Women's Volleyball

Women's Volleyball News - 2011-12

Queen Bees receive AVCA Team Academic Award

July 23, 2012

AVCA release

The St. Ambrose women's volleyball team was one of just 33 NAIA programs to receive a 2011-12 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.

The Queen Bees, coached by Bruce Billingsley, were part of a record-breaking 535 teams to receive the prestigious honor from the AVCA. The award, which was initiated in 1992-93, is given to collegiate and high school volleyball teams that maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade point average.

This marks the seventh time since the 2003 season that SAU has received the AVCA Team Academic Award.

Matzen earns all-region honorable mention

Dec. 1, 2011

AVCA release

Tori Matzen (right) received honorable mention all-Midwest Region from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) today.

The junior middle hitter from Orion, Ill., led St. Ambrose and finished second in the Midwest Collegiate Conference with a .318 hitting percentage. She collected 392 kills against only 113 errors in 876 total attacks.

Matzen, previously named First Team All-MCC, was 10th in the conference by averaging both 2.72 kills per set and 0.82 blocks per set. She had a team-high 119 total blocks.

Through her three-year SAU career, Matzen has accumulated 991 kills and 329 total blocks.

Matzen helped the Queen Bees to a 25-13 record and a semifinal appearance in the MCC Tournament.

Wildner named Setter of the Year as four Bees honored by MCC

MCC release

Junior Catherine Wildner (right) was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Setter of the Year today. She was one of four Queen Bees honored by the conference.

Wildner was joined on the all-conference first team by junior middle hitter Tori Matzen. Junior libero Jackie DalCerro and sophomore middle hitter Rebecca Gillen received all-conference honorable mention.

Wildner, from Oak Lawn, Ill., did a little bit of everything for the Bees this season. She finished third in the conference in assists, averaging 5.77 per set. She was also second on the team with 380 digs, third with 294 kills and fourth with 28 service aces.

Wildner finished the year with nine triple-doubles, matches in which she reached double figures in kills, assists and digs.

"Catherine is one of the best all-around players that I have had the privilege to coach," said St. Ambrose head coach Bruce Billingsley. "She has great court awareness and is the best defensive setter I have seen. Although outside hitter is her natural position, she has unselfishly taken on the role of setter because that is what the team needed to succeed. She is a great leader for our team, both on and off the court."

Matzen (right), from Orion, Ill., was among the conference leaders in several categories. She was second in the league with a .318 hitting percentage, 10th with 2.72 kills per set, and 10th at 0.82 blocks per set.

Matzen finished with 392 kills against only 113 attack errors. She also led the team with 119 total blocks, including 27 solo blocks.

DalCerro and Gillen gave the Bees four all-conference performers by earning all-MCC honorable mention.

DalCerro (left), from Chicago, Ill., continued as one of the conference's top defensive players. She was fourth in the MCC by averaging 4.47 digs per set.

Her 657 digs led the team and she finished second on the Queen Bees with 38 service aces.

Gillen (right), from Monmouth, Ill., had a breakout sophomore season for St. Ambrose. She was second to Matzen on the team with 295 kills, a .231 attack percentage and 105 total blocks.

SAU finished the season 25-13 overall and reached the semifinals of the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament.

SAU falls in MCC Tournament semifinals at Viterbo

Nov. 9, 2011

Box score

In a rematch from just over a week ago, St. Ambrose again battled Viterbo to the very end before falling short. Coming on the heels of a five-set defeat on Nov. 1, SAU's four-set loss at Viterbo on Wednesday ends the Bees' season in the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament semifinals. Viterbo advances to play Grand View for the tournament championship Saturday night.

St. Ambrose took the opening set Wednesday and played the V-Hawks to within two points in the next two sets before ultimately falling in four 21-25, 28-26, 25-23, 25-17. SAU ends the season 25-13 overall.

Tori Matzen (left) led the team with 12 kills, Rebecca Gillen (right) had 11 and Kelly Peck finished with 10 and only two attack errors. Catherine Wildner just missed another triple-double with eight kills, 23 assists and 15 digs. Maddie McElroy added seven kills.

Kailey Scott had a team-high 26 assists and Jackie DalCerro paced the Bees with 21 digs.

SAU came out strong by winning six of the first seven points. After Viterbo (36-7) got within 11-10, the Bees again won 6-of-7 points to restore a 17-11 lead. The V-Hawks got no closer than three points the rest of the way.

The Bees had chances to take a 2-0 lead with a pair of set points but were denied by the V-Hawks, who eventually won the second set to even the match at 1-1.

Viterbo won nine straight points midway through the third set to take a 21-15 lead. The margin grew to 24-17 before SAU fought off six set points before falling 25-23.

After St. Ambrose won the first four points of the fourth set, before Viterbo eventually took control and closed out the match in four.

Bees take care of Clarke in MCC quarterfinals

Nov. 5, 2011

Box score | Video

After needing five sets to defeat Clarke in the regular season, St. Ambrose took care of the Crusaders in three sets in a quarterfinal match of the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament Saturday night. The Queen Bees, now 25-12 overall, will visit Viterbo in a semifinal match Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Catherine Wildner came up with 12 kills and Maddie McElroy (right) finished with 10 in the 25-22, 25-17, 25-19 win over Clarke Saturday.

The first set was tight to the end. With the score tied at 20-20, the Bees won four straight points, behind kills from Kelly Peck, McElroy and Tori Matzen along with a Crusader attack error, to take a 24-20 lead. Three points later, McElroy added another kill for the 25-22 win.

Wildner came up with two early kills to help SAU to an 8-0 lead to start the second set. Clarke got no closer than six points the rest of the way as the Bees took a 2-0 lead.

