9 November 1998                                  CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206
 

IWU Lands Three on All-CCIW Volleyball Squad;

IWU Heads to NCAA Tournament

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Illinois Wesleyan University has placed three players on the first team of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin volleyball all-league squads.
 Seniors LeAnn Genzel and Jacqui Bliss were joined by junior Kellie Schmidt on the all-CCIW first team for the Titans, who were co-winners of the leagueâs regular season title and finished third in the conference tournament last weekend.
 Genzel, a 6-foot middle hitter from Buckley (Paxton-Buckley-Loda HS), was a second team all-league choice last season and earned honorable mention as a sophomore. She finished second in the final 1998 CCIW statistics with 1.03 blocks per game and was seventh in kills with 2.9 per game.
 A first time all-conference choice, Bliss, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter from Towanda (Ridgeview HS), was fifth in kills in the CCIW with 3.5 per game and third in blocks with 1.0 per game.
 Schmidt, a 5-foot-9 hitter from Elkhart (Mt. Pulaski HS), earned honorable mention a year ago. This fall she was third in the league with 3.7 kills per game and eighth in digs with 4.3 per game.
 Bliss and Schmidt were also chosen to the CCIW all-tournament team.

1998 All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Volleyball

First Team
Sarah Hawkins, Elmhurst
Kellie Schmidt, Illinois Wesleyan
Jacqui Bliss, Illinois Wesleyan
LeAnn Genzel, Illinois Wesleyan
Deb Hughes, Elmhurst
Suzanne Murphy, Millikin

Second Team
Maggie Rippey, Elmhurst
Kristen Barker, Augustana
Anna Howard, Wheaton
Mia Viola, North Central
Tricia Keefe, Augustana
Bethaney Davis, Millikin

Honorable Mention
Jenna Ross, Wheaton
Stephanie George, Wheaton
Lisa Dolan, North Central
Shannon Sobczak, Elmhurst
Megan Osinski, North Park
Amy Calderone, Augustana
 

Conference Statistical Leaders

 In other CCIW statistical categories, freshman Cory Zimmerman (Pittsfield HS) led the league with an average of 9.5 in 22 league games. Sophomore Dana Stinson (New Lenox, Lincoln-Way HS) also led the league in service aces with 0.73 per game, while freshman Elizabeth Niemann (Paxton, Paxton-Buckley-Loda HS) was second with 0.58 aces per game.
 

NCAA Division III Tournament

 IWU (21-16 overall) is the No. 6 seed and will play No. 3-seed Wis.-LaCrosse (22-13) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in the first round of the Midwest regional in the NCAA Division III tournament at Wis.-Whitewater. The winner of the IWU/Wis.-LaCrosse match would face No. 2 seed Wis.-River Falls (31-5) on Friday.
 The other Thursday match pits No. 4 seeded Elmhurst (30-7) against No. 5 Wis.-Stout (21-13), with the winner to face No. 1 seed Wis.-Whitewater (30-5) on Friday.
 It is IWUâs second consecutive trip to the Division III tournament and third in school history, the other coming in 1991. IWU lost in 1997 in the first round to Wis.-Eau Claire, 16-18, 6-15, 10-15.
 Earlier this season (Oct. 9) in a tournament at Oshkosh, Wis., the Titans lost a three-game match to Wis.-LaCrosse, 5-15, 5-15, 9-15.