WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 1, 2019) – The upcoming 2019 season will mark the 50th anniversary of the historic Jennies Volleyball program. Throughout the season Jennies Volleyball will be reliving their storied history to commemorate the anniversary. The celebration begins today with the announcing of the 50th Anniversary Gold Team.
The 18 members of the most recent 25 years will join the 14-member Silver Anniversary team from 1970-1994 to make up the 2019 Gold Team. The team was selected with the help of current Jennies coaches Flip Piontek and Caitlin Peterson, as well as Hall of Fame Coach Peggy Martin.
The team will be recognized as part of a celebration homecoming weekend, Oct. 12, 2019.
The newest 18 members were all a part of the most recent 25 years in team history. Nine of the 18 are UCM Hall of Famers while all 18 have earned All-American awards.
Sarah Dallas (1995-98)
A three-time All-American outside hitter, Sarah (Dallas) Welch was also the MIAA Most Valuable Player in 1998. She was a three-time first-team All-MIAA selection as well as earning all-tournament team honors at both at the NCAA Championships in 1996 and the NCAA Regionals in 1996 and 1998. She ranks second in school history in kills (1,719), fourth in career attempts (4,135), and seventh in career digs (1,614). Her 4.63 kills per game in 1998 ranks third in program history as well. Sarah finished her career with 91 10+ kill match games and 16 20+ kill games, both are in the UCM top-five. She is the only Jennie to be in the all-time top-10 in both career kills and digs and her 69 double-doubles are the most in program history. She was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 2010 and was the Peggy Martin Award recipient in 1999.
Becky Haug (2002-05)
Becky (Haug) Craddock was a two-time All-American and four-time All-MIAA selection in volleyball for the Jennies and is fifth on the all-time points list at UCM with 1,505. She ranks in the top 15 all-time with 1,481 kills and 84 matches in double-figure kills. Her 4.12 career points per set are the fourth-most in team history. With 542 blocks, Becky ranks fourth all-time at UCM and she led the team in either solo blocks or block assists all four years. She was also a three time All-American in track & field in the Discus in 2004, 2005 and 2006. She was named the Dr. Peggy Martin Award winner as the Outstanding Senior Female Student-Athlete at UCM in 2006. She was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 2013.
Allie Huffman (2008-11)
Allie Huffman is the only four-time All-American in the storied history of Jennies Volleyball. She ranks third all-time at UCM in kills (1,686), second in attacks (4,666), second in career matches with double-figure kills (105), third in points (1,819), fourth in attacks/set (9.46), seventh in points/set (3.68), eighth in kills per set (3.41). She is also first in career matches with double-figure points (109). She was the MIAA Player of the Year as a senior when she also earned Regional Player of the Year honors. She was the MIAA Freshman of the Year and a four-time All-MIAA honoree. She helped Jennies Volleyball win three MIAA championships and two regional championships. She was named to four Regional All-Tournament Teams. In the classroom, she was a Third Team Academic All-American, a four-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll member, and a three-time MIAA Scholar-Athlete. Allie made the UCM Athletics and MIAA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Daria McConnell (1997-99)
A two-time All-American (first-team in 1999, second-team in 1998), Daria (McConnell) Byrne was also a two-time first-team AVCA All-Region pick, and a three-time All-MIAA selection (second-team in 1997, first-team in 1998 and 1999). She was the 1999 Jennies and MIAA Most Valuable Player and twice was named to the MIAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll. As a senior, she was the UCM Peggy Martin Award winner in 2000. She holds the Jennies single-season records for kills (692 in 1999) matches with 20+ kills (17 in 1999), and the career mark for kills per game (4.54). She also ranks ninth in school history in career kills (1,538) and second in career matches with 20+ kills (26). She has the top-two highest single match kill totals in UCM history as well (41, 39). Defensively, Daria led UCM in blocks all three seasons and her 1.21 blocks per set is fourth all-time. Her team also won the MIAA title all three seasons she played, losing only once in conference action. She was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 2008.
