2006 MVNU Volleyball Match-by-Match Recaps

November 18, at Walsh University
MVNU, the fourth seed, fell to host and top-seeded Walsh, ranked 16th in the final NAIA national poll, 21-30, 21-30, 20-30 in the semifinals of the NAIA Region IX Tournament as the Lady Cougars' season came to an end with a 31-18 overall record.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 12 kills and five blocks, while Rachael Walpole handed out 31 assists with 10 digs.  Katie Ickes smashed seven kills, and Lindsey Anderson and Courtney Springer finished with six kills apiece.  Katie Vipperman and Tiffany Milburn also posted nine and eight digs respectively.

November 17, vs. Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College
The fourth-seeded Lady Cougars swept fifth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan, the American Mideast Conference North Division champion, 30-24, 30-23, 30-23 in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Region IX Tournament at Walsh University.  Shena Beheler pounded 16 kills to go with four blocks and two aces to lead MVNU, while Katie Ickes and Courtney Springer each finished with nine kills as Springer added three blocks and 11 digs.  Rachael Walpole handed out 42 assists, and Tiffany Milburn posted 15 digs while serving up a team-high four aces.  Stephanie Zollars also tallied three blocks.

November 11, vs. Geneva (PA) College
MVNU, the fourth seed from the American Mideast Conference South Division, advanced to the NAIA Region IX Tournament for the 13th straight year as the Lady Cougars knocked off Geneva, the AMC North Division second seed, 30-26, 30-21, 30-32, 30-26 in the AMC Tournament fifth-place match.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 22 kills, five blocks, and three aces, while Lindsey Anderson pounded a career-high 17 kills.  Katie Ickes finished with nine kills, and Rachael Walpole handed out 51 assists.  Tiffany Milburn posted 26 digs with three aces, while Katie Vipperman and Courtney Springer each added 16 digs with Springer and Stephanie Zollars each tallying four blocks.  Vipperman also served up three aces.  The Lady Cougars also reached the 30-win mark for the 14th straight year.

November 10, vs. Tiffin University
The Lady Cougars, who are the fourth seed from the American Mideast Conference South Division, fell 27-30, 24-30, 25-30 to second-seeded Tiffin in the quarterfinals of the AMC Tournament at Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College.  Shena Beheler paced MVNU with 16 kills and four blocks, while Courtney Springer added 11 kills and 10 digs.  Rachael Walpole handed out 31 assists, and Tiffany Milburn served up two aces to go with 16 digs.  Stephanie Zollars also posted three blocks.

November 10, vs. Notre Dame College
MVNU, the American Mideast Conference South Division fourth seed, eliminated Notre Dame, the AMC North Division third seed, 30-17, 25-30, 30-16, 30-16 in the second round of the AMC Tournament at Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College.  Shena Beheler and Katie Ickes both pounded 14 kills with Beheler adding 10 blocks and 13 digs for a triple-double.  Lindsey Anderson smashed 11 kills, while Courtney Springer finished with 10 kills, five blocks, 13 digs, and four aces.  Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 46 and 11 assists respectively, and Tiffany Milburn posted a team-high 19 digs.  Katie Vipperman served up two aces with 11 digs, while Stephanie Zollars contributed six blocks.

November 4, vs. Cedarville University
The Lady Cougars, who are the second seed, fell 18-30, 30-22, 20-30, 18-30 to top-seeded and eventual champion Cedarville, ranked 22nd in the latest NAIA national poll, in the semifinals of the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament held at Northwestern (MN) College.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 22 kills, 14 digs, and four blocks, while Katie Ickes and Courtney Springer pounded eight and six kills respectively.  Rachael Walpole handed out 37 assists, and Tiffany Milburn posted 20 digs.  Katie Vipperman served up three aces, while Stephanie Zollars tallied three blocks.  Beheler and Springer were both named to the All-National Tournament Team for their efforts.

