MVNU is coming off its sixteenth straight 30-win season as the Lady Cougars posted a 36-11 overall record last year that included a 10-4 American Mideast Conference mark, a berth in the AMC Tournament semifinals, and a berth in the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament semifinals.

Head coach Paul Swanson enters his 26th season at the helm of the Lady Cougars having posted a record of 870-298 over the past quarter of a century. The NAIA’s all-time wins leader with 885 was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame last December. He enters the 2009 season excited about what the potential that he sees in his team.

"I really like the group of people that we have on the team this year,” said Swanson. "They are working well together and really get along great. The players all have an eagerness and excitement for the season to start, and everyone is really pulling for each other.”

Success for MVNU in the 2009 season will all start with the team’s performance in the back row. Junior Caitlin Myles returns after serving as the team’s libero last year when she compiled 591 digs and posted a 94.1 serve reception percentage while handling a team-best 747 serve reception attempts. Freshmen Kaylee Hewitt and Lauren Percival along with sophomore Megan Yoder and Abby Smith could all add depth to the Lady Cougars’ back row play.

Senior setter Kaylin Austen returns to run the MVNU offensive attack after earning AMC Second Team honors as a junior after handing out 1,775 assists. She is less than 250 assists shy of becoming the program’s career leader in that category. Percival, who starred at Amherst Steele High School, is an athletic, talented young setter who will give Swanson the flexibility to try several lineup options.

Junior Jackie Albrecht returns at middle hitter after earning AMC First Team and NAIA Honorable Mention All-American status last year when she led the Lady Cougars with 638 kills to go with 583 digs and 139 blocks. Sophomore Gina Porto was a member of the AMC All-Freshmen Team after compiling 427 kills and a team-high 154 blocks, and junior Sarah Yutzy and freshman Haley Nofziger will also see time at middle hitter. Yutzy led MVNU in games played last year with 170, while Nofziger was starring at Pettisville High School.

At the outside hitter position, senior Julie Haumschild, Yoder, and Smith could all see time along with Hewitt, who was a standout at Harbor Light Christian School. Depending on how the lineup works out, Albrecht and Yutzy could also move from a middle hitter spot to an outside hitter position.

Senior Courtney Springer returns to play the right side hitter position for the Lady Cougars after registering 439 kills, 128 blocks, and 535 digs last year while being an AMC First Team selection. Hewitt could also add depth on the right side.

"We are not going to dominate people at the net, so we will have to outperform our opponents in the back row,” said Swanson. "If we are able to really excel in the area of ball control, we will have a chance to have a good season.”

MVNU’s schedule should prove to be plenty challenging as the Lady Cougars, who received a vote in the NAIA preseason poll, will face seven teams who are ranked or receiving votes in the poll. The team will open the year at the Daemen Tournament with a match against Hastings (Neb.) College (NAIA receiving votes), Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College, Notre Dame College, and host Daemen. Then, MVNU will take its first-ever trip to California where the Lady Cougars will face The Master’s (Calif.) College, Oregon Institute of Technology, No. 10 Vanguard (Calif.) University, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) University, and No. 8 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) University.

"We are excited about the California trip,” said Swanson. "It will present a lot of challenges for us as we will be playing a lot of really good teams early in our season. However, this should help to make us better.”

MVNU will also travel to the Georgetown (Ky.) College Invitational in September for four matches including one against the host Lady Tigers, who are ranked No. 7 in the preseason poll. The Lady Cougars will also host their own tournament the first weekend in October that will feature matches against Bryan (Tenn.) College, Roberts Wesleyan, Bethel (Ind.) College, and No. 21 Walsh University. Other key non-conference matches include contests against Ohio Dominican University, Denison University, Kenyon College, Urbana University, West Liberty State (W.V.) University, the College of Wooster, Kentucky State University, Cincinnati Christian University, and Geneva (Pa.) College.

MVNU will also look to compete for the AMC title in what should be a wide open race with many competitive conference teams. Defending champion Walsh, Shawnee State University (receiving votes), and Cedarville (receiving votes) will be among the teams to beat along with Malone University, the University of Northwestern Ohio, Notre Dame, Houghton (N.Y.) College, Daemen, Point Park (Pa.) University, Ursuline College, and Carlow (Pa.) University. The AMC regular-season champion will receive an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament opening round, while the AMC Tournament champion will receive the conference’s second automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament opening round.

"Winning the AMC is a big goal for us this year,” said Swanson. "This conference is very balanced with several very good teams who are capable of winning the title. It will be no easy task for a team to go through the conference schedule and win the title.”

Time will tell how the season will unfold, but it is very apparent that the Lady Cougars are ready to attack the new season with optimism and enthusiasm.

Lady Cougars' 2009 schedule: http://www.mvnu.edu/sports/nazvb/news/results.asp