Elyse Mohme (2001-04)
Elyse (Mohme) Huntet sits at the top of various UCM volleyball offensive categories. She was a two-time All-American during her time in Warrensburg as well as a three-time All-Region and three-time All-MIAA selection. She is second all-time with 661.0 points in her 2004 season and finished her career with 1,239 career points. She remains in the UCM top-five in kills with 1,660 and her 93 career matches with double-digit kills is still third all-time. Elyse was named the Peggy Martin Most Outstanding Senior Female Student-Athlete at UCM in 2004 and inducted into the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
Caitlin Pankratz (2005-09)
For four years, Caitlin (Pankratz) Peterson was as consistent as anyone in Jennies Volleyball history. From 2006-09, she led the team in assists, totaling 5,502 in her illustrious career, second-most in UCM history and still the eighth-most in MIAA history. As a senior, Caitlin helped the Jens to their first MIAA title since 2000, winning in 2009. One of the most decorated athletes in UCM Volleyball history, Caitlin was an All-American, two-time All-Region, two-time All-MIAA and three-time Academic All-District selection. She also won the UCM Dr. Peggy Martin Award, and was an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. She is the most recent Jennies Volleyball player inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame, joining in 2019.
Carrie Potthast (2001-03)
Carrie (Potthast) Kramer was a two-time All-American, a two-time all-region pick, and three-time All-MIAA (two first-team selections) honoree. She holds the career record for most matches with 20 or more kills with 27, she has the single season total attempts (1,686) and career attempts per game (10.74) records. She also has the single season points record (665) and her 619 kills in 2003 is fourth in a season. She is the only Jennie to ever average more than five points per set, doing it twice in 2001 (5.14) and 2003 (5.00). For her career, she is seventh all-time in kills (1,593), and second in kills per set (4.34) at UCM. As a senior, Carrie was in the rare 500/500 club with 593 kills and 588 digs. She was named the Peggy Martin Most Outstanding Senior Female Student Athlete in 2004 and inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 2011.
Katie Tarka (2003-06)
Katie (Tarka) Smolik was a three-time All-American and four-time All-MIAA and All-Region selection, including three years as a first team All-MIAA selection. She is the UCM and MIAA career leader in digs with 3,016 and single-season leader with 902 as a senior in 2006. She earned seven different all-region honors, was named to two NCAA Regional All-Tournament teams, earned three Jennies Defensive MVP awards, the team MVP as a senior and the Peggy Martin Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete in 2007. She was a four-time MIAA Scholar Athlete and MIAA Academic Honor Roll member. She finished 131 matches with double-figure digs and has a career 5.94 digs per set average. She has the UCM top-two seasons in both total digs and digs per set in 2004 and 2006. For a single game, Katie set the school record with 57 against Drury in 2003 and has three of the top-four single-game dig totals in UCM history. She was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 2012.
Kaci Young (2002-05)
Kaci (Young) Hudson was a two-time All-American and three-time All-MIAA selection for Jennies Volleyball. She is the Jennies all-time leader in assists with 5,687. That number ranks as the fifth best in MIAA history. She is one of only five Jennies to surpass the 5,000 assist mark. Kaci also is second for assists per set in a career at 10.94 and has a single season school record of 13.04 set in 2005. She led the Jennies in assists all four years and three times led them in service aces for a single season. She is one of only five Jennies to earn National Player of the Week honors and was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 2014.
Second team:
Julia Bates (2009-13)
One of just three Jennies with 5,000 assists, Julia (Bates) Baker was a four-year starting setter and three-time All-American for the Jennies. She was the offensive catalyst for some of their finest years, as the Jennies won back-to-back Regional Championships in 2010 and 2011, making appearances in the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1996. Her 5,347 assists are the fourth most in team history and her 11.00 assists per set are a school record. She is the only three-time All-American setter in team history, earning the awards in 2010, 11 and 13. In addition to her assists, Julia finished four years with at least 200 digs and 900 for her career along with 541 kills, 201 blocks and 160 service aces. She won the UCM Peggy Martin Award as the UCM Outstanding Female Student-Athlete in 2014.