November 3, vs. Palm Beach Atlantic (FL) University
MVNU, the second seed, dropped its final pool play match at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament to third-seeded Palm Beach Atlantic 30-28, 26-30, 27-30, 24-30 in action at Northwestern (MN) College.  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with 23 kills and six blocks, while Lindsey Anderson and Courtney Springer pounded 12 and 10 kills respectively with Springer adding four blocks and 16 digs.  Rachael Walpole handed out 51 assists, and Katie Ickes smashed nine kills.  Tiffany Milburn and Katie Vipperman also tallied 18 and 13 digs respectively.

November 3, vs. Simpson (CA) University
The Lady Cougars, who are seeded second, swept seventh-seeded Simpson (CA) 32-30, 31-29, 30-22 in pool play at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament held at Northwestern (MN) College.  Shena Beheler paced MVNU with 15 kills, three blocks, and 10 digs, while Katie Ickes and Lindsey Anderson pounded eight and six kills respectively.  Tiffany Milburn posted 17 digs, and Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 26 and 10 assists respectively with Walpole serving up two aces.

November 2, vs. Trinity International (IL) University
MVNU, the second seed, rallied for a 28-30, 30-23, 30-23, 30-21 victory over sixth-seeded Trinity International in pool play at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament held at Northwestern (MN) College.  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with a triple-double of 21 kills, 12 blocks, and 10 digs, while Courtney Springer added 12 digs and six blocks.  Lindsey Anderson posted a career-high seven blocks, and Tiffany Milburn served up two aces with 23 digs.  Katie Vipperman also had 11 digs, while Rachael Walpole handed out 44 assists.

November 2, at Northwestern (MN) College
The Lady Cougars, who are seeded second in the 10-team National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament, defeated 10th seed and host Northwestern 30-26, 30-25, 30-22 in pool play action.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 14 kills, 10 digs, and three blocks, while Katie Ickes and Rachael Walpole pounded 11 and nine kills respectively with Walpole handing out 21 assists.  Tiffany Milburn posted 10 digs and three aces, and Courtney Springer and Anyssa Incerpi each served up two aces apiece.  Kaylin Austin also registered 15 assists, while Katie Vipperman tallied nine digs.

October 31, TIFFIN UNIVERSITY
MVNU dropped a hard-fought 30-26, 30-23, 28-30, 24-30, 14-16 decision to Tiffin in American Mideast Conference South Division action that was also the Lady Cougars' final regular-season and home match of the year.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 26 kills, nine blocks, and 12 digs, while Katie Ickes pounded 14 kills.  Rachael Walpole finished with 10 kills, three aces, 14 digs, and 38 assists, and Tiffany Milburn and Katie Vipperman posted 20 and 15 digs respectively.  Stephanie Zollars tallied five blocks, while Kaylin Austen handed out 12 assists.  Courtney Springer also smashed six kills with two aces.

October 24, at Cedarville University
MVNU fell 27-30, 22-30, 29-31 in American Mideast Conference South Division action at Cedarville, which is ranked 20th in the latest NAIA national poll.  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with 13 kills, four blocks, and nine digs, while Katie Ickes and Lindsey Anderson pounded eight and seven kills respectively.  Rachael Walpole handed out 27 assists, and Tiffany Milburn and Courtney Springer posted 10 and eight digs respectively.  Stephanie Zollars also registered three blocks.

October 19, at University of Rio Grande
The Lady Cougars cruised past Rio Grande 30-27, 30-19, 30-12 in an American Mideast Conference South Division match.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 13 kills and five blocks, while Katie Ickes and Courtney Springer pounded 11 and 10 kills respectively.  Tiffany Milburn posted a team-high 14 digs, and Katie Vipperman tallied 10 digs.  Rachael Walpole handed out 31 assists, while Kaylin Austen finished with 15 assists.

October 17, at Walsh University
MVNU was swept 25-30, 18-30, 18-30 at Walsh, ranked 23rd in the latest NAIA national poll, in American Mideast Conference South Division action as the Lady Cavaliers avenged their only conference loss of the season so far that came at the hands of the Lady Cougars on October 7.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 13 kills, while Courtney Springer and Katie Ickes pounded six and five kills respectively with Springer posting four blocks.  Stephanie Zollars added four blocks, and Rachael Walpole handed out 30 assists.  Tiffany Milburn also tallied a team-high 14 digs.

