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Men's soccer and women's volleyball trip to Milan, Italy 2009
November 14, 2011 From the start it was going to be an uphill battle to match the success of the 2010 Cyclones, but this year’s squad stayed competitive all season-long and came one loss shy of advancing to the national championship for the second consecutive year. Moraine Valley ended their playoff run, and season, on Nov. 5 in the NJCAA Region IV championship match. Although the squad lacked the height vital to the game, the team still saw a 20-win record and second place finish in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference. “It’s sad to finish with a loss in the regional championship match, but we are happy to have made it that far with the overall height of our team this year,” said coach Gloria Coughlin. “Our preview predicted new talent, strong ball handling and a competitive spirit to compensate for the loss of height, and we were who we thought we would be. Our ball handling skills kept us competitive in so many of our matches, coupled with the inner fighting spirit that was a huge factor in our 20-win season.” Sophomores Bianca Hull (Bremen) and Kelly Stack (Sandburg) were both named to the All-Region team and All-Conference first team. Stack and Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) were named to the Region IV Final Four All-Tournament team for their role in the playoffs. Donahue and Molly Duckwall (Bremen) received a nod to the All-Conference second team. In addition to the award-winners, several players made huge contributions, including sophomore Allison Pytko (Stagg) and freshmen Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley), Akane Murao (Japan) and Ashley Cunningham (Eisenhower). The Cyclones also were fortunate to have basketball players Jessica Contant (Stagg) and Raven Phillips (Bloom) join the team and aid in some pivotal wins. “We knew it was going to be hard to follow the accomplishments of the 2010 season, but we had a great time achieving new goals, making new friends, learning new skills, and making great memories this season,” Coughlin said.
November 7, 2011 It was a big weekend for the Cyclones. The team upset top-seeded Kankakee Community College in the NJCAA Region IV semifinals on Nov. 5 advancing to the championship match. But they lost steam in their final match of the season against Prairie State College and fell in four games. Moraine Valley played one of their best matches this season with a spectacular come-from-behind win in the fourth set, in large part due to the arm of Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central). She stepped to the serving line with the Cyclones behind 10-21 and served the next 12 serves, including four aces, to take the lead 22-21 and set the tone for that win, which continued the momentum for the match win: 25-17, 17-25, 13-25, 25-22, 15-12. The two outside hitters, Kelly Stack (Sandburg) and Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley), led the team with 15 kills apiece. Stack also had 21 digs, notching her 12th double-double of the season in kills-digs plus a block and an ace, giving her a spot on the All-Region Tournament team. Gardner marked her ninth double-double with her 15 kills and 16 digs. Donahue had seven service aces for the match along with 19 good serve receptions and 22 digs. Because of her monster defense in the backcourt, Donahue also got the nod to the All-Region Tournament team. Molly Duckwall (Bremen) was a workhorse assisting in 41 kill points, scoring on four kills of her own and adding a block and an ace serve. “This was our best win this year. We played so well,” said coach Gloria Coughlin. By upsetting Kankakee, the Cyclones advanced to the finals against conference rival Prairie State, a team they had defeated in September. Unfortunately, Moraine Valley had used everything in the tank against the Cavaliers and couldn’t muster a win for the regional championship. It was an anti-climatic match in which the Cyclones lost in four games: 26-24, 19-25, 15-25, 15-25. Bianca Hull (Bremen) and Stack led the team with 10 kills each. Hull marked her 16th double digit kill match and Stack notched her 13th double-double of the season in kills-digs with 17 digs. Gardner added 11 kills and 20 digs for her 10th double-double in kills-digs of the season along with a service ace and solid defense. Donahue continued her domination on defense as libero with 27 digs and 23 good serve receptions while Duckwall had 38 kill assists and five kills. Hull and Stack were named to the All-Region IV team for their performance on the court. “We didn’t have enough in the tank to play through Prairie State’s two big middle blockers,” Coughlin said. “However, it was a great way to end our season. Every player left everything they had on the court and went down fighting, which is basically a good description of our team for the season—we’re fighters.”
November 3, 2011 The Cyclones lengthened their season a bit longer after a big three-game win Nov. 2 over the College of Lake County in the NJCAA Region IV quarterfinal match at home. Playing without head coach Gloria Coughlin, Moraine Valley was all business as they focused on the win: 25-12, 25-16, 25-19. From the first point of the match the players set the tone with tough serves, combining for 11 aces in the match. The Cyclones were led by the serve receive and defense of Kelly Stack (Sandburg), Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) and Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central). Stack hit for 12 kills and had 18 digs while Gardner had 13 kills and 12 digs. Donahue was flawless on defense, digging up 26 without an error. Top player Bianca Hull (Bremen) was back in the lineup after an injury sidelined her for a couple of matches, and she hit a whopping .400 for the match. “We were happy to have her back and glad she didn't have to end her Moraine Valley career with an injury. Our athletics trainer Geoff Davis did a great job getting her back in action so soon,” said assistant coach Donna Zidek. With this win the Cyclones advanced to the Region IV semifinal match against Kankakee Community College on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Grayslake.