Rachel Fister (2007-10)
The only player in Jennies history with three seasons in the top-10 single-season total digs, Rachel Fister is third all-time with 2,452 digs. Her seasons in 2008-10 rank sixth through eighth for a single season in team history, with a high of 708 coming in 2009, her first All-American season. Rachel is a two-time All-American also earning the award as a senior. Her 4.80 digs per set for her career is the third-highest in team history, as are her 41 matches with 20 or more digs. She has 130 matches with double-figure digs, one shy of the team record and her 38 double-figure dig matches in 2009 are a single-season high. Rachel was also strong on the serve with 167 aces, sixth most in team history. She led the team in aces in 2008-09. Following her senior season, she was the Peggy Martin Award winner as the UCM Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete in 2011.
Paula Harris (2008-11)
A two-time All-American, Paula (Harris) Giles guided the Jennies to back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances in 2010 and 2011, her two All-American seasons. She is the Jennies all-time points leader with 1,885 and is sixth with 1,599 kills and seventh with 457 blocks. Paula finished three seasons at UCM with more than 300 kills and 100 blocks. As a senior, Paula landed 425 kills while hitting .407, the third-highest single season hitting percentage in team history. Paula scored at least 425 points all four seasons, making four straight All-MIAA teams.
Kylie Hohlen (2015-18)
Kylie Hohlen is one of the more decorated student-athletes to come through UCM having earned All-American honors in 2017 and 2018 and is a four-time All-MIAA selection. Perhaps more impressive is that Kylie has been a first team all-conference performer at two different positions. She was a first team selection as a libero in 2017 and as a senior in 2018, was a first team selection as an outside hitter. All totaled, Kylie has recorded 903 career kills and 1,996 career digs. She is the only player in UCM history with more than 800 kills and 1900 digs and is fifth in UCM history in career digs. She has also landed 104 service aces, put back 86 blocks, passed out 204 assists and scored 1,055 career points. In all three years while studying Elementary Education, Kylie has earned the MIAA Academic Excellence Award with a 4.0 GPA, made the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and been named an MIAA Scholar Athlete. She was an Academic All-American as a senior, the 11th in team history.
Audrey Jensen (2004-07)
An All-American defensive specialist, Audrey (Jensen) Nesbit is one of just four Jennies with more than 2,000 career digs. She is fourth all-time with 2,387, collecting more than 500 in each season at UCM. As a senior in 2007, Audrey earned her All-American award with 749 digs and 5.90 digs per set, both of which put her in the single-season top-10. She is fourth all-time both with 126 double-figure dig matches and 39 matches with at least 20 digs. Audrey did much more than play defense though, as she also landed 561 kills, 143 blocks and 115 service aces. As a freshman, Audrey hit 277 kills with 515 digs, one of just two players since 2000 to accomplish that.
Jillian Ohrman (2006-07)
The only two-year player to make the Gold Team from the last 25 years, Jillian (Ohrman) Bundy was a two-time All-American finishing her career with 1,031 career kills and 3.95 kills per set. She led the Jennies in kills in 2006 and 2007, with a high of 530 coming in 2006. Despite playing in just two seasons, Jillian is 10th in career points with 1,252.5. Her 4.80 points per set ranks second in team history, as do her 20 matches with 20+ points. She is the only player in team history with more than 600 points in two seasons and has the third and fourth most single-season points, 634 in 2006 and 618 in 2007. Jillian hit .363 for her career which is the fourth-best at UCM and her 1.195 blocks per set are sixth in team history. She earned the UCM Peggy Martin Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete Award in 2008.