October 14, CAMPBELLSVILLE (KY) UNIVERSITY
The Lady Cougars fell 30-27, 33-35, 24-30, 22-30 to Campbellsville in the championship match of the Papa John's Invitational.  Shena Beheler, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, led MVNU with a career-high 30 kills, 18 digs, seven blocks, and three aces, while Courtney Springer added 10 kills and a career-high 25 digs.  Rachael Walpole handed out 46 assists to go with 10 digs, and Lindsey Anderson smashed seven kills.  Tiffany Milburn, who joined Beheler on the All-Tournament Team, also registered 20 digs.

October 14, SHAWNEE STATE UNIVERSITY
MVNU swept Shawnee State 30-17, 30-22, 31-29 in the Papa John's Invitational round robin match that also served as an American Mideast Conference South Division match.  Shena Beheler paced the Lady Cougars with 15 kills, four blocks, and nine digs, while Courtney Springer added eight kills and three blocks.  Katie Ickes and Audrey Rider pounded seven and five kills respectively, and Tiffany Milburn served up three aces to go with 12 digs.  Kaylin Austen handed out 26 assists, while Rachael Walpole finished with 11 assists.

October 13, MALONE COLLEGE
The Lady Cougars swept Malone 30-21, 30-13, 31-29 in the Papa John's Invitational round robin match that also served as an American Mideast Conference South Division match.  Shena Beheler pounded 16 kills with eight blocks and nine digs, while Stephanie Zollars added nine kills and four blocks.  Katie Ickes and Lindsey Anderson smashed eight and seven kills respectively, and Rachael Walpole handed out 41 assists with 12 digs.  Tiffany Milburn and Katie Vipperman also posted 16 and 11 digs respectively.

October 10, at Tiffin University
MVNU dropped a hard-fought American Mideast Conference South Division match at Tiffin by the scores of 23-30, 29-31, 30-22, 27-30.  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with a career-high 28 kills, five blocks, and 14 digs, while Lindsey Anderson pounded nine kills.  Courtney Springer finished with eight kills and a career-high seven blocks, and Stephanie Zollars also posted a career-high seven blocks.  Rachael Walpole handed out 45 assists, while Tiffany Milburn and Katie Vipperman registered 21 and 11 digs respectively.

October 7, WALSH UNIVERSITY
The Lady Cougars rallied to knock off Walsh, ranked 22nd in the latest NAIA national poll, and snap their 17-match winning streak with a 20-30, 30-28, 30-27, 30-26 American Mideast Conference South Division victory.  The win was also the 800th career victory for head coach Paul Swanson, who became only the ninth active coach in all of college volleyball to top that mark.  Shena Beheler pounded a career-high 28 kills to go with five blocks and 12 digs, while Katie Ickes finished with 11 kills.  Rachael Walpole handed out 50 assists with five kills, four blocks, and three aces, and Stephanie Zollars contributed six kills and five blocks.  Tiffany Milburn posted 18 digs, while Audrey Rider smashed five kills.

October 7, URBANA UNIVERSITY
MVNU rallied for a 24-30, 30-26, 30-19, 30-20 victory over Urbana in American Mideast Conference South Division play.  Shena Beheler blasted 22 kills to lead the way while also contributing two aces and six blocks.  Katie Ickes pounded 13 kills with three blocks, and Rachael Walpole handed out 43 assists to go with nine kills and 15 digs.  Courtney Springer finished with eight kills, three blocks, and 14 digs, while Katie Vipperman posted a career-high seven blocks with 13 digs and two aces.  Tiffany Milburn tallied 20 digs, and Lindsey Anderson smashed seven kills.

October 3, CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY
The Lady Cougars fell 26-30, 20-30, 27-30 to Cedarville, which is ranked 12th in the latest NAIA national poll, in American Mideast Conference South Division action.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 12 kills, four blocks, and 10 digs, while Courtney Springer added eight kills.  Katie Ickes and Rachael Walpole each pounded six kills with Walpole handing out 24 assists.  Tiffany Milburn registered 10 digs and three aces, and Kaylin Austen tallied nine assists.