The third set went back and forth. Holding just a 19-17 lead, Matzen's kill sparked a three-point spurt. Kara McCarthy's ace ended the run to push the lead to 22-17. Peck collected kills on two of the final three points to close out the 25-19 victory.

Peck finished with nine kills, Matzen had seven and Rebecca Gillen recorded six in the win. Wildner and Kailey Scott each had 21 assists to lead all players. Jackie DalCerro had a match-high nine digs while Scott and Dolores Wildner each had eight.

Now the Bees will get another crack at Viterbo, a team that defeated SAU 3-2 in the final match of the regular season on Nov. 1. St. Ambrose had a 14-9 lead in the fifth set before falling 18-16. Top-seed Grand View will host Ashford in the other semifinal match Wednesday.

Bees host Clarke in MCC Tournament quarterfinal

Nov. 2, 2011

MCC Tournament bracket

St. Ambrose will open the 2011 Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament at home against Clarke on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The Queen Bees are seeded third in the tournament after finishing 7-2 in league play. They will host a Clarke team that finished 4-5 in the MCC.

During the regular season, SAU slipped past Clarke 3-2 back on Sept. 13. Kara McCarthy led the team with 13 kills while Rebecca Gillen and Tori Matzen each finished with 12.

With a win, the Bees would play a tournament semifinal Wednesday, Nov. 9, either at second-seeded Viterbo or home against seventh-seeded William Penn.

Grand View, the MCC regular season champion and owner of home-court advantage throughout the tournament, will open the bracket at home against Iowa Wesleyan.

SAU closes regular season with five-set loss at Viterbo

Nov. 1, 2011

Box score

St. Ambrose ended the regular season with a 3-2 loss at Viterbo Tuesday night in La Crosse, Wis. The loss drops the Queen Bees to 24-12 overall and to third place in the Midwest Collegiate Conference with a 7-2 league mark.

The Queen Bees squandered six match points before falling 22-25, 25-21, 7-25, 25-19, 16-18 to Viterbo (34-7, 8-1 MCC).

With the match tied at 2-2, the Bees took a 14-9 lead on a kill from Tori Matzen (right) in the decisive set but were unable to capitalize on the five match points as the V-Hawks won six straight points. SAU had another chance at 16-15 after a Hannah Turner kill but Viterbo won three consecutive points to close out the match.

Matzen led St. Ambrose with 12 kills. Catherine Wildner had 11 but also recorded 12 attack errors. Rebecca Gillen finished with nine kills. Kailey Scott (22) and WIldner (18) combined for 40 of the team's 46 assists. Jackie DalCerro had a team-best 15 digs.

The Bees will next host Clarke in a MCC Tournament quarterfinal match Saturday at Lee Lohman Arena at 7 p.m.

McCarthy leads Bees past Augustana on Senior Night

Oct. 28, 2011

Box score

Kara McCarthy (right) came up with 10 kills on Senior Night to help St. Ambrose defeat Augustana 3-0 Friday night at Lee Lohman Arena. The senior from Greenfield, Ind., was honored prior to her final regular-season home match before leading the Queen Bees to the 25-16, 25-6, 25-16 win.

SAU led only 16-15 in the first set before rolling off eight straight points. Rebecca Gillen had two of her 10 kills during the stretch that turned the one-point lead into a 24-15 advantage. Two points later, Gillen closed the set with another kill.

The Bees used several long runs to win the second set going away. St. Ambrose won the first eight points behind the serving of McCarthy and a pair of kills from Catherine Wildner. Three kills from Gillen and the serving of Tori Matzen helped the lead balloon to 13-1. Another five-point spurt later increased the lead to 19-3 before the team closed out the set 25-6.

St. Ambrose trailed as late as 12-11 in the third set before winning four straight points to take the lead for good. The Bees put the Vikings (8-21) away with another five-point run later in the set.

Behind McCarthy and Gillen, Kelly Peck and Matzen each finished with seven kills. Wildner had six kills to go along with 12 assists and nine digs. Kailey Scott recorded a match-high 24 assists. McCarthy also paced the Bees with 13 digs while Jackie DalCerro was credited with 11.

Brianna Saunders (right) also played her final match in an SAU uniform for the JV team against Augustana earlier in the afternoon. Saunders, from Warren, Ill., has been a four-year volleyball player for St. Ambrose.

The Bees, now 24-11 overall and 7-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, close the regular season in a crucial MCC match at Viterbo (33-7, 7-1 MCC) Tuesday at 7 p.m. The winner of the match will finish second in the conference and have potential home-court advantage through the conference tournament semifinals.

The SAU-Augustana varsity match will be replayed on MC22. Check the listings for your area.

Bees breeze past Waldorf to move to 7-1 in MCC play

Oct. 25, 2011

Box score

St. Ambrose swept Waldorf Tuesday night to improve to 23-11 overall and 7-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. Set scores were 25-16, 25-13, 25-15.

Ten different Queen Bees had at least one kill. Maddie McElroy (left) and Tori Matzen led the way with six kills each. Rebecca Gillen and Katie Bailey (right) each had five kills and Alyssa Wlodarczyk finished with four.

Kailey Scott led SAU with 18 assists and Catherine Wildner added 10. Kara McCarthy led the way with eight digs.

The Bee defense was tough all night, allowing only 21 Warrior kills while forcing 25 attack errors. McElroy recorded four total blocks while Matzen and Gillen each had three.

After getting through the first two sets, St. Ambrose found itself down 12-9 in the third. But two kills from Bailey and another from Wlodarczyk sparked a run of eight straight points to help the Bees close out the Warriors in three sets.