Bradye Peniston (2008-12)
Bradye (Peniston) Miller was a three-time All-American during one of the best stretches in team history. She helped the Jens to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2010 and 2011 and finished with a 122-22 career record. Bradye did a bit of everything for UCM landing 1,261 kills, 438 blocks and picking up 248 digs while making the All-MIAA four years. Her 3.14 points per set are ninth all-time at UCM and she hit .324 for her career. Her 438 blocks put her 10th on the Jennies all-time top-10 list and her 369 block assists are seventh. She led the Jennies in blocks in three of her four years and her career-best 400 kills as a senior were the most on the team in 2012. Bradye was the 2013 Dr. Peggy Martin Award winner as the UCM Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete.
Annie Reilly (2012-15)
Annie Reilly is one of the most decorated players in Jennies Volleyball history. She is second all-time at UCM and in the MIAA with 2,609 career digs. She has recorded over 600 digs in all four years at UCM, with a career-high of 728 coming as a senior in 2015, which is the fourth most in single season at UCM. Annie is a three-time All-American, making the first team in 2014 and 2015 and an Academic All-American in 2015. In each year with the Jennies, Annie has been selected to the All-MIAA team, with first team honors three straight years. She is one of just two Jennies to average more than five digs per set for her career, finishing second at 5.42. Her 64 matches with 20+ digs are also second and her 127 double-figure dig matches is third. Only Annie and Katie Tarka have ever led the Jennies in digs for four years. Annie also scored for the Jens on the serve with 220 service aces, second most all-time. Her 73 as a sophomore in 2013 are the seventh most in the single season, and she is the only Jennie to record a match-high eight aces twice.
Carly Sojka (2012-15)
Carly (Sojka) Cronin has etched her name in Jennies history as one of the premier hitters the program has ever seen. She set the school record for attempts with 4,697, is second in points with 1860 and fourth in kills with 1,664. She is in the fifth all-time in both career kills per set (3.60) and points per set (4.03) She eclipsed 300 kills and 300 digs each of her four years with Central Missouri and is a member of the illustrious 1,000 kill, 1,000 dig club with 54 career double-doubles. No Jennie has ever recorded more double-doubles with 20+ kills and digs than Carly's 15. As a senior, Carly became the first Jennie since 1999 to record 30 kills in a match, when she landed 31 against Nebraska-Kearney. She set a school record for points in that match with 33.5. She has also put back 199 total blocks and has served up 80 service aces in her career. She is a two-time All-American, earing the awards in 2014 and 2015. She is also a four-time member of both the All-MIAA team and the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. Carly was twice been selected the AVCA National Player of the Week, one of just two Jennies to ever do that, and eight times as the MIAA Player of the Week. As a senior, Carly was named the Dr. Peggy Martin Award winner as the UCM Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete.
Those 18 will join the 14 from the Silver Anniversary Team which was selected in 1994. Of those 14, eight have been enshrined in the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame.
First Team
Becky Belland (1987-90)
Becky (Belland) Nalls capped her outstanding four-year career (1987-90) by earning NCAA Division II player-of-the-year honors in 1990, the only CMSU or UCM volleyball player to ever receive that award.
As a freshman in 1987, Becky was a member of the Jennies' Division II runner-up team that was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. She is the only Jennies volleyball player to receive first-team All-America honors three straight years (1988, 1989, 1990) and was the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Most Valuable Player in 1989 and 1990. The Jennies were 156-21 during her career, winning MIAA titles and earning NCAA bids each of her four seasons. She was the UCM Peggy Martin Award winner in 1991.
Becky's total of 2,189 career kills is the Jennies' career record and ranks 20th in Division II history. She was in double figures in kills in 119 of her 177 career matches. She also owns school records block solos (366), block assists (572) and total blocks (938) in a career. She was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 1998 and the MIAA Hall of Fame in 2016.
Susan Dixon (1984-87)
Susan (Dixon) Kohl was the Jennies setter for four seasons and is third all-time in assists with 5,460. A graduate of Warrensburg High School, Susan became the Jennies' starting setter in the third tournament of the 1984 season and held that position for the remainder of her career.
