RIVER FOREST, ILL. — Year two of the Andrew Palmer era is on the horizon for Concordia University Chicago (CUC) women's volleyball team. But before the team hits the court for the 2024 season, catch up on what the team did last year, as well as what is coming up this season.
Last Season
Last year's campaign began with the Illinois College Tournament, taking place Sept. 1-2. The Cougars walked away with a split in the four-game tournament, defeating Anderson University (IN) and Blackburn College while losing to Illinois College and Earlham College.
The squad opened up the home portion of their schedule on Sept. 5 with a close, 3-2 win over Lake Forest College. Following a week-long break, Concordia played their first conference game on Sept. 13 when Wisconsin Lutheran College came to town and defeated CUC 3-1.
Another tournament was next up for the Cougars in the form of the Wheaton College Tournament, where Concordia went 1-2 on Sept. 15 and 16. The team returned to conference play on Sept. 21 with a 3-1 loss to Rockford University at home.
One final tournament took place Sept. 22-23 at the Manchester Tournament. Out of the four games, CUC dropped the first two against Alma College and Manchester University, but won the final two games versus Bluffton University and Franklin College.
The main bulk of Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play began on Sept. 28 with a five-set win at Benedictine University. Unfortunately, the Cougars then dropped two straight NACC games at St. Norbert College (SNC) and at home against Edgewood College. Another loss occured on Oct. 6 in a non-conference matchup with North Central College.
Some momentum was gained from Oct. 7-12 when Concordia won a pair of home, NACC games against the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and Dominican University (Ill.); the MSOE game was also Senior Day for CUC. But these two straight wins were quickly spoiled by two straight losses to conference opponents Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) and Aurora University.
Concordia split their final two home games, winning on Oct. 21 versus Alverno but dropping the home final on Oct. 26 to Marian University. With the final three games of the year all taking place on the road, the Cougars were not able to pick up another win, losing to Lakeland University, the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), and Elmhurst University in that order.
Following the conclusion of the season, CUC sat with an overall record of 10-17 and a conference mark of 4-9, meaning no playoffs for the squad.
Meanwhile, a pair of Cougars earned postseason honors. Grace Heywood made it to the All-NACC Second Team. Heywood led the Cougars in several key statistics, such as kills, digs, service aces, and total points while also ranking towards the top of many of those categories in the NACC as a whole.
Joining Heywood as an All-NACC honoree was Isabelle Vernengo, who was named an honorable mention. Vernengo served as the team's primary setter, dishing out 883 assists. She also passed the 2,000 career assist mark towards the beginning of the season. The now-graduated setter contributed on the back end as well, adding 256 digs and 31 service aces.
"Last season, my first here at CUC, was a season that laid the foundation for this program to continue to grow," says Andrew Palmer, head coach of the Cougars. "We had some exciting matches, some tough losses, and a lot of growth on and off the court. I have loved the way the team has responded to a new approach and style in me as their coach and believing in the vision for this program."
Coach Palmer
Coach Palmer is set for year two in charge of women's volleyball. Hired in April 2023, Coach Palmer previously spent three years at the helm of Georgetown College's men's volleyball team, where he led the team to NAIA National Tournaments every season he was there. He was also named the Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year three times.
Other previous coaching assignments on Coach Palmer's resume include Urbana University, Robert Morris University, and fellow NACC member Aurora, Coach Palmer's alma mater.
"I think the biggest challenge year over year is that each season and team is unique," says Coach Palmer about heading into year two. "Finding ways for this program to always move forward but what might've worked last year, might not work this year, with this group. My job is to make sure the coaches give this group what they need and to think outside the box to maximize culture, chemistry, and level of play."
Returning Players
While major names from last year like Heywood and Vernengo might have moved on, Coach Palmer still has an impactful group of returners back on the roster this year.
In terms of kills, Akasia Brown put up 191 last year, the most of any returner; her 229 points also led returners last year. And in the assists category, Shaira Marin dished out 35 last year, which was second only to the now-graduated Vernengo. Finally, on the service line, Rachel Livesay impressed last year with 26, trailing only Heywood and Vernengo.
Defensively, the Cougars will rely heavily on names like Marina and Bethany Roethel, who were third and fourth on the squad last year for total digs, but first and second in digs-per-set, respectively. On the frontline, Brown was by far and away the team's best solo block getter with 18, and her 56 total blocks were more than double the next player. Three of the other top-five total block numbers last year came from returners as well, including Eve Dicken, McKayla LeVoy, and Lili Hunt.
"The returners play has a massive impact on the current year," says Coach Palmer. "They know the expectations, and need to impart that to all the newcomers on this team. I have been really impressed with the returners welcoming in the new members of our program but also the work they have put in to level up in preparation for this season. I think we can look forward to contributions from many returners."
New Faces
Seven new names join the roster this year, with six of them being freshmen.
"The freshman class has come in ready to roll day one," says Coach Palmer. "They have blended so well with the returners and been willing to make the adjustments we have asked of them. The newcomers have impressed and are pushing for court time. I would expect several newcomers to see the court at various points this year. We graduated a couple of our top performers from a year ago, and will look at all players to find the best lineup for this team."
A Look Ahead
This season begins on Aug. 30 with the two-day Maryville Tournament, where the Cougars will take on Brevard College, Randolph-Macon College, and Maryville College down in Maryville, Tennessee. The home opener comes on Sept. 4 when Kalamazoo College visits CUC.
The squad then hosts the Concordia-Chicago Quad on Sept. 7, which will showcase Concordia, Blackburn, Wilkes University, and Fontbonne University. Another tournament will feature the Cougars on Sept. 13 and 14 in the form of the Marilyn Scribner Invitational, where CUC will face Beloit College, Lawrence University, and Wheaton College (Ill.).
NACC action begins on Sept. 18 on the road at WLC before another road conference game on Sept. 26 at Rockford. Concordia hosts another tournament on Sept. 28 with the CUC Triangular; Lawrence and Central College fill out the field along with the Cougars.
Eureka College visits River Forest on Oct. 1 before the first conference home game on Oct. 3 versus Benedictine. SNC comes to town just two days later on Oct. 5. Then begins a long stretch of road games for Concordia, who, from Oct. 10-17, will trek to Edgewood, MSOE, Lake Forest, and Dominican.
Things do not get too much easier when CUC returns home Oct. 19 for the Battle of the Concordias and CUW before hosting Aurora on Oct. 24. A pair of trips to Wisconsin wrap up the road game portion of the schedule when the Cougars visit Alverno on Oct. 26 and Marian on Oct. 31.
Then it is home games for the rest of the season. Nov. 2 Lakeland comes to town, and IIT visits River Forest on Nov. 6 to conclude the regular season.
"We are excited for this group and to get the season going," says Coach Palmer. "The team laid out some goals for this year in our first practice; personal and team goals. Everyone would like to get back to the conference tournament and take that next step as a program. I think practices have been very competitive and excited to see how that translates into the regular season."
2023 Stats Leaders
Offense
Defense
* - Indicates graduated player
The 2024 season begins on Aug. 30 for women's volleyball at the Maryville Tournament with a game versus Brevard College at 4 p.m. Coverage for the match, as well as everything women's volleyball related, can be found at cucougars.com.
