FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Sept. 3, 2014)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside volleyball squad heads up to the Upper Peninsula this weekend, kicking off the season on Thursday against host Michigan Tech University before participating in the Keweenaw Classic over the next two days.
 
The Rangers and Huskies begin the season at 6:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Thursday inside SDC Gymnasium in Houghton, Michigan. Live stats and video will be available for that match. UW-Parkside returns to the court on Friday with an 11:30 a.m. (Eastern) showdown with Winona State University and close the day at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern) against the University of Minnesota-Duluth. On Saturday the Rangers battle Bemidji State University at 9 a.m. (Eastern) and close the tournament with a 3 p.m. (Eastern) date with Upper Iowa University.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside returns eight student-athletes from a squad that finished 18-13 overall in 2013, notching the program's second consecutive winning campaign. The Rangers posted an 8-10 record in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, falling just shy of the final at-large bid for the GLVC Tournament.
 
Among the returners is Lauren Hickson, who was one of just two Rangers to play in all 112 sets last season. The sophomore led the team in assists, averaging 7.9 per set, closing the season with 881 to rank eighth on the all-time single season list. The setter additionally led the team at the service line with a team-best 36 aces while accruing 221 digs.
 
Rebecca Roembke returns after collecting 135 kills, 252 digs, and 22 service aces in 2013 while Jeni Heller notched 127 kills and 72 blocks (seven solo, 65 assists) last season. Also back for the Green and White is senior Lisa Gregerson, juniors Meghan Conley, Jessi Mainczyk and Sonja Burnson along with sophomore Victoria Walsh.
 
Joining the group of returners is four freshmen (one from Wisconsin, one from Minnesota, and two from Illinois) in addition to junior college transfer Allyn Krenz from Parkland College in Illinois.
 
About the Huskies: Michigan Tech dropped six of its final seven games in 2013, finishing the season with a 10-20 overall record and a 6-12 mark in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Four of the Huskies 10 wins during the season came inside SDC Gymnasium.
 
About the Warriors: Winona State opens its 2014 season on Friday against Parkside with seven new freshmen and an entirely new coaching staff as Joe Getzin joins the program from the University of Mississippi. Winona finished 2013 with an 11-18 overall mark and an 8-12 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action. The Warriors were 8-6 at home but struggled on the road, mustering just a 3-12 mark away from Winona.
 
About the Bulldogs: Minnesota-Duluth, ranked third nationally in the America Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll,  returns 13 of 15 letterwinners from the 2013 squad that finished with a 33-3 record and advanced to the NCAA Central Regional Championship. Two of the Bulldogs' three losses came at the hands of NSIC nemesis Concordia University Saint Paul, a team that went on to claim its seventh national championship last season.
 
About the Beavers: Bemidji State begins its 2014 campaign on Friday after finishing 6-22 overall and 2-18 in NSIC play last season. The Beavers split the opening eight games of the year before dropping 18 of their final 20 games, a stretch that included 13 straight defeats. Bemidji State returns eight upperclassmen and two sophomores that started every match last season.
 
About the Peacocks: Upper Iowa tallied an 8-22 overall record and a 4-16 mark in NSIC play last season. The Peacocks struggled on the road, going 0-12 in true road games while dropping 15 of their final 17 games of the 2013 campaign. Returning for UIU is senior Hailey Brown who was named an NSIC "Player to Watch" after finishing 2013 with 707 assists, 184 kills, 228 digs, 43 blocks and 33 aces.
 
Road Warriors: UW-Parkside's opening seven matches are all on the road along with 12 of the first 14. The schedule balances out towards the end of the season with the final five regular season matches all at home inside DeSimone Gymnasium.
 
DeSimone Advantage: Over the past four seasons, UW-Parkside has compiled a record of 33-12 in home games at DeSimone Gymnasium. The Rangers are 9-5 in home games last season with two of the five losses coming at the hands of nationally-ranked foes.

P is for Paciero: Head Coach Christine Paciero begins her fourth season at the helm at UW-Parkside, owning a career mark of 117-77 and a 54-39 record with the Rangers. Paciero compiled a 63-38 record in three seasons at Dominican University (2008-2010) before taking over the reins at Parkside. She notched her 100th career win in the 2013 season opener, downing Anderson University on Sept. 6.
 
All-Academic: The UW-Parkside volleyball squad earned both the Team Academic All-GLVC Award and the AVCA Team Academic Award for the first time in program history during the 2013-2014 academic year. The Rangers boasted a team grade point average of 3.38.