September 28, at Geneva (PA) College
Coach Paul Swanson broke the NAIA all-time wins mark as he picked up his 798th career win as MVNU, which received votes in the latest NAIA poll, posted a 30-23, 30-26, 30-18 non-conference victory at Geneva.  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with eight kills and five blocks, while Lindsey Anderson pounded six kills.  Katie Ickes, Courtney Springer, and Stephanie Zollars each added five kills apiece with Springer and Zollars posting six and five blocks respectively.  Rachael Walpole handed out 14 assists to go with eight digs, and Kaylin Austen also contributed 13 assists.  Tiffany Milburn served up two aces with a team-high 16 digs, while Katie Vipperman tallied eight digs.

September 26, at Malone College
Coach Paul Swanson tied the NAIA all-time wins mark as he picked up his 797th career win as the Lady Cougars, who received votes in the latest NAIA poll, swept Malone 30-24, 30-23, 30-23 in American Mideast Conference South Division action.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 15 kills and eight blocks, while Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 22 and 18 assists respectively with Walpole pounding 10 kills.  Katie Ickes also smashed nine kills, and Courtney Springer contributed four blocks.  Tiffany Milburn and Katie Vipperman also tallied 21 and nine digs respectively.

September 23, vs. Cornerstone (MI) University
MVNU, which received votes in the latest NAIA national poll, dropped a hard-fought 21-30, 30-28, 23-30, 30-24, 13-15 decision to Cornerstone, which also received votes in the NAIA poll, in the ninth-place match at the 12-team Best of the Best Tournament hosted by the University of Saint Francis (IN).  Shena Beheler pounded a career-high 27 kills to go with five blocks and 12 digs, while Rachael Walpole handed out a career-high 58 assists along with four blocks and 11 kills.  Courtney Springer finished with two aces and a career-high 15 kills, and Lindsey Anderson smashed 11 kills.  Katie Vipperman contributed three blocks and 23 digs, while Tiffany Milburn registered 25 digs and two aces.

September 23, vs. Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the latest NAIA national poll, swept Roberts Wesleyan 30-26, 30-28, 30-23 in the third-place pool at the 12-team Best of the Best Tournament hosted by the University of Saint Francis (IN).  Shena Beheler and Courtney Springer each pounded 12 kills with five and three blocks respectively.  Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 27 and 12 assists respectively with Walpole serving up two aces, while Lindsey Anderson and Katie Ickes smashed seven and six kills respectively.  Stephanie Zollars also posted four blocks, and Katie Vipperman and Tiffany Milburn tallied 11 and eight digs respectively.

September 22, vs. Columbia (MO) College
MVNU, which received votes in the latest NAIA national poll, was swept 25-30, 18-30, 30-32 by Columbia, which is ranked seventh in the NAIA and was the NAIA national runner-up in 2005, in pool play at the Best of the Best Tournament host by the University of Saint Francis (IN).  Shena Beheler paced the Lady Cougars with 13 kills and four blocks, while Rachael Walpole and Tiffany Milburn each had nine digs with Walpole handing out 17 assists.  Katie Ickes pounded five kills, and Courtney Springer tallied four blocks.

September 22, vs. Olivet Nazarene (IL) University
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the latest NAIA national poll, came up just short of rallying for a big win as MVNU fell 15-30, 22-30, 32-30, 30-21, 15-17 to Olivet Nazarene, which received votes in the poll, in pool play at the Best of the Best Tournament hosted by the University of Saint Francis (IN).  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with 15 kills, 12 digs, four aces, and four blocks, while Katie Vipperman finished with four aces, four blocks, and 12 digs.  Katie Ickes smashed nine kills, and Rachael Walpole handed out 35 assists to go with 15 digs.  Tiffany Milburn also posted 19 digs, while Audrey Rider served up three aces.