After earning second-team all-MIAA recognition as a freshman, she was a first-team all-MIAA selection each of the next three seasons and was the league's MVP as a junior and as a senior. She was the first Jennies' player to win MIAA MVP honors two straight years. She earned All-America honors as a junior and as a senior. She was also a second-team Academic All-America selection in 1987 and the UCM Peggy Martin Award winner in 1988.
The Jennies compiled a record of 151-25 during her career, winning four MIAA titles and making four NCAA tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 1987 in which she was named to the Division II Championship All-Tournament Team. That 1987 team was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 and Susan was inducted as an individual in 2001.
Lynette Jarvis (1978-81)
Lynette (Jarvis) Winchester was a two-sport performer for the Jennies just prior to the start of their NCAA affiliation. She was one of the first of numerous standout players CMSU's volleyball program has produced.
A graduate of Pattonville High School in suburban St. Louis, Mo., Lynette led the Jennies to 139 wins in her four-year career. In 1979 and 1981 CMSU won the state AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) championship and captured the regional AIAW title in 1981. She was a three-time AIAW all-state selection, was state co-MVP in 1979, state MVP in 1981 and MVP of the regional tournament in 1981, as well as the Peggy Martin Award winner in 1982. She was induced into the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame as a two-sport athlete in volleyball and softball in 2000.
Lisa Kissee (1980-83)
A four-year member of the Jennies, no one in team history has played more matches than Lisa Kissee's 205. She still ranks second all-time in Jennies Volleyball history with a .376 attack percentage. She was remarkably consistent hitting .378 as a junior and .375 as a senior, both marks are in the Jennies top-10 for a single-season. Lisa also had a powerful serve and her 179 all-time service aces rank fourth at UCM. As a senior in 1983, Lisa landed 107 aces which is the second-most ever for a single season and was the Peggy Martin Award winner following her senior season in 1984. Lisa was the first ever Jennies Volleyball player inducted into the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.
Corrie Paul (1989-92)
In her four years, Corrie (Paul) Blough led the Jennies to four MIAA regular season and tournament titles, four regional championship matches with a regional title in 1990 and a fifth-place finish in the national tournament. Corrie ranks eighth all-time with 1,592 career kills and ninth with 3.38 kills per set. She had 90 matches with double-figure kills and her 580 kills in 1992 are the sixth most for a single season in team history. As a junior vs. Graceland, Corrie was the first Jennie to ever record eight service aces in a match, which still tied for the most ever. She landed 162 total aces which is ninth all-time at UCM. Corrie totaled 60 double-doubles in her career, including 23 in both 1991 and 1992 which are top-five for a career and single-season. She was the Peggy Martin Award winner in the spring of 1993.
Stacy Piontek (1986-87)
Stacy Piontek, who transferred to CMSU from the Air Force Academy, where she played two seasons, became the first Jennies' volleyball player to receive first-team all-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association two straight years (1986-87). As a junior, she led the team in kills and service aces, while helping lead the Jennies to a 33-7 record, the MIAA championship and a second-place regional finish. As a senior, she was a key performer for the Jennies' NCAA Division II-runner-up team that was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. She led the team in kills and was second in digs, as the Jennies went 42-4 en route to their best NCAA finish in history. Stacy went into the UCM Hall of Fame as an individual in 2002.
Pat Staszak (1982-85)
A four-year starter at middle hitter, Pat Staszak was one of the first great players in the Jennies storied volleyball history. She led the Jennies to their first ever NCAA Regional Tournament appearance in 1983 and was chosen team Most Valuable Player in 1984 and 1985. An honorable mention All-American in 1985, Pat also was a three-time all-conference selection, and as a senior led the Jennies in block solos, block assists, total blocks, kills, attempts, and hitting percentage. For her career, she ranks ninth in school history in block assists (357), 10th in block solos (94), and eighth in total blocks (451). She was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 2005.
