- DMACC begins season at McHenry Tournament in Rockford, Ill.
- Lopez welcomes 10 returnees from 2020-21 team
- Bears are ranked 16th in the NJCAA Division II poll
The DMACC volleyball team will begin the 2021-22 season with participation in the McHenry Tournament August 20 and 21 at Rockford, Ill.
The Bears are under the direction of new head coach Danielle Lopez who was elevated to the head coaching position following the retirement of long-time head coach Patty Harrison. Lopez was an assistant coach with the program the past two seasons.
"I'm really excited," Lopez said. "We have a very strong caliber of team with a lot of strong returners. The girls are working hard and ready to play."
Because of the COVID-19 virus, the Bears experienced a short offseason. Volleyball, normally played in the fall, was played from January to March this past season, giving players just a little more than four months away from the game.
Lopez said she hasn't seen anything that leads her to believe the short offseason will affect the current season.
"(The girls) only had a few months off, but they've come back hungry and ready," Lopez said. "We haven't seen the effects of the (short offseason) yet and right now they are doing really well."
DMACC returns 10 veterans from the 2020-21 team that concluded the season at 17-6 and a No. 7 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll. The Bears reached the championship match of the NJCAA Region XI-B tournament where they saw their season end with a loss to Kirkwood Community College (KCC).
Lopez has a good nucleus from which to build in her first season as the head coach. Topping the list of returnees is COVID-Freshman (CoFR) Kylie Welch of Davenport. Welch, an outside hitter and defensive specialist, led the Bears in hitting last season with 245 kills and a .287 hitting percentage. She also led the team in ace serves with 69 and contributed 281 digs and 42 blocks. Welch capped the season by being named to the Region XI-B All-Region first team, the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) All-Conference First Team and the All-Region First Team.
Also returning are CoFR Anna Niehaus of Carroll and CoFR Elizabeth Pierce of Altoona. Niehaus finished the 2020-21 season with 176 kills and a .245 hitting percentage and Pierce led the Bears in assists with 376. She also contributed 45 ace serves and 186 digs.
Other top returnees include Co-FR defensive specialist and libero Rachel Eddy of Dubuque, CoFR setter Morgan Tupper of Nevada and CoFR right-side hitter Abby Allmon of Norwalk. Eddy led the Bears in digs last season with 373. Tupper contributed 318 assists and Allmon ended the 2020-21 campaign with 109 kills and 48 blocks.
"We have a very strong and fast offense," Lopez said. "We've been working on our blocks this preseason and I'm really happy with how that is coming along."
Other CoFR on the roster include middle blocker and right-side hitter Abigail Maue of Walker, outside hitter and right-side hitter Chloe Gilgen of Modale, setter Sara Hansen of Hudson, utility player Karlee Timm of Victor, defensive specialist and libero Kassidie Galloway of Mechanicsville and middle blocker and right-side hitter Alissa Weinkoetz of Afton.
Rounding out the roster are freshmen utility players Ivy Dearstone of Dubuque and Erin Bathe of Ames.
DMACC will face John A Logan Community College (JALCC) and Illinois Central Community College (ICCC) in matches on Aug. 20 and will play Carl Sandburg Community College (CSCC) and Mott Community College (MCC) on Aug. 21.
Lopez said she will probably go with veterans in the tournament, especially against ICCC, which is ranked fourth in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll. DMACC takes a No. 16 ranking into the tournament.
"Our goal is to win these matches," Lopez said. "We want to have our strongest team out there to see how we compare against some teams across the nation, but we'll definitely be able to get some freshmen in there and see how they can do."
DMACC will play at Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) Aug. 24 and at Hawkeye Community College (HCC) Aug. 29 before opening the home season Sept. 1 against North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC). ICCAC ranked teams on the schedule this season includes No. 3 Iowa Central Community College (ICCC), No. 8 KCC and No. 10 HCC.