SAU will next host Augustana on Senior Night Friday at 7 p.m.

Wildner named MCC Setter of the Week

Oct. 24, 2011

MCC release

Junior Catherine Wildner (right) was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Volleyball Setter of the Week today. She led the Queen Bees to a perfect 4-0 record last week, including a 3-1 win over #25 Saint Xavier.

Wildner continued her outstanding season by recording her seventh and eighth triple-doubles of the year last week. She reached double figures in kills and assists in all four matches.

Wildner, from Oak Lawn, Ill., started the week with 10 kills, 17 assists and eight digs in a 3-0 MCC win over Iowa Wesleyan. She then came up with 10 kills, 17 assists and 11 digs in the 3-1 win over nationally-ranked Saint Xavier.

In a triangular hosted by Judson, Wildner registered 12 kills, 25 assists and 17 digs in a 3-1 win over host Judson before closing the week with 10 kills, 16 assists and eight digs in a 3-0 sweep of Trinity Christian.

Wildner leads the 22-11 Queen Bees with 766 assists and is second on the team with both 254 kills and 338 digs. SAU hosts Waldorf in an MCC match Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Queen Bees win pair at Judson Triangular

Oct. 22, 2011

St. Ambrose capped a perfect weekend by sweeping two matches at the Judson Triangular Saturday in Elgin, Ill. The Queen Bees defeated host Judson 3-1 before taking down Trinity Christian 3-0 to improve to 22-11 overall. Friday, SAU defeated #25 Saint Xavier 3-1.

St. Ambrose 3, Judson 1 - Box score
Catherine Wildner and Tori Matzen each came up with 12 kills to lead the Bees to a 21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-22 win over Judson. Down 22-17 in the fourth set, SAU rallied to win eight straight points to close out the match. Cassie Rio (right) came up with both of her kills over the final eight points. Rebecca Gillen finished with nine kills and Kelly Peck added eight. Wildner also led the team with 25 assists and Kailey Scott chipped in with 22. Jackie DalCerro led five Bees in double-digit digs with 27.

St. Ambrose 3, Trinity Christian 0 - Box score
Tori Matzen put down 11 kills and Catherine Wildner recorded 10 as St. Ambrose swept Trinity Christian 25-17, 25-20, 25-20. Kelly Peck had eight and Rebecca Gillen finished with seven. Kailey Scott led the Bees with 21 assists while Wildner registered 16. Jackie DalCerro had 16 digs.

St. Ambrose returns to Midwest Collegiate Conference play Tuesday against Waldorf at 7:30 p.m. at Lee Lohman Arena.

SAU gets 20th win in victory over #25 Saint Xavier

Oct. 21, 2011

Box score

For the sixth straight year, the St. Ambrose women's volleyball team hit the 20-win mark. The 2011 team accomplished the feat by knocking off #25 Saint Xavier 3-1 at Palos Courts in Palos Heights, Ill., Friday night. The win moved the Queen Bees to 20-11 overall.

SAU used a balanced attack to get by SXU 25-17, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23. Catherine Wildner (right) led the team with 10 kills, Tori Matzen had nine and Rebecca Gillen finished with eight. Maddie McElroy and Kara McCarthy each put down six kills and Kelly Peck recorded five.

The Bees started out strong, racing to an 8-4 lead in the opening set. Five different Bees had at least one kill during the quick start, led by two from Kailey Scott. Saint Xavier never got closer than two points the rest of the set.

St. Ambrose fought off three set points in the second before ultimately falling 25-23 to even the match at 1-1.

Leading 21-20 in the third, Wildner put down a kill and then combined with Matzen on a block to push the lead to 23-20. Three points later, Gillen's kill gave the Bees the set and a 2-1 lead.

SAU had to rally in the fourth. Down 23-21, Wildner got the Bees to within a point with her 10th kill of the night. Then McCarthy (right) took over with three straight service aces to close out the match.

Along with the 10 kills, Wildner added 17 assists and 11 digs for a triple-double. Scott led the team with 21 assists. Jackie DalCerro had a team-best 26 digs followed by McCarthy's 17. Catherine Wildner was matched by her sister Dolores Wildner with 11 digs.

The Bees continue non-conference play with matches against Judson (11 a.m.) and Trinity Christian (3 p.m.) in Elgin, Ill., Saturday.

Bees improve to 6-1 in MCC play after sweep of Iowa Wesleyan

Oct. 19, 2011

Box score | Video

Catherine Wildner (left) and Rebecca Gillen (right) each finished with 10 kills as St. Ambrose swept Iowa Wesleyan 3-0 Wednesday night. With the win, the Queen Bees improve to 19-11 overall and 6-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

Nine different Bees recorded at least one kill in the 25-18, 25-15, 25-22 victory.

SAU had to overcome a slow start in the opening set as Iowa Wesleyan (6-16, 2-5 MCC) led 3-0 and 7-4 early. Down 11-8, St. Ambrose fought back by winning 7-of-8 points to take a 15-12 lead. Kelly Peck had two of her five kills in the stretch. The Bees put the set away by later winning six straight points to grab a 22-16 lead.

The second set was tied early at 4-4 before St. Ambrose slowly pulled away. Wildner put down six of her 10 kills in the second.

The final set wasn't determined until the end. The Tigers led by as many as five points at 17-12 and as late as 22-21. SAU took advantage of an IWC attack error to tie the set at 22-22 before Peck and Taylor Granell combined on a block to put the Bees in front for good. Granell ended the match a point later with her third kill of the night.

Narrowly missing double figures, Tori Matzen finished with nine kills. Peck had five and Kara McCarthy added four. Kailey Scott led the Bees with 21 assists and Wildner had 17.