Second Team
Shari Behlmann (1983-86)
As a senior in 1986, Shari (Behlmann) Carder set the UCM record for single-season hitting percentage at .436, which still stands today and earned her only All-American honor. That same year vs. Southwestern, Shari hit .930 which is the second-highest single-game hitting percentage for the Jennies. One of the most prolific servers in UCM history, Shari's 178 total aces are the fifth most all-time and her .38 assists per set are the seventh-most. In her junior year in 1985, Shari landed 95 aces, the third highest total in team history.
Beth Cook (1980-83)
In four seasons with the Jennies, Beth Cook played in 188 matches, the second-most all time for an individual. She was on the 1981 team that played 60 matches and appeared in all 60, most for an individual in a single-season. As a junior in 1982, Beth, led the team with 355 kills, but it was her senior year in 1983 when she earned her only Academic All-American award. She landed 507 kills along with 74 aces that season and her career .341 attack percentage still ranks ninth all-time at UCM.
Pat Hempen (1985-88)
A three-time All-American and MIAA Most Valuable Player in 1988, Pat (Hempen) Lindenbusch was also a three-time All-MIAA selection for the Jennies volleyball squad. She ranks second in school history in block solos (193), block assists (450), and total blocks (643). Pat also holds the school record for career hitting percentage at .403, as well as three of the top five single-season hitting percentage marks. She was the first of eight three-time All-Americans in school history and was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame in 2009 as both a volleyball and basketball player. Pat has continued the tradition of Jennies Athletics as her daughter, Haley Lindenbusch, is a high jumper on the Jennies Track and Field team.
Lori Price (1980-83)
Lori (Price) Hackett was a two-time all-conference performer in 1982 and 1983, an Academic All-American, and the team and MIAA Most Valuable Player in 1983. A key member of the Jennies 1983 team that went 50-8 and started UCM's run of 24 consecutive national tournament appearances. She ranks eighth in school history in assists (4,095), 11th in service aces (159) and holds the single-season record for service aces with 111 in 1983. She was inducted into the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
Norma Robinson (1977-79)
One of the first great Jennies Volleyball players, Norma Robinson played three years from 1977-79 before the NCAA era. As a part of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), Norma helped UCM to an 87-38-1 record in three seasons and a first-place finish in the state tournament in 1979. The Jennies went to back-to-back regional tournaments in 1978 and 78 finishing fifth and fourth, respectively.
Kristie Tompkins (1988-91)
It isn't a stretch to say that Kristie (Tompkins) Sterrett was the best server in the Jennies 50-year history. She is the all-time leader with 282 career service aces and led the team all-four years at CMSU. As a senior in 1991, Thompkins landed 81 aces which is the fourth-most for a single season. She is the only Jennie to ever average more than 0.50 aces per set, finishing her career at 0.56. Not only was Kristie great on the serve, she was the Jennies starting setter for all four years. She finished her career with 5,320 assists, fifth all-time and had three seasons with more than 1,000 assists, one of just seven Jennies to do that. She earned an All-American award as a junior in 1990 passing out a career-best 1,611 assists. In a match against Minnesota-Duluth in 1990, Kristie set a school record with 81 assists, which is currently the second-highest single match total in team history. The Jennies won two regional championships in Kristie's four years and finished fifth nationally in 1988 and 1990. She was the UCM Peggy Martin Award winner in 1992.
Sue Walker (1982-85)
Sue (Walker) Harvey played in 185 games during her four-year career, third most in UCM history. Just the second ever All-American in team history, Sue earned the award as a senior in 1985. Sue was outstanding all over the court helping offensively and defensively. She had 915 attacks in 1984 to go along with what was then a school record 362 digs. In her All-American year, she bettered her digs total with 443. For her career, Sue is tied for ninth all-time with 162 career service aces. She helped usher in the NCAA era, joining UCM when the Jennies started NCAA play in 1982 and went 169-28 with a school record 50 wins in 1983.
