(November 15, 2007 - Ann Arbor, Mich.) -- Three seniors began this season with 27 total victories for the Concordia volleyball team, but finished their careers on the fourth-best team in program history after nearly matching their three-year total with 19 wins this season.

 

It has been a dozen years in Cardinal volleyball since a squad finished with more wins than this season's 19-24 mark. Not since Kim Berrington's squads from the 1993 season through 1995 has a team posted more wins after a three-year run with the Cardinals amassing 88 wins and two WHAC titles. Berrington subsequently headed off to Eastern Michigan University after the '95 campaign and remains there today.

 

As for the Cardinals, it wasn't until Dan Kirchhoff arrived over a year ago and began to install the necessary improvements to move the program again to the level of success it began enjoying a decade-and-a-half ago.

 

A key compenent in any program improving, is when the current crop of athletes buy into the new coach's vision and Kirchhoff benefitted from the presence of Erin Walczak (Sr. - DeWitt, Mich.), Stephanie Weiss (Sr. - Frankenmuth, Mich.) and Nicole Williams (Sr. - White Lake, Mich.).

 

Walczak has finished her career with the all-time record for block assists in a season after posting 105 this past season, besting Sarah Riske's 1994 mark of 72.  Walczak is currently ranked 8th in career kills, 11th in career aces, 10th in career solo blocks,and  2nd in career block assists.

 

Weiss, who for three years was the team's setter before accepting a switch to defensive specialist this season, is currently ranked twice in the top ten for assists in a season (7th - 1110 - 2005 and 10 - 935 - 2006) and finishes her career second all-time in two categories: career aces (171) and career assists (3,032). Weiss is also sixth all-time for career digs with a total of 1,287.

 

Williams has had a very good career that would have been great had it not been for a flurry of injuries that plagued her regularly over the last two seasons. Her 2005 total of 433 kills is fifth-best for a season while her career total of 818 is seventh-best for a career. Williams is also tied for fifth all-time for career aces with 119 and her 1,364 digs leaves her fifth all-time.

 

In addition to the leadership given by the seniors, several players took a big step forward in their career. None bigger than Ashley Zair (So. - West Bloomfield, Mich.) who assumed the libero position and is in line to shatter several season and career marks herself. After finishing her freshman season with the second highest dig total with 671, Zair became the first player in Cardinal history to post more than 800 digs in a season when she registered 855 this year. Her two-year total already has her in third place all-time with 1,526 - needing only 71 digs next season to break the all-time mark set by Karen Keskey (1994).

 

Shawna Dorton (Jr. - Lincoln Park, Mich.) and Erica Manning (Jr. - St. Johns, Mich.) are also moving up the charts as Dorton is 7th all-time for career block assists with 108 while Manning is 8th all-time for solo blocks with 62 and 4th all-time in block assists with 133.

 

A trio of transfers immediately paid dividends with Samantha Cuppen (Jr. - Port Huron, Mich.) shattering the season kill record by 73 after being the first Cardinal to register more than 500 kills in a season with her season total of 550. Cuppen also had 53 block assists this year leaving her in tenth all-time for a season.

 

Amanda Taylor (Jr. - Loves Park, Ill.) would have had the second best season in regard to block assists with her total of 70 had it not been for the explosive season Walczak had. Nonetheless, Taylor's first year has her with the third best total in a season.

 

In football, it's the quarterback. In basketball, the point guard. And in volleyball it's the setter. And few teams had one better than Lindsay Trumitch (Jr. - Riverview, Mich.). After tranferring from Owens CC, Trumitch assaulted the record books with 72 aces (third best ever) and 1,511 assists (third best in a season and subsequently fourth all-time).

 

As the season came to a close and the players bid farewell to three very important players, what can be thought is that Kirchhoff himself will be the next to enter the record books as he continues to elevate the Cardinal program to heights they haven't seen in over a decade, and maybe beyond.