SAU will next play Saint Xavier in a non-conference match Friday night at 7 p.m. at Palos Courts in Palos Heights, Ill.

Matzen named all-tournament at Big Guns Classic

Oct. 15, 2011

Tori Matzen (right) was named the all-tournament team at the University of St. Francis Big Guns Volleyball Classic over the weekend. Matzen finished with double-figure kills in three of SAU's four matches and had 46 total kills at the tournament. Facing a tough schedule, the Queen Bees lost all four matches to fall to 18-11 overall.

St. Francis 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
St. Ambrose won the opening set against host St. Francis before falling 21-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-19. Tori Matzen led the Bees with 15 kills. Kelly Peck, Catherine Wildner and Rebecca Gillen each finished with eight kills and Kara McCarthy added seven. Wildner and Kailey Scott led the team with 20 assists each. Jackie DalCerro had a team-high 18 digs.

Walsh 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
SAU again started with a 1-0 lead but could not hold on in a 25-27, 25-16, 25-20, 25-23 loss to Walsh. Tori Matzen (13) and Rebecca Gillen (10) each reached double digits in kills while Hannah Turner finished with seven. Catherine Wildner collected 41 of the team's 44 assists. Jackie DalCerro led the way with 19 digs and Lauren Metts added 15.

Cornerstone 3, St. Ambrose 2 - Box score
St. Ambrose had a 2-0 lead before falling in five sets to Cornerstone, a team receiving votes in the NAIA top 25 poll, 24-26, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-8. Rebecca Gillen and Hannah Turner (right) each finished with 13 kills to lead SAU. Kara McCarthy chipped in with 12. Catherine Wildner again paced the Bees with 48 assists and Jackie DalCerro led the team with 19 digs.

Trinity Christian 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
The Queen Bees closed the two-day tournament with a four-set loss to Trinity Christian by a score of 25-19, 22-25, 18-25, 16-25. Tori Matzen finished with a match-best 11 kills and Rebecca Gillen added 10. Hannah Turner and Kara McCarthy each finished with eight kills. Catherine Wildner handed out 34 assists. Jackie DalCerro led SAU with 15 digs and McCarthy added 14.

The Bees return to Midwest Collegiate Conference play Wednesday by Iowa Wesleyan at Lee Lohman Arena for a 7 p.m. match.

Queen Bees rally for five-set win at Ashford

Oct. 11, 2011

Box score

On the brink of defeat, St. Ambrose fought off two match points and rallied for a 3-2 win at Ashford Tuesday night.

Down 2-1, the Bees trailed 24-22 late in the fourth. But SAU took advantage of an Ashford service error and denied the Saints the second match point on a Catherine Wildner kill. It was the first of three straight kills from Wildner (right), who helped the Bees close out the fourth set 26-24.

The momentum carried over to the fifth set as SAU won the first four points and led 11-1 in the decisive set before wrapping up the 23-25, 25-16, 21-25, 26-24, 15-4 comeback win. St. Ambrose is now 18-7 overall and in the middle of the Midwest Collegiate Conference race with a 5-1 conference mark.

Wildner led St. Ambrose with her sixth overall and third straight triple-double of the year. She shared the team lead with 15 kills and 25 assists and finished third on the team with 15 digs.

Peck matched Wildner's 15 kills and Tori Matzen hit double digits with 10 kills. Kailey Scott also recorded 25 assists. Jackie DalCerro (25), Kara McCarthy (16), Dolores Wildner (13) and Scott (10) all reached double figures in digs.

The Bees will compete in a two-day tournament hosted by St. Francis in Joliet, Ill., Oct. 14-15, before returning to MCC play Wednesday, Oct. 19,by hosting Iowa Wesleyan at Lee Lohman Arena at 7 p.m.

SAU moves to 4-1 in MCC play after sweeping WPU

Oct. 5, 2011

Box score

Catherine Wildner had 12 kills and Kelly Peck added 10 as St. Ambrose defeated William Penn 3-0 Wednesday night at Lee Lohman Arena. The 25-18, 25-10, 25-17 win moved the Queen Bees to 17-7 overall and 4-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

SAU put together big runs in both the first and second sets to take a 2-0 lead. Trailing in the opener 13-12, the Bees won 10-of-11 points to grab a 22-14 lead. Wildner had two kills, Tori Matzen had a kill and a service ace and Kara McCarthy added an ace in the run.

The second set was a similar story. With a slim 10-9 lead, the Bees reeled off 13 straight points behind the serving of Kailey Scott to take control. Meagan Hruska (right) had three kills and Wildner and Matzen each had two to help the Bees turn the one-point lead to a 23-9 advantage.

SAU didn't wait to grab momentum in the third set, racing out to a 9-2 lead. The Statesmen (11-12, 2-3 MCC) got as close as 13-11 before the Bees ended any comeback hopes with seven straight points.

Matzen finished with eight kills and Hruska and McCarthy each had four. Scott had a match-high 25 assists while Wildner finished with 14 and a team-best 13 digs.

The Bees will next visit Ashford Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a battle of 4-1 MCC teams.

SAU finishes 2-2 at Indiana Tech tournament

Oct. 2, 2011

St. Ambrose finished 2-2 at the Liz Lykowski Memorial Tournament hosted by Indiana Tech, with the two losses coming to two of the top teams in the country. The Queen Bees opened pool play Friday by defeating both Calumet-St. Joseph and Northwestern Ohio 3-0. In Saturday's Gold Bracket, SAU lost 3-1 to Indiana Wesleyan, the 26th-ranked team in the country, and 3-1 to #25 Indiana-East. The Bees are now 16-7 overall. Based on her outstanding play, Tori Matzen (right) was named to the all-tournament team.

