set at 16-16 but the Vikings answered by winning seven of the next nine points to grab a 23-18 lead. McCarthy put down two more kills as SAU won three straight points to cut the deficit to 23-21 before Grand View closed out the match 25-21.

Kelly Peck led St. Ambrose with 11 kills and Royer and Matzen each finished with 10. McCarthy added nine. Catherine Wildner led the way with 25 assists and Kelsy Heiser came off the bench to finish with 12. McCarthy had a team-best 22 digs. Jackie DalCerro added 19.

St. Ambrose will next play four matches over two days at the UW-Whitewater Invitational Friday and Saturday.

Bees End Tournament on High Note, Sweep Ranked Team

Sept. 18, 2010

After losing its first two matches at the Holiday Inn Express/Higher Grounds Classic, St. Ambrose bounced back in a big way by winning its final two matches, including a 3-0 sweep of #19 Olivet Nazarene, the tournament's host school. Sophomore Jackie DalCerro (pictured, right) was named to the all-tournament team after helping the Queen Bees improve to 10-4 overall.

Aquinas 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
The Bees won the first set but were unable to hold the momentum in falling in four tough sets to Aquinas by scores of 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 28-26. Amy Royer led three Bees in double-digit kills with 13. Tori Matzen added 12 and Kelly Peck finished with 10. Catherine Wildner led the team with 37 assists and added 13 digs. Jackie DalCerro paced the team with 18 digs and Dolores Wildner added 11.

#15 Indiana Tech 3, St. Ambrose 0 - Box score
Amy Royer finished with 10 kills but it wasn't enough as the Bees fell to #15 Indiana Tech by scores of 25-16, 25-23, 25-10 in SAU's final match Friday. Catherine Wildner had 18 of the team's 22 assists and was second on the team, along with Royer, with seven digs. Jackie DalCerro led the way with 12.

St. Ambrose 3, Savannah College of Art & Design 1 - Box score
The Bees dropped the first set before storming back to take the match against the Savannah College of Art & Design in four by scores of 22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19. Katie Bailey led the team with 15 kills and Amy Royer finished with 12. Catherine Wildner had 35 assists and four blocks. Jackie DalCerro (14) and Royer (12) reached double figures in digs. Tori Matzen led SAU with five total blocks.

St. Ambrose 3, #19 Olivet Nazarene 0 - Box score
SAU evened its tournament record at 2-2 following the 3-0 win over #19 Olivet Nazarene. Set scores were 25-23, 25-23, 25-22. Amy Royer finished with 18 kills against only three attack errors to lead the way. Tori Matzen finished with 12 kills, Katie Bailey had seven and Kelly Peck finished with five. Catherine Wildner had a match-high 37 assists. Jackie DalCerro added 26 digs while Catherine Wildner, Dolores Wildner and Royer each had 10.

St. Ambrose returns to Midwest Collegiate Conference action Wednesday by hosting Grand View at 7 p.m.

St. Ambrose Loses Conference Opener

Sept. 14, 2010

A young St. Ambrose team got a rude welcome to Midwest Collegiate Conference play Tuesday night at Clarke. The Queen Bees, with a 9-1 record entering the match, dropped a four-set match in the team's MCC opener. Clarke took the match 25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 25-17 to move to 6-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

The Bees battled back from a 19-16 deficit in the first set to tie the set at 19-19 on kills from Amy Royer and Kelly Peck (pictured, right) and a Crusader error. But Clarke responded by winning six of the next eight points to close out the set.

SAU used runs of three points and four points to take control of the second set to even the match at 1-1. The Bees appeared poised to grab a 2-1 lead after claiming seven straight points to grab an 18-16 lead in the third set. However, seven of the next eight points went to Clarke.

The Crusaders wasted little time in taking control of the fourth set by racing to an 8-1 lead. SAU battled back to within a single point at 18-17 before Clarke closed out the match with six straight points.

Royer led the Bees with 12 kills while Peck finished with eight and Tori Matzen added six. Catherine Wildner and Cassie Rio had four each. Wildner also finished with a team-best 29 assists. Jackie DalCerro led the way with 21 digs.

St. Ambrose will next play four matches at a tournament hosted by Olivet Nazarene Friday and Saturday. SAU will play Aquinas (12 p.m.) and Indiana Tech (4 p.m.) Friday before battling Savannah College of Art and Design (1 p.m.) and host Olivet Nazarene (5 p.m.) Saturday.

St. Ambrose Dominates Cross-River Rival Augustana

Sept. 8, 2010