Hall of Fame
In athletics the numbers tell it all.
34, 0, 8, 2, and 1 may just be numbers, to some, but to those that followed the 1987 volleyball team those numbers became standards that many other Blazer teams would attempt to emulate.
34 — the number of total wins.
0 — the number of losses the Blazers had in conference play in only their third season in the MIAC.
8 — the highest national ranking that the Blazers achieved during the 1987 season. It was also the highest ranking in team history.
2 - Saint Ben’s earns their second NCAA appearance, and advances to the second round.
1 — the place that CSB finished in the MIAC, making it the first MIAC title for any CSB team.
The 1987 Blazer volleyball team won its first 17 matches and then cruised to a 34-4 overall record and a 11-0 mark in the conference. CSB finished in first place in the MIAC during the regular season and then advanced to the championship match in the MIAC tournament.
CSB was directed by head coach Carol Howe-Veenstra in just her third season. Her staff included assistant coach Tony Sjogren and student assistant coach Kathy Morris. Members of the team included Ann Ackerman Segner (Sauk Rapids, Minn.), Michele Arens Passe (Wabasha, Minn.), Niki Denne Gross (St. Cloud, Minn.), Patience Duhr (Cass Lake, Minn.), Terri Giyan Kallsen (New Berlin, Wis.), Amy Hagen (St. Cloud, Minn.), Mary Kuklock Hoppe (Apple Valley, Minn.), Carol Oehrlein Potter (Albany, Minn.), Michelle Primus Williams (St. Cloud, Minn.), Patty Rys McPhee (Walnut Grove, Minn.), Kelly Smith Green (Brainerd, Minn.) and Ann Weske Thiel (Moose Lake, Minn.). The manager was Nancy Guckeen Erkanbrack.
Co-captains of the Blazers were Patty Rys McPhee and Carol Oehrlein Potter. Three members of the team were named All-MIAC: Niki Denne Gross, Carol Oehrlein Potter and Michelle Primus Williams. Denne and Oehrlein were named to the All-Central Region team, and Rys was Academic All-MIAC.