September 21, OHIO DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY
MVNU, which received votes in the latest NAIA national poll, swept past Ohio Dominican 30-21, 30-24, 30-21 in an American Mideast Conference South Division match.  Courtney Springer led the Lady Cougars with 11 kills and five blocks, while Rachael Walpole added eight kills, two aces, and 21 assists.  Shena Beheler and Katie Ickes each smashed eight kills with Beheler contributing nine blocks and 14 digs.  Stephanie Zollars finished with five kills and a career-high six bocks, and Katie Vipperman and Tiffany Milburn posted 17 and 10 digs respectively.  Kaylin Austen handed out 10 assists, while Milburn also served up two aces.

September 19, at Urbana University
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the latest NAIA national poll, fell 17-30, 30-32, 23-30 in American Mideast Conference South Division action at Urbana.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 10 kills and five blocks, while Stephanie Zollars and Katie Ickes smashed seven kills apiece.  Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 19 and 14 assists respectively, and Courtney Springer tallied four blocks.  Tiffany Milburn and Katie Vipperman also posted 10 and eight digs respectively.

September 14, at Shawnee State University
MVNU, which received votes in the latest NAIA national poll, won its fourth straight match as the Lady Cougars swept Shawnee State 30-23, 30-12, 30-27 in an American Mideast Conference South Division road match.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 12 kills, 10 blocks, and three aces, while Courtney Springer added six kills and five blocks.  Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 17 and 14 assists respectively with Walpole serving up two aces and Austen tallying eight digs.  Katie Vipperman also posted 14 digs.

September 12, UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE
The Lady Cougars successfully began American Mideast Conference South Division play with a 30-24, 30-14, 30-26 sweep of Rio Grande.  Shena Beheler led the way for MVNU with 18 kills, seven blocks, and four aces, while Rachael Walpole added six kills and 19 assists.  Tiffany Milburn and Katie Vipperman posted 22 and 12 digs respectively with Vipperman serving up two aces, and Courtney Springer finished with six kills and five blocks.  Stephanie Zollars smashed five kills, and Kaylin Austen handed out 13 assists.  Lindsey Anderson also served up two aces.

September 9, vs. Trinity Christian (IL) College
MVNU swept past Trinity Christian 30-26, 30-19, 30-21 at the Indiana Wesleyan University Invitational to finish 3-1 in the eight-team event as the Lady Cougars took second place due to games record.  Shena Beheler led the way with 10 kills, 11 digs, and five blocks, while Katie Ickes, Courtney Springer, Stephanie Zollars, Lindsey Anderson, and Rachael Walpole each finished with six kills apiece.  Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 20 and 12 assists respectively, and Ickes and Anderson each posted three blocks.  Katie Vipperman served up two aces, while Tiffany Milburn tallied 13 digs.  Beheler and Milburn were named to the All-Tournament Team.

September 9, vs. Siena Heights (MI) University
The Lady Cougars downed Siena Heights 30-18, 28-30, 30-20, 30-22 at the Indiana Wesleyan University Invitational.  Shena Beheler finished with 19 kills and seven blocks to pace MVNU, while Rachael Walpole contributed 13 kills, 23 assists, and four aces.  Courtney Springer tallied eight kills and four blocks, and Tiffany Milburn posted 32 digs to go with two aces.  Kaylin Austen also handed out 24 assists, while Katie Vipperman registered 19 digs.

September 8, at Indiana Wesleyan University
MVNU nearly rallied from a two-game deficit for the second straight match, but the Lady Cougars had their eight-match winning streak snapped as the team fell 32-34, 16-30, 30-24, 30-22, 9-15 to host Indiana Wesleyan, who received votes in the latest NAIA national poll, at the Indiana Wesleyan Invitational.  Shena Beheler led MVNU with 16 kills, five blocks, two aces, and 14 digs, while Tiffany Milburn served up five aces and posted 22 digs.  Rachael Walpole matched her career high with 41 assists to go with nine kills, and Courtney Springer also pounded nine kills.  Lindsey Anderson smashed a career-high 14 kills, while Stephanie Zollars contributed eight kills and two blocks.  Katie Vipperman also registered 15 digs.

