CLU Sports

The California Lutheran University volleyball team is set to open its 2008 campaign under the tutelage of third-year head coach Kellie Roesel. Last season the Regals finished with an 11-3 conference record and an 18-win season for the second consecutive year.

The Regals will open the season as the No. 24 ranked team in the NCAA Division III as they welcome back 11 returners and five newcomers.

Middles
Sophomore Allison Kerr returns at middle blocker after she earned All-SCIAC Second Team honors in her rookie season. She led the team with 70 blocks (0.85 per game) and a hitting percentage of .318. The Missouri native ranked second in kills with 219 (2.67 per game).

Also coming back in the middle is fellow sophomore Erin Exline, who hit .287 last year and junior Katie Wallace, who was second on the team with 0.78 blocks per game.

Outside/Rightside Hitters
Outside hitter Summer Plante-Newman will be back for her final season in 2008. The senior ranks fourth all-time on the CLU career kills list with 873 and fourth on the aces list with 120. Last season she led the Regals with 414 kills (4.99 per game) and 51 aces (0.61 per game). Plante-Newman was named to the All-SCIAC First Team and All-Region Team.

Jenna Meligan, a junior, will be back at outside hitter in 2008. In 2007, Meligan appeared in 63 games and collected 128 kills along with 172 digs.

Sophomores Megan Thorpe and Kelsey Hart will both be back this season. In 25 games last season Thorpe posted an average of 2.72 kills per game while Hart posted 1.19 per game in 18 games.

Junior transfer Bridgette Redmond will be making her debut as a Regal in 2008, she was named to the all-league first team while at College of the Canyons last year. Fellow junior transfer Cori Hayes (Fresno State University) comes to the Regals after playing in six games with the Bulldogs last season.

Also joining the outside hitters are freshmen Jacki Richards (Buena High School), Caitlin Gusa (Mount Vernon High School) and Casy McWhirk (Woodcreek High School).

Setters
Lindsey Benson will lead the offense again as a senior in 2008. She ranks fifth in school history in assists 1,133. In 2007, Benson posted 975 assists (11.61 per game), 205 digs (2.44 per game) and 100 kills (1.19 per game). She was named to the All-SCIAC First Team and was an All-Region Honorable Mention selection.

Cara Ihde is back for her sophomore year as the backup setter. In her freshman season, Ihde tallied 0.29 aces per game and 0.57 digs per game in seven appearances.

Liberos
The libero position will feature a couple of seniors. Lizzy Orona played in 27 games last season and posted an average of 2.59 digs per game. Elicia Hildreth appeared in 82 games in 2007 and dug 2.83 balls per game.

The Schedule
In 2008, the Regals will get a steady dose of tough competition with six of its opponents ranked in the AVCA preseason top 25 poll.

To open the season, CLU will head to Missouri to take part in the Washington University Invitational. There they will face three teams in the top 25 with matches against Central (IA) College, Ohio Northern University and host Washington.

When they return the Regals will play seven consecutive non-conference opponents at home before they open up SCIAC play against defending champion University of La Verne on Sept. 23.

Halfway through its conference schedule CLU will play at the Wild West Shootout in October hosted by CSU East Bay.

When it returns CLU will play at La Verne on Oct. 21 in the second match up between the two schools. The Regals will close out the regular season with three road conference matches at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, University of Redlands and Occidental College.