October 31, 2011
October 26, 2011 With the Cyclones’ starting middle hitter out due to an injury, the team looked anemic Oct. 25 in their loss to Harper College: 16-25, 18-25, 19-25. The team had 16 hitting errors, nine serving errors and 13 digging errors that never gave them a true chance to get into this match. Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) was the bright spot with smart hitting. She scored on 14 attacks to go with two aces and seven digs. Allison Pytko (Stagg) added six kills and an ace. “Harper is good, tall and talented, and we knew it was going to be a rough outing. However, we never got ourselves going in this match,” said coach Gloria Coughlin.
October 24, 2011
October 13, 2011 The Cyclones played another competitive match against a skilled and quick team from Joliet Junior College on Oct. 12, but couldn’t step up their game and inevitably lost in four: 20-25, 19-25, 25-23, 16-25. “We matched up very evenly in our serve receive and defensive skills, but our hitting percentage was low and serving was not as tough as it needed to be to beat another ball-handling type team,” said coach Gloria Coughlin. Both Bianca Hull (Bremen) and Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) notched seven kills each with Hull scoring on five blocks for kills and a service ace. Gardner was strong in the back court with her receptions and 15 digs. Raven Phillips (Bloom) helped out at the net with five blocks, and Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) aced two serves for points in her 15 serves and picked up 18 digs. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) played with a chipped bone in her right hand and still was a force at the service line with four aces and was strong on defense with 17 digs, seven kills and a block. Molly Duckwall (Bremen) assisted on 29 kills and added nine digs and a block.
October 10, 2011
October 7, 2011 In less than an hour, the Cyclones were able to defeat Oakton Community College. Moraine Valley showed their strength Oct. 6 in the win over three sets: 25-10, 25-16, 25-11. Colleen Gardner led the Cyclones with 12 kills and 18 digs while Bianca Hull (Bremen) and Kelly Stack (Sandburg) followed right behind her with 10 kills apiece. Stack also notched 11 digs. Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) was strong in defense with 15 digs, and Akane Murao (Japan) served 22 goods serves with her 16 digs.
October 5, 2011 The night was full of attacks from Moraine Valley, particularly player Bianca Hull (Bremen), who helped her team defeat Morton College on Oct. 4 in four: 25-22, 22-25, 25-15, 25-13. Hull pounded out 17 kills of 32 swings and added two blocks, a service ace and three digs for the night. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) added her own nine kills and two aces to go with her 20 digs while Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) pitched in six kills and four aces along with 22 digs. Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) continues to show her strength in the libero position by passing serves well and digging 17 attacks. Molly Duckwall (Bremen) dished out 39 assists in the cause.
September 29, 2011
September 28, 2011 Match highlights were few and far between for Moraine Valley as they left their game faces at home Sept. 27 and lost in three to McHenry County College: 23-25, 20-25, 17-25. Bianca Hull (Bremen) had the only offensive performance on the court with nine kills and one block. The Cyclones made a myriad of errors from the service line to the attack line and back on defense. Coach Gloria Coughlin is putting the team back to work in practice to get back on track.
September 23, 2011 The Cyclones were in top form Sept. 22 with a three-set win over South Suburban College: 25-19, 25-14, 27-25. Bianca Hull (Bremen) and Kelly Stack (Sandburg) led the offense by both racking up 12 kills with Hull adding three block kills and Stack playing her usual tough defense with 31 digs, notching her fifth double-double of the season in kills-digs. For Hull, it was her 11th match of the season hitting double digits in kills. Also a force on the night was Allison Pytko (Stagg) hitting out of the middle with four kills. She also added four service aces with her aggressive kill from the back court to end the match at 27-25. Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) was once again strong as the libero with 15 good serve receptions and 26 digs plus two ace serves. Molly Duckwall (Bremen) was busy setting for 140 attacks, distributing 34 kill assists.
September 21, 2011 Injuries and an overmatched defense were the culprits in the Cyclones’ loss Sept. 20 to Waubonsee Community College in four: 21-25, 25-23, 15-25, 20-25. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) led the team with 17 kills and marked her fourth double-double of the season in kills-digs with 28 digs. Stack carried the team offensively and defensively adding 24 good serve receptions and 16 service points, including an ace serve. Bianca Hull (Bremen) was held to nine kills but blocked three attacks for points and served three aces. Another injury, this time to middle blocker Raven Phillips (Bloom), required some shifting of players, and Allison Pytko (Stagg) stepped in to notch five kills for the Cyclones. “Waubonsee has two very good middle hitters to go with an athletic setter, and we struggled to take good swings at them,” said coach Gloria Coughlin. “We also had difficulty defending against a fast and efficient middle attack.”