September 8, vs. Campbellsville (KY) University
The Lady Cougars rallied from a two-game deficit to defeat previously unbeaten Campbellsville 23-30, 28-30, 30-28, 31-29, 15-13 at the Indiana Wesleyan University Invitational and extend their winning streak to eight straight matches.  Shena Beheler matched her career high with 24 kills to go with five blocks and 17 digs.  Courtney Springer added a career-high 13 kills and six blocks, while Katie Vipperman finished with 11 kills and a career-high 24 digs.  Rachael Walpole handed out a career-high 41 assists and pounded 10 kills, and Tiffany Milburn posted a career-high 36 digs, which was just two digs shy of the school's single-match record.

September 7, NOTRE DAME COLLEGE
MVNU swept past Notre Dame 30-14, 30-24, 30-24 in non-conference action that was the Lady Cougars' home opener.  Rachael Walpole led a balanced attack as she just missed a triple-double with 20 assists, 10 kills, and eight digs.  Katie Ickes pounded 11 kills to go with two blocks, while Courtney Springer added 10 kills and a team-high four blocks.  Shena Beheler finished with eight kills, three blocks, and two aces, and Tiffany Milburn registered a team-best 18 digs.  Katie Vipperman also posted 27 serve attempts without an error, while Kaylin Austen handed out 16 assists.

September 2, vs. Aquinas (MI) College
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, swept Aquinas 30-18, 30-23, 30-23 to finish unbeaten at the Cornerstone (MI) University Invitational.  Shena Beheler pounded 14 kills to go with four blocks, and Rachael Walpole finished with 11 kills and 17 assists.  Tiffany Milburn posted 17 digs, while Kaylin Austen handed out 15 assists.  Audrey Rider also served up a team-high four assists.  Beheler and Milburn were named to the All-Tournament Team as MVNU finished second out of 12 teams with a 4-0 record and a 12-2 games mark.

September 1, vs. University of Saint Francis (IL)
MVNU, which received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, rallied for a 27-30, 30-14, 30-22, 30-14 victory over Saint Francis at the Cornerstone (MI) University Invitational.  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with 20 kills, 12 digs, five blocks, and three aces, while Rachael Walpole contributed 19 assists, 11 digs, and nine kills.  Courtney Springer and Lindsey Anderson each smashed nine kills, and Stephanie Zollars posted three blocks and six kills.  Tiffany Milburn registered 18 digs and two aces, while Katie Vipperman also tallied 17 digs.  Kaylin Austen handed out 23 assists to go with 12 digs.

September 1, vs. Davenport (MI) University
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, swept Davenport 30-14, 30-25, 30-16 at the Cornerstone (MI) University Invitational.  Shena Beheler paced the attack with eight kills and four blocks, while Rachael Walpole handed out 15 assists to go with seven kills.  Stephanie Zollars posted three blocks, and Kaylin Austen registered nine assists.  Tiffany Milburn also tallied 13 digs.

September 1, vs. Illinois Institute of Technology
MVNU, which received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, rallied to hold off Illinois Tech 26-30, 30-22, 33-31, 30-28 at the Cornerstone (MI) University Invitational.  Katie Vipperman posted career highs of 13 kills, 21 digs, and five blocks to lead the winning effort, while Shena Beheler added 17 kills, four blocks, and two aces.  Katie Ickes smashed 11 kills, and Tiffany Milburn and Courtney Springer posted 27 and 12 digs respectively.  Rachael Walpole also contributed career highs of 18 digs and 37 assists.

August 31, vs. Rochester (MI) College
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, swept Rochester 30-20, 30-21, 30-21 in the second match of a non-conference tri-match at Siena Heights (MI) University.  Shena Beheler led the way with 12 kills and four blocks, while Katie Ickes smashed 10 kills in her first action of the year.  Katie Vipperman and Stephanie Zollars posted four and three blocks respectively, and Audrey Rider served up a team-high two aces.  Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 18 and 11 assists respectively, while Tiffany Milburn (18) and Anyssa Incerpi (8) led the team in digs.