St. Ambrose 3, Calumet-St. Joseph 0 - Box score
Rebecca Gillen had 10 kills to lead St. Ambrose to a 25-10, 25-18, 25-9 win over Calumet-St. Joseph Friday. Catherine Wildner finished with nine kills and 11 assists, Kelly Peck had eight kills and Tori Matzen added seven. Kailey Scott had a team-high 22 assists. Jackie DalCerro paced the team with 15 digs while Scott and Kara McCarthy each had nine.

St. Ambrose 3, Northwestern Ohio 0 - Box score
The Bees won their pool following a 25-21, 25-13, 25-16 win over Northwestern Ohio Friday night. Kelly Peck and Tori Matzen each had eight kills and Rebecca Gillen finished with six in the win. Kailey Scott (16) and Catherine Wildner (13) led the team in assists. Wildner and Jackie DalCerro each reached double digits in digs with 11 and 10, respectively.

Indiana Wesleyan 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
By winning their pool, the Bees advanced to the Gold Bracket Saturday and lost 25-9, 25-12, 24-26, 25-17 to Indiana Wesleyan, a team sitting just outside the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Catherine Wildner had nine kills, 10 assists and 11 digs. Hannah Turner finished with six kill and Tori Matzen had five. Kailey Scott again led the Bees with 17 assists. Jackie DalCerro had 15 digs and Dolores Wildner (right) finished with 10.

#25 Indiana-East 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
Rebecca Gillen had 12 kills and Catherine Wildner finished with 10 in a 25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21 loss to #25 Indiana-East to close tournament play. Kailey Scott (28) and Wildner (23) combined for 51 of SAU's 54 assists. Jackie DalCerro (20), Wildner (16), Kara McCarthy (12) and Scott (10) all reached double figures for digs.

The Bees return to Midwest Collegiate Conference action Wednesday by hosting William Penn at 7 p.m.

Bees rally for four-set win at Mount Mercy

Sept. 27, 2011

Box score

St. Ambrose had to rally from a 1-0 deficit and came from behind late to win both the third and fourth sets on the way to defeating Mount Mercy 3-1 Tuesday night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Queen Bees are 14-5 overall and 3-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference following the 18-25, 25-16, 25-20, 26-24 victory.

After losing the opening set, the Bees stormed back to even the match. Mount Mercy (10-8, 1-3 MCC) grabbed a 19-14 lead in the third before SAU rallied by winning 11 of the final 12 points of the set. Kara McCarthy had three service aces and Catherine Wildner and Kelly Peck (right) each had two kills during the run.

The Mustangs were on the verge of forcing a decisive fifth set by leading 24-20. But St. Ambrose fought off four set points and ultimately took the match by winning the final six points. Catherine Wildner's ace cut the deficit to 24-22. Two points later, Meagan Hruska and Tori Matzen combined for a block to even the score at 24-24. After a Mount Mercy error put the Bees in front, Hannah Turner closed out the match with her eighth kill of the night.

Matzen led the team with 14 kills and Peck finished with 10. Kailey Scott (20) and Wildner (18) combined for 38 of the team's 45 assists. Jackie DalCerro had a match-high 21 digs while Wildner (19) and Scott (12) also reached double figures.

SAU will next compete in a two-day tournament hosted by Indiana Tech. Friday, the Bees will face Calumet College at 5 p.m. and Northwestern Ohio at 9 p.m. St. Ambrose will also play a match Saturday.

Matzen, Scott named MCC Players of the Week

Sept. 26, 2011

MCC release

Tori Matzen and Kailey Scott were recognized by the Midwest Collegiate Conference for their strong play last week. Matzen (left) was named the league's Volleyball Player of the Week while Scott (right) was honored as the conference's Setter of the Week.

The pair helped the Queen Bees to a 4-1 week, including a perfect 4-0 mark at the SAU Fall Classic.

Matzen, a junior middle hitter from Orion, Ill., put down 54 kills last week to average 3.18 per set. She reached double figures three times, with 16 coming in a win over Peru State.

Matzen had only 10 total attack errors to finish the week with a .404 hitting percentage. She also added 11 total blocks.

Scott, a freshman from Evergreen Park, Ill., finished with 89 assists over the five matches, averaging 5.24 per set. She picked up more than 20 assists in each of the last three matches of the week, including 22 in a four-set win over Peru State.

Scott also averaged better than two digs per set, with a week-best 11 coming in a four-set loss at Grand View.

The Queen Bees will next visit Mount Mercy Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

St. Ambrose had three student-athletes recognized by the MCC as Kerry Hardiman was named the Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week.

DalCerro, Gillen and Scott All-Tourney at SAU Fall Classic

Sept. 24, 2011

Tournament results

St. Ambrose won all four of its matches at the SAU Fall Classic this weekend, and was only pushed to a fourth set once. The Bees defeated Roosevelt and Graceland by 3-0 scores Friday before getting a 3-1 win over Peru State and a 3-0 win over Kansas Wesleyan Saturday. Jackie DalCerro, Rebecca Gillen (left) and Kailey Scott (right) were named to the all-tournament team. SAU is now 13-5 overall this season.

