Volleyball 9/8/2016 6:33:00 PM Chris Myers

Cardinals Spikers Set for Tough 20th Annual Colorado Premier Challenge

WJU Season Stats
DENVER, Colo. – A repeat performance will be a tall order at NCAA Division II's most prestigious volleyball tournament. The No. 2 Wheeling Jesuit volleyball team faces the best in the nation this weekend at the 20th Annual Colorado Premier Challenge this Friday and Saturday.

Over this weekend, five of Division II's top 10 ranked teams, three more Top 25 squads and another trio receiving votes dot the 12-team Premier Challenge field held at Regis University and Metropolitan State campuses.

Unlike a week ago, the No. 2 Cardinals (4-0) do not go into the weekend as the top rated team. The distinction goes to No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul, while No. 5 Southwest Minnesota State, No. 6 Central Missouri and No. 8 Lewis University also is in the lineup. No. 18 Colorado Mines, No. 19 Angelo State and No. 21 Arkansas-Fort Smith round out the ranked participants, while both West Florida, St. Leo and Metropolitan State are all receiving votes in the national poll.

The 12-team Colorado Premier field takes an impressive 43-7 combined record into the weekend. The field is split into four Pools of three teams. In Pool 2, WJU opens with an Elite Eight rematch against No. 21 Arkansas-Fort Smith Friday at 2 p.m. Later in the evening, the Cardinals battled host Regis at 9 p.m.

For Saturday, the Challenge teams will be split into Gold (1^st in Pool), Silver (2^nd in Pool) and Bronze (3^rd in Pool) to determine each team's second-day matchups.

Colorado Premier Challenge – Tournament Central

The Cardinals aim to repeat their opening-weekend magic. WJU was the lone team to finish a perfect 4-0 at the West Florida Hampton Inn-vitational. The team took care of Carson Newman (3-1), Findlay (3-0), Central Missouri (3-2) and West Florida (3-0).

At West Florida, WJU middle blocker Haley Kindall earned the Tournament MVP honors. The senior received Mountain East Conference Player of the Week acclaim where she downed50 kills, 3.33 k/s, .333 pct., 13 total blocks and six digs in 15 sets. Kindall also had matches of 15 kills and four TB in day one and 20 kills and eight TB against the two ranked Saturday foes.

Other WJU Notes:

• Cardinals finished as the lone undefeated team at the West Florida Hampton Inn-vitational –– victories over two teams receiving AVCA votes Carson Newman (3-1) and Findlay (3-0) and followed with wins over #9 Central Missouri (3-2) and #23 West Florida (3-0), on ESPN3.

• WJU ran its current win streak to 16 matches, including avenging its last loss Friday night by defeating Findlay, which it lost (3-1) on Nov. 11, 2015.

• MB Haley Kindall, the MEC Player of the Week, earned the Tournament MVP honors. She downed 50 kills, 3.33 k/s, .333 pct., 13 total blocks and 6 digs in 15 sets. Kindall had matches of 15 kills & 4 TB in day one and 20 kills & 8 TB against the two ranked foes.

• S Andrea Thobe named to All-Tournament team. The senior averaged 11.0 a/s, 36 digs and 6 kills in 15 sets. Thobe had two double-doubles of assists & digs (44a & 11d vs. Carson Newman and 38a & 12d vs. Central Missouri)

• MB Katie Campbell had an outstanding weekend by hitting .524 with 26 kills in only 42 swings. Campbell downed 12 kills & 3 total blocks vs. #9 Central Missouri

• Freshman OH Breanna Kramer had a solid opening matches with a double-double on ESPN3 with 13 kills & 18 digs vs. #23 West Florida. Kramer hit 45 kills and dug 40 digs in the four matches.

• OH/L Kayce Krucki averaged 4.60 d/s in her first matches at libero. She dug a career-high 34 digs vs. #9 Central Missouri and double figures in each of the other three matches.

-GoCards-

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