August 31, at Siena Heights (MI) University
MVNU, which received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, defeated host Siena Heights 30-17, 30-23, 30-20 in the first match of a non-conference tri-match.  Shena Beheler paced the Lady Cougars' attack with 13 kills and five blocks, while Lindsey Anderson and Courtney Springer smashed nine and seven kills respectively.  Tiffany Milburn contributed 20 digs and two aces, and Katie Vipperman posted 14 digs.  Meanwhile, Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 21 and 10 assists respectively.

August 26, at University of Michigan-Dearborn
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, fell 30-26, 24-30, 28-30, 24-30 to host Michigan-Dearborn to finish fourth out of 12 teams at the Michigan-Dearborn Invitational.  Shena Beheler, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, led MVNU with 22 kills and 19 digs, while Courtney Springer added a career-high 13 kills and 16 digs.  Rachael Walpole and Kaylin Austen handed out 30 and 18 assists respectively, and Tiffany Milburn served up two aces and posted 21 digs.  Stephanie Zollars also registered five blocks, while Katie Vipperman finished with 13 digs.

August 26, vs. Madonna (MI) University
MVNU, which received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, fell 15-30, 18-30, 27-30 to fifth-ranked Madonna in the semifinals of the University of Michigan-Dearborn Invitational.  Shena Beheler paced the Lady Cougars with 12 kills, 15 digs, and two blocks, while Courtney Springer added six kills and two aces.  Kaylin Austen and Rachael Walpole handed out 19 and 10 assists respectively, and Katie Vipperman contributed 10 digs and two blocks.  Tiffany Milburn also tallied 11 digs and two aces.  The match featured a meeting between the two winningest active coaches in the NAIA as Madonna's Jerry Abraham picked up his 775th career win in 20 seasons, while MVNU's Paul Swanson stands at 782 in 24 years.

August 25, vs. Bethel (IN) College
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, swept Bethel 30-17, 30-24, 30-22 in pool play at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Invitational as MVNU won its three-team pool to advance to the championship bracket.  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with 14 kills, eight digs, and three aces, while Rachael Walpole added 12 kills, 18 assists, nine digs, and three aces.  Lindsey Anderson pounded a career-high 10 kills, and Stephanie Zollars and Courtney Springer registered six and three blocks respectively.  Kaylin Austen handed out 14 assists, while Tiffany Milburn tallied 22 digs.  Katie Vipperman also posted eight digs.

August 25, vs. Concordia (MI) University
MVNU, which received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, swept Concordia for the second straight day as the Lady Cougars prevailed 30-15, 30-22, 30-22 in a pool play match at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Invitational.  Shena Beheler led the winning attack with 12 kills and four blocks, while Stephanie Zollars pounded a career-high 10 kills.  Kaylin Austen handed out 21 assists to go with eight digs, and Tiffany Milburn registered 10 digs.  Rachael Walpole also served up three aces.

August 24, vs. Concordia (MI) University
The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, posted their first win of the season as MVNU swept Concordia 30-13, 30-13, 30-17 in the second match of a non-conference tri-match played at Spring Arbor (MI) University.  Lindsey Anderson and Audrey Rider pounded nine and seven kills respectively to lead the way, while Kaylin Austen handed out 28 assists to go with two blocks.  Jessi Weaver served up two aces, and Stephanie Zollars posted four blocks.  Katie Vipperman and Tiffany Milburn also tallied 11 and 10 digs respectively, while Anyssa Incerpi contributed eight digs.

August 24, at Spring Arbor (MI) University
MVNU, which received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, fell to host Spring Arbor 30-24, 21-30, 20-30, 29-31 in the first match of a non-conference tri-match to open the 2006 season.  Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with 16 kills and 12 digs, while Rachael Walpole registered 25 assists, 12 digs, and nine kills.  Tiffany Milburn posted a career-high 28 digs to go with three aces, and Stephanie Zollars and Courtney Springer each recorded five blocks with Springer pounding seven kills.  Kaylin Austen also handed out 13 assists.