St. Ambrose 3, Roosevelt 0 - Box score
It didn't take long for the Queen Bees to take control of its opening match. SAU raced to a 12-0 lead in the first set behind two kills each from Tori Matzen and Hannah Turner on the way to a 25-4, 25-13, 25-22 win. The third set was tight the entire way as Roosevelt led as late as 19-18. But a run of five straight points, with Matzen getting two kills during the run, helped the Bees close out the match. Matzen led the team with eight kills and Rebecca Gillen added four. Catherine Wildner had 15 assists followed by 11 from Kailey Scott. Jackie DalCerro finished with 11 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Graceland 0 - Box score
St. Ambrose took advantage of a Graceland team coming off a draining five-set win over Viterbo to defeat the Yellowjackets 25-15, 25-20, 25-15. The Bees took leads of 10-6 in the first set, 5-0 in the second and 8-1 in the third on their way to the win. Catherine Wildner (12) and Tori Matzen (10) each reached double figures in kills. Kailey Scott led SAU with 21 assists and Catherine Wildner finished with 12. Jackie DalCerro (right) had a match-high 18 digs. Rebecca Gillen led all players with six total blocks.

St. Ambrose 3, Peru State 1 - Box score
Behind 16 kills from Tori Matzen and 12 from Kara McCarthy, St. Ambrose defeated Peru State 25-16, 20-25, 25-20, 25-20. After splitting the first two sets, Peru State put together six straight points midway through the third to grab a 15-13 lead. The Bees responded with five straight points of their own to retake an 18-15 lead before closing out the set. In the fourth, SAU won 10-of-11 points, aided by three Matzen kills, to turn a 5-5 tie into a 15-6 advantage. Rebecca Gillen and Catherine Wildner each added seven kills in the win. Kailey Scott had 22 assists and Wildner finished with 20. Jackie DalCerro led the team with 24 digs while Dolores Wildner chipped in with 11.

St. Ambrose vs. Kansas Wesleyan - Box score
St. Ambrose capped a perfect weekend by sweeping Kansas Wesleyan 25-18, 25-22, 25-18. Catherine Wildner and Tori Matzen each reached double figures in kills with 13 and 11, respectively. Kailey Scott had 21 assists and Wildner finished with 19. Jackie DalCerro (12) and Kara McCarthy (11) led the Bees in digs.

St. Ambrose will return to Midwest Collegiate Conference action Tuesday night with a 7:30 p.m. match at Mount Mercy.

Queen Bees fall at Grand View in four sets

Sept. 21, 2011

Box score

St. Ambrose dropped to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference following a four-set loss at Grand View Wednesday night. The Vikings, who are receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, improved to 16-4 overall and 3-0 in the MCC with the 25-14, 16-25, 25-22, 25-22 win.

A balanced attack could not keep SAU from its first conference loss. Tori Matzen led the way with nine kills, Kara McCarthy finished with eight and Kelly Peck and Catherine Wildner (right) each had seven. Wildner and Kailey Scott led the team in assists with 21 and 14, respectively. Wildner also led the way as one of five Bees with double-digit digs.

After splitting the first two sets, St. Ambrose grabbed an 8-3 lead early in the third after winning six straight points. Grand View won 10-of-11 points to turn a 15-11 deficit into a 21-16 advantage. The Bees battled back to get within 23-22 late before the Vikings closed out the set.

SAU also led in the early stages of the fourth set. A Wildner kill gave the Bees a 10-6 lead before GVU gradually chipped away. Again St. Ambrose was down 23-22 before surrendering the final two points to Grand View.

St. Ambrose will next host the six-team Fall Classic Friday and Saturday. The Bees will open play against Roosevelt at 4 p.m. Friday.

Matzen and Peck named to Holiday Inn Express Classic Team

Sept. 17, 2011

Tori Matzen (left) and Kelly Peck (right) were named to the all-tournament team at the Holiday Inn Express Classic as St. Ambrose went 2-2 at the two-day event hosted by Olivet Nazarene. Both SAU losses came to nationally-ranked opponents.

The Queen Bees lost both matches Friday, 3-2 to #22 Indiana East and 3-1 to #9 Indiana Tech, before rebounding with a pair of wins Saturday. The Bees defeated both Campbellsville and Robert Morris 3-2.

#22 Indiana East 3, St. Ambrose 2 - Box score
St. Ambrose gave #22 Indiana East everything it could handle before falling 25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11. Kara McCarthy led the Bees with 14 kills while Kelly Peck, Catherine Wildner and Tori Matzen each finished with 11. Kailey Scott had a team-best 25 assists and Wildner added 20. Jackie DalCerro led the team with 34 digs, followed by the 22 from Dolores Wildner. Peck and Matzen also shared team-high honors with five total blocks.

#9 Indiana Tech 3, St. Ambrose 1 - Box score
SAU lost its second straight match to a top-25 team by falling to #9 Indiana Tech 25-23, 25-16, 19-25, 25-13. Tori Matzen led the Bees with 12 kills while Kelly Peck, Rebecca Gillen and Catherine Wildner each finished with nine. Wildner and Kailey Scott each had 22 assists in the loss. Jackie DalCerro finished with 24 assists and Dolores Wildner had 16.

St. Ambrose 3, Campbellsville 2 - Box score
St. Ambrose started Saturday morning with a five-set win over Campbellsville. Scores were 26-28, 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13 as the Bees rallied from a 2-1 deficit. Tori Matzen again led the team with 21 kills while Catherine Wildner (13) and Kelly Peck (11) also reached double figures. Kara McCarthy finished with eight. Wildner had a team-high 32 assists and Kailey Scott chipped in with 23. Jackie DalCerro (23) and Dolores Wildner (19) paced the team in digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Robert Morris 2 - Box score
Playing its sixth match, and fifth five-setter, in five days, St. Ambrose closed the grueling stretch with a 3-2 win over Robert Morris by a score of 25-18, 22-25, 14-25, 25-22, 15-7. Rebecca Gillen and Tori Matzen shared the team lead with 13 kills each and Catherine Wildner had 12. Wildner (26) and Kailey Scott (24) combined for 50 of SAU's 55 assists. Jackie DalCerro had a team-best 36 digs, followed by 15 from Dolores Wildner and 12 from Catherine Wildner.

