Team: University of Minnesota –Duluth Women’s Volleyball
Head Coach: Jim Boos
2010-2011 regular season record: 23-6
Key Players Lost: Katie Kuffel, Alyssa Nelson, Brenda Hansen, Rachel Lamers, Jamie Lakatos
The Bulldogs lost five seniors last year to 
graduation. Katie Kuffel was an All-American honorable mention, while Alyssa Nelson was an All-American in 2009. Also lost to graduation was the experience that went along with the player’s seeing as how all five were regulars in the lineup in 2010.
Key Players Returning: Kate Lange, April Hansen, Eleena Iisakka, Allison Fanta
Kate Lange was 2nd on the team in kills with 326, while April Hansen had 290 kills of her own. Eleena Iisakka was the teams set up women compiling 1,227 assists during the course of the season, and Allison Fanta led the team in digs with 412. These four have the most in-game experience out of the ten players returning from last year, so look for them to set the tone for the rest of the team during the season.
2011-2012 outlooks:
The women finished 2010-2011 with a disappointing loss to Nebraska-Kearney in the NCAA tournament, and despite the key losses of some big time players this team has all the ingredients it needs to get itself back into the NCAA tournament for the 10th consecutive year and hopefully reach the championship. The bulldogs return ten players from last year so team chemistry will be high on the court and the ladies will have plenty of experience to draw from when it comes to crucial moments. Players such as Hannah Johnson, Kalli Lochner, and Stephanie Brown will step in and fill the voids left by Kuffel, Nelson, and co. A talented class of incoming freshman will only help propel this team to the next level. You can also bet that Jim Boos will have the 12th ranked bulldogs prepared for the season opener on September 2nd against Hillsdale. The bulldogs will have their first home game on September 9th at 1pm against Upper Iowa.
An amateur look at PRO sports 