SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The University of Wisconsin-Superior volleyball team was selected to finish third in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in 2024, as the conference revealed its preseason poll in an announcement Thursday.
The Yellowjackets earned 39 points in the poll of UMAC coaches, trailing second place Minnesota Morris with 40 points and a first-place vote, along with top-seeded Northwestern who tallied 49 points and seven first-place votes.
UWS welcomes nine newcomers to the program while returning seniors
Maiana Stark (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) and
Jenna Anderson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji), along with junior
Colleen Claude (Centuria, Wis./Homeschool).
Stark concluded the 2023 campaign with an All-UMAC honorable mention citation. Scoring 280.5 points while seeing action in all 29 matches and 95 sets, she averaged 2.95 points per set. Stark finished 10th in the conference in kills per set (2.58) while finishing second on the Yellowjackets with an attack percentage of .168. She added 17 service aces while averaging 3.33 digs per set and posting 43 assisted blocks throughout the season.
Anderson grabbed her first All-UMAC First Team selection in 2023, starting in all 29 matches and 98-of-99 sets. She was a staple for the Yellowjackets defensively, as she led both the 'Jackets and the UMAC with 573 digs, a mark that sat 22nd in all of NCAA Division III, while sitting 18th overall with 5.67 digs per set.
Claude returns after starting in 28-of-29 matches and 100 sets last season. She contributed 35 points and 11 kills while dominating the assist category, ending the year with a conference-fifth 554 while averaging 5.54 per set. Additionally, she led the Yellowjackets with 23 service aces while adding 274 digs.
Bethany Lutheran finished the preseason poll in fourth place with 30 points, while Martin Luther (25) and North Central (19) garnered fifth and sixth place, respectively. Rounding out the circuit was Crown (13) and Northland (nine).
The Yellowjackets begin the 2024 campaign by taking a trip to the Lone Star State. Taking part in a tournament hosted by the University of Dallas, the 'Jackets are set to face McMurry and Shenandoah Friday, Aug. 30. First serve versus the Warhawks is set for noon inside the Maher Athletic Center.