St. Ambrose returns to Midwest Collegiate Conference play Wednesday by visiting Grand View for a 7 p.m. match.

Bees go five sets for second straight night

Sept. 14, 2011

Box Score

For the second straight night the St. Ambrose women's volleyball team was extended to five sets. After beating Clarke University in five-sets Tuesday night, the Bees were unable to repeat the magic against Cornell College Wednesday.

And like Tuesday, the Bees won the first two sets before this time ultimately falling 19-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-14, 15-13 to Cornell Wednesday.

The non-conference loss drops SAU to 7-2 overall.

SAU came out strong by winning the first two sets but had to rally in both. Cornell (8-1) led 10-4 in the opening set, but the Bees won eight straight points as part of a larger 13-2 run midway through the set to take a 21-15 lead. Rebecca Gillen (right) had three kills during the stretch.

In the second, the Rams led 7-5 before SAU rallied with five straight points to take the lead for good at 10-7 on the way to a 2-0 lead.

Playing 10 sets in two days, St. Ambrose could not keep the momentum. Cornell took leads of 12-6 in the third set and 11-6 in the fourth set in evening the match at 2-2.

The fifth set was close the entire way as neither team led by more than two points. At one point, the teams alternated 10 straight points. The Bees were two points from the match after Kara McCarthy's kill put the team in front 13-12, but the Rams came back with three straight points to close out the comeback.

Gillen led SAU with 12 kills, McCarthy finished with 11 and Tori Matzen had 10. Catherine Wildner (nine) and Kelly Peck (eight) narrowly missed double-figure kills. Wildner and Kailey Scott each had 25 assists. Jackie DalCerro led the way with 26 digs.

St. Ambrose will next compete in the Holiday Inn Express Classic hosted by Olivet Nazarene Friday and Saturday.

SAU survives five-set scare from Clarke

Sept. 13, 2011

Box score | Video

St. Ambrose got 13 kills from Kara McCarthy (right) and 12 each from Rebecca Gillen and Tori Matzen in a five-set win over Clarke Tuesday night. Set scores were 25-19, 25-15, 18-25, 21-25, 15-11 as the Queen Bees move to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

SAU raced to early leads in the first two sets to breeze to a 2-0 lead. The Bees won the first seven points of the opening set behind kills from Catherine Wildner, Gillen and Matzen. Clarke (4-6, 0-2 MCC) could get no closer than four points the rest of the set.

In the second, SAU grabbed a 9-1 lead as Gillen had two kills during the early run. The Bees padded their lead late by winning five straight points, highlighted by a pair of Matzen service aces, to take a 21-10 lead.

It looked like St. Ambrose might sweep Clarke as the Bees took a 6-3 lead early in the third set. But the Crusaders reeled off seven straight points to take a 10-6 lead and held off the Bees.

Clarke again battled back in the fourth. SAU led 18-13 before the Crusaders won 10 of 12 points to go in front 23-20. A McCarthy kill pulled the Bees to within 23-21 before Clarke won the final two points of the set.

The decisive fifth set went back and forth and was tied as late as 11-11. Gillen (right) put the Bees in front with a kill before a Crusader error extended the lead to 13-11. Gillen added her 12th kill of the match and Matzen ended things with a kill on match point as the Bees closed the match with four straight points.

Catherine Wildner also reached double digits, finishing with 10 kills in the win, and added a team-high 29 assists. Kailey Scott had 19. Jackie DalCerro (26) and Dolores Wildner (11) led SAU in digs.

The Bees return to action Wednesday night by hosting Cornell at 7:30 p.m.

Queen Bees open MCC play with 3-0 win at AIB

Sept. 7, 2011

Box score

Using 16 players, St. Ambrose welcomed AIB to the Midwest Collegiate Conference Wednesday night by sweeping the Eagles 3-0 in the conference opener for both teams.

Playing its first match in school history, AIB was overmatched by the Queen Bees 25-6, 25-8, 25-8. SAU is 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the MCC.

Kara McCarthy (right) finished with four kills in six attempts to lead the Bees. Rebecca Gillen, Catherine Wildner, Katie Bailey, Maddie McElroy and Tori Matzen each added three kills. Wildner led the team with 13 assists while Kailey Scott had 11.

Along with starting conference play with a victory, the win was also significant as SAU head coach Bruce Billingsley became the first MCC conference volleyball coach to record 100 conference wins (story).

The Bees will next host Clarke in MCC action Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Billingsley becomes first to 100 MCC wins

Sept. 7, 2011

St. Ambrose University head volleyball coach Bruce Billingsley became the first Midwest Collegiate Conference volleyball coach to record 100 conference wins with his 3-0 win at conference newcomer AIB Wednesday night.

Billingsley has compiled a 100-44 record in conference play following SAU's 25-6, 25-8, 25-8 win over AIB. He has more than twice as many MCC wins as Lee Ann Stefani, who is second all-time by winning fewer than 50 league matches at Grand View from 1997-2008. Viterbo's Ryan DeLong is second among current coaches with 34 conference wins entering Wednesday night.

Billingsley, who coached at Marycrest before taking over the helm at SAU in 1997, is the only coach of any sport to have been continuously active in the MCC since it was founded prior to the 1988 season.

The 100 conference wins is just another highlight in Billingsley's illustrious coaching career. He has won 565 matches at the college level, including 416 wins as a women's coach. With the SAU women's program, he has compiled a 333-219 career mark.

