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

SOMERS, Wis. (Nov. 11, 2015)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside volleyball team closes out the regular season this weekend, traveling to the Hoosier State to face Great Lakes Valley Conference rivals Saint Joseph's College and the University of Indianapolis.
 
The Rangers and Pumas hit the court at 7 p.m. on Friday in Rensselaer, Indiana and close the regular season on Saturday with a 3 p.m. (Eastern Time) match against UIndy. Live stats will be provided for both matches while a video stream will also be available for Saturday's clash.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (19-9, 10-6 GLVC) will be jockeying for playoff seeding over the weekend, currently sitting tied with UIndy in third place in the GLVC East. The top three teams from each division earn automatic bids to the GLVC Tournament along with two wild card teams from either division.
 
The Rangers head into the final weekend having won four of their last six matches with the lone setbacks coming at the hands of nationally-ranked opponents. UW-Parkside closed out its home schedule with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-20) setback to then No. 8 Rockhurst University on Nov. 6 before hitting the road and picking up a pair of wins against GLVC West opponents, downing Truman State University 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-17) and Quincy University 3-2 (25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 15-12).
 
UW-Parkside had its modest two-match win streak halted on Tuesday night with a nail-biting 3-1 (26-24, 24-23, 23-25, 26-24) defeat to 23rd-ranked Lewis University. Three Rangers ended the night in double figures, including Lauren Hickson who posted 41 assists and 11 digs for her sixth consecutive double-double of the season.
 
The Rangers rank third in the GLVC in hitting percentage (.219) and check in fourth in the league in both assists (12.5/set) and kills (13.5/set).
 
Individually, Rebecca Roembke continues to lead the conference in kills, netting 3.8 per set while Jackie Langer sits fifth with 3.4 per set. Roembke additionally leads the GLVC in points scored, averaging 4.2 per set. Hickson sits second in the GLVC in assists, averaging 10.4 per set while Meghan Conley ranks 10th in digs (4.6/set) and Jessi Mainczyk sits 12th in aces (32).
 
About the Pumas: Saint Joseph's (7-20, 2-14 GLVC) looks to bust out of a six-match slump having last prevailed on Oct. 23, earning a 3-2 victory over host Bellarmine University. Four of the Puma's six losses during the recent slump have been three set sweeps. Including a 3-0 setback on Tuesday night to travel partner UIndy.
 
Bridget Krasowski is the team's leader in kills, averaging 2.8 per set while also pacing the team in service aces with 34. Megan Sturm paces the team with 4.8 assists per set with Katie Dugan leading the way defensively, averaging 4.8 digs per set.
 
This is the second meeting this season between the Rangers and Pumas with Parkside prevailing 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-21) back on Oct. 3 inside DeSimone Gymnasium.
 
About the Greyhounds: Indianapolis (14-15, 10-6 GLVC) got off to a sluggish start this season, owning the year 4-11 but has been red-hot since, including winning five of its last six matches. UIndy's lone blemish over the last six outings was a 3-0 road setback to No. 8 Rockhurst on Nov. 6. The Greyhounds rebounded from the loss with a 3-2 win over William Jewell College on Nov. 7 before dismantling Saint Joe's 3-0 on Tuesday.
 
Becca Lira leads the Hounds in kills, ranking fourth in the league with 3.4 per set while sitting 14th in aces with 28. Maggie Gibson contributes 10.1 assists per set, putting her fourth in the GLVC in that category while Hailey Brown and Bri Heffernan average 3.6 and 3.4 digs per set, respectively.
 
UW-Parkside and UIndy last met on Oct. 2 with the host Rangers disposing of the Hounds 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 28-26, 25-18) inside DeSimone Gymnasium.
 
Prospect Camp: UW-Parkside volleyball will be hosting its annual Prospect Camp on Dec. 20 for high school sophomores through seniors. The camp begins at 11 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m. and will feature instruction from Christine Paciero and her staff. The cost is $75 and includes lunch and a t-shirt. For more info or to sign-up, visit parksiderangers.com/camps.
 
GLVC Prognostications: The GLVC released its annual coaches' poll on August 26 with UW-Parkside picked to finish fifth in the East Division. The Rangers racked up 64 points in the poll, finishing 14 points shy of fourth place University of Southern Indiana and 14 points clear of sixth place Bellarmine University. Defending East Champion University of Indianapolis secured the top spot, collecting 110 points and seven first place votes. Lewis University nabbed the No. 2 spot with 109 points and five first place nods followed by McKendree University in third with 97 points and four first place votes. Southern Indiana was fourth (78 points), followed by Parkside (64), Bellarmine (50), Saint Joseph's College (32) and University of Illinois Springfield (28).
 
In the West Division, Rockhurst University landed the preseason No. 1 position, raking in 115 points and 10 first place votes. Defending division and tournament champion Truman State University was slotted at No. 2 with 110 points and the remaining six first place endorsements. Missouri University S&T was third with 89 points while the University of Missouri-Saint Louis secured fourth with 77 points. Drury University was fifth with 60 points, followed by Quincy University in sixth (55 points), Maryville University in seventh (38 points), and William Jewell College in eighth (25 points).
 
Parkside's Paciero: Head Coach Christine Paciero begins her fifth season at the helm at UW-Parkside, owning a career mark of 151-100 and an 88-62 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.
 
Ms. 1,000: Senior Meghan Conley eclipsed the 1,000 career digs milestone on Oct. 24 against the University of Illinois Springfield becoming the seventh Ranger to do so and the first since Sarah Mlachnik (1,113 career digs) in 2013. Conley currently sits with 1,109 career digs.
 
Ms. 2,000: Junior setter Lauren Hickson surpassed the 2,000-assists plateau on Oct. 24 against Illinois Springfield, joining Kari Good (5,133), Natalie Wildes (3,038) and Ashley Vycital (2,672) as the only Ranger players to surpass the milestone. Hickson currently has 2,223 career assists.
 
Single Season Record Watch: Rebecca Roembke, Lauren Hickson, and Meghan Conley are all creeping up the single season record book in their respective stat categories. Roembke has 418 kills on the season, good for No. 4 on the UW-Parkside single season list. Jenni Bradley currently owns the record of 473 set during the 2003 season. Hickson stands with 1,132 assists in 2015, putting her fifth on the single season list. Kari Good owns the top three spots for single season assists, highlighted by 1,551 assists during the 1997 campaign. Last but not least, Conley has 505 digs on the year, good for eighth best in program history. Former teammate Sarah Mlachnik owns the single-season record with 589 during the 2013 season.
 
All-Academic: The UW-Parkside volleyball squad earned both the Team Academic All-GLVC Award and the AVCA Team Academic Award for the second straight year this offseason, boasting an impressive 3.44 team grade point average. Additionally returning student-athletes Meghan Conley, Jeni Heller, Lauren Hickson, Rebecca Kuske, Jackie Langer, Rebecca Roembke, and Lexi Turek were all honored as Academic All-GLVC honorees.
 
Four and counting: UW-Parkside has guaranteed its fourth consecutive winning season in 2015, marking the first time since 1990 the program has strung together four-straight winning campaigns. The Rangers streak began in 2012, posting a 21-10 record in Head Coach Christine Paciero's second year at the helm. Parkside followed it up with an 18-13 record in 2013 and a 15-13 mark last season. Under the direction of Terry Paulson the Rangers accumulated six consecutive winning seasons from 1985 to 1990, including a program-best 34-win season in 1986.