A six-time MCC Coach of the Year, Billingsley has won eight regular season conference championships and since 2000, four conference tournaments.

He led his 1999 team to an NAIA Regional Championship and a 17th-place finish at the NAIA National Championships en route to winning his first of two NAIA Region VII Coach of the Year awards (also in 2006). Billingsley has guided his last two teams to back-to-back national tournament appearances, with 13th-place showings in both 2009 and 2010.

In his career, Billingsley has coached seven MCC Players of the Year, 11 all-Americans and 31 academic all-Americans.

In addition to his coaching duties, Billingsley is an Assistant Athletic Director at St. Ambrose and serves as the Commissioner of the Mid-America Men's Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference (MAMVIC). The MAMVIC includes St. Ambrose, fellow MCC members Clarke and Grand View, along with all of the varsity NAIA men's volleyball teams in the nation.

Matzen named to all-tournament team as SAU wins pair

Sept. 5, 2011

St. Ambrose swept through its two matches at a tournament hosted by Augustana, defeating both Aurora and Lincoln Christian 3-0. With the wins, SAU improved to 5-1 overall.

Junior middle hitter Tori Matzen (pictured right) was named to the all-tournament team.

St. Ambrose 3, Aurora 0 - Box score
Kara McCarthy had 12 kills and Tori Matzen added 10 as St. Ambrose defeated Aurora 25-12, 25-21, 26-24 in its first of two matches at Augustana. Catherine Wildner was third on the team with five kills. Kailey Scott led the Queen Bees with 16 assists and Wildner had 13. Jackie DalCerro paced the team with 16 digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Lincoln Christian 0 - Box score
SAU moved its winning streak to five matches by defeating Lincoln Christian 25-14, 25-16, 25-13. Kara McCarthy led a balanced attack with seven kills. Kelly Peck, Rebecca Gillen and Catherine Wildner each had five kills; Tori Matzen finished with four and Maddie McElroy added three. Wildner (17) and Kailey Scott (11) led the Bees in assists.

SAU will next open Midwest Collegiate Conference play by visiting AIB in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday night.

Matz named to all-tournament team at Black Hawk Tournament

Aug. 27, 2011

Alyssa Matz (right) was named to the all-tournament team at a tournament hosted by Black Hawk College today. The sophomore setter from Lena, Ill., helped the Queen Bees' JV team win a pair of matches at the season-opening one-day event.

SAU won its first two matches defeating Sauk Community College 2-0 (26-24, 25-17) and South Suburban Community College 2-1 (23-25, 25-15, 15-6).

The Bees lost a tough three-setter to Clinton Community College 25-20, 20-25, 15-12 before closing the tournament with a loss to Black Hawk 25-17, 25-21.

The SAU JV team will play at home for the first time by hosting Illinois Valley on Aug. 29.

Queen Bees open season by winning 3-of-4

Aug. 27, 2011

St. Ambrose bounced back from losing its season opener in five sets by winning its final three matches at the SAU Early Bird Volleyball Tournament.

The Queen Bees nearly went a perfect 4-0. SAU lost its first match in five sets to Missouri Baptist before rebounding to claim wins over Benedictine-Springfield, Illinois Tech and Georgetown (Ky.) to start the year 3-1.

Jackie DalCerro (left) and Catherine Wildner (right) represented SAU on the all-tournament team announced at the conclusion of the two-day event.

Missouri Baptist 3, St. Ambrose 2 - Box score
The Bees came out strong by winning the first two sets 25-17, 25-22 before Missouri Baptist rallied to win the final three sets 25-18, 25-21, 15-13. In the final set, SAU trailed the entire way. Down 14-10, the Bees battled back with three straight points to get to within a single point before Missouri Baptist closed out the match. Tori Matzen led SAU with 16 kills and Rebecca Gillen also reached double digits with 11. Meridyth Bates had nine and Kelly Peck added eight. Catherine Wildner had a match-high 44 assists.

St. Ambrose 3, Benedictine-Springfield 0 - Box score
Tori Matzen finished with 12 kills to help St. Ambrose defeat Benedictine 25-12, 25-16, 25-20. Taylor Granell had seven kills, Hannah Turner added five and Katie Bailey and Maddie McElroy each finished with four. Catherine Wildner had a match-best 24 assists and Lauren Metts chipped in with nine. Jackie DalCerro paced the team with seven digs.

St. Ambrose 3, Illinois Tech 2 - Box score
Playing their second five-set match in two days, the Queen Bees came out victorious this time around by a score of 25-12, 23-25, 25-10, 23-25, 15-9. Leading only 10-9 in the decisive set, the Bees rolled off five straight points, two coming on Kara McCarthy kills, to end the match. McCarthy (20) and Rebecca Gillen (18) combined for 38 of SAU's 62 kills. Tori Matzen finished with nine and Catherine Wildner added seven in the win. Wildner also led the team with 49 assists. Hannah Turner led the Bees with 20 digs while McCarthy and Jackie DalCerro each finished with 17 and Wildner added 14.

St. Ambrose 3, Georgetown 1 - Box score
Kara McCarthy had 12 kills and Rebecca Gillen added 11 as St. Ambrose wrapped up the Early Bird Tournament with a 26-24, 25-20, 19-25, 25-18 win over Georgetown (Ky.). Catherine Wildner led the Bees with 33 assists. McCarthy had a team-high 18 digs while Jackie DalCerro finished with 11.

St. Ambrose will next face Aurora (2 p.m.) and Lincoln Christian (6 p.m.) Friday as part of a tournament hosted by Augustana.

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