September 19, 2011 The Cyclones faced two NJCAA Region IV foes Sept. 16 at a tri-match and got the best of both of them. The first match was a win over College of DuPage: 25-19, 25-5, 25-9. This was one of the best serving performances of the season with the Cyclones scoring on 18 service aces. College of DuPage did not have an answer for the aggressive serves or Kelly Stack's (Sandburg) smart attacking. She scored on 10 kills to go with her five service aces, and Bianca Hull (Bremen) had seven kills and three aces. Other players scoring at the service line were Akane Murao (Japan) with three aces and six digs, Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) with four aces and nine digs and Meghan Lyons (Marist) who scored on five service aces and added four digs. Molly Duckwall (Bremen) distributed 23 kill assists. Oakton Community College proved to be a tougher match, but Moraine Valley prevailed in four: 19-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-21. Stack notched her second double-double of the season in kills-digs with 18 kills and 27 digs. Due to an ankle injury in a previous game Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) was out, but the team did not miss a beat. Stack is hitting in the left side pin position and Donahue moved into the libero position, scoring two kills and adding 17 digs. Hull added nine kills, three blocks and an ace while Allison Pytko (Stagg) pitched in seven kills and a block. Duckwall scored four kills herself and dished out 41 kill assists. "This was a good opportunity for us to see Oakton up close before we meet them in our regular conference season match on Oct. 6. They will improve in some areas and we will as well, so it will be another good matchup for these two conference foes," said coach Gloria Coughlin.
September 14, 2011 The Cyclones maintained their unblemished Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference record with a win Sept. 13 over Elgin Community College. Moraine Valley won in four: 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-19. At the start of the match Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) had an unfortunate mishap and sprained her ankle. With a new lineup the team was out of sorts and not mentally engaged in the first part of that match, however, they worked through the change and came out with the big win. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) moved from libero to left side hitter and Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) stepped into the white shirt for the last set of the match, both playing well. Stack led the team in kills with 10 and also marked her first season double-double in kills-digs with 29. Bianca Hull (Bremen) continued to be productive at the net with nine kills and four blocks. Molly Duckwall (Bremen) distributed 35 kill assists and added an ace serve and a block for a point. Raven Phillips (Bloom) was a defensive force at the net notching five blocks.
September 12, 2011 The Cyclones surged over the .500 mark Sept. 10 after winning both matches in the Highland Community College Tri-Match. In their first match against Highland Community College the Cyclones won in four: 25-18, 25-16, 19-25, 27-25. Bianca Hull (Bremen) and Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) carried the offense with 17 and 14 kills, respectively. Hull added two blocks and seven digs while Gardner notched her third double-double of the season with 13 digs and 14 kills. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) was her usual dominant back court player with six kills, 19 receptions and 25 digs. Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) was also efficient in the back row with nine receptions and 11 digs. Molly Duckwall (Bremen) dished out 51 assists in addition to her two kills and block. Allison Pytko (Stagg) and Ashley Cunningham (Eisenhower) each scored six points on attacks. In their second game, the Cyclones battled fatigue, heat and soreness from a grueling week to upset a tall, strong and athletic Clinton Community College: 25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-7. Gardner used every ounce of energy and strength she had to notch 18 kills, 20 receptions and 18 digs for a fourth double-double. Cunningham came up big with 13 kills of 24 swings to take some of the offensive pressure off Hull who had 12 kills, four blocks and three service aces. Pytko hit well from the left pin especially in the fifth set to finish out the match with nine kills and seven digs. Stack and Donahue were beasts in the back court with a combined 45 receptions in addition to 27 and 13 digs, respectively. Duckwall made great setting decisions in this battle and assisted on 54 kills. "We are tired, hurt and sore, but continue to improve across the board and will be ready for our Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference foe, Elgin Community College, on Tuesday," said coach Gloria Coughlin.
September 9, 2011 The Cyclones looked strong Sept. 8 as they defeated Prairie State College in four sets: 25-20, 15-25, 25-19, 25-19. Bianca Hull (Bremen) led the Cyclones with 12 kills of 29 swings with only one error, hitting an impressive .379. She also had three blocks for points and a service ace. Both Allison Pytko (Stagg) and Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) added nine kills each with Gardner notching 14 digs as well. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) was big once again on defense with 25 digs and 18 serve receptions while Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) helped out defensively with 14 receptions and 15 digs. Molly Duckwall (Bremen) distributed 29 kill assists.
September 8, 2011 Size was the culprit of the Cyclones' loss on Sept. 7 to Kankakee Community College in four well-fought sets: 21-25, 25-22, 25-27, 21-25. Moraine Valley played in top form, especially on defense and serves, but was outsized in every position. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) was outstanding on defense as the libero, notching 51 digs and passing 19 good serves to tack on to her eight kills out of the back court. Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) led the team offensively with 16 kills plus two aces and 12 digs to mark her second double-double of the season. Bianca Hull (Bremen) added nine kills and three aces to go along with Danielle Donahue's (Lockport Central) four aces and 10 digs. "We need a little more fire power and a little more fight for these kind of games. A little more size wouldn't hurt either," said coach Gloria Coughlin.
September 6, 2011 The Cyclones remained positive after going 1-4 at the Owens Community College Tournament in Ohio, Sept. 2-3. It was challenging competition to set the team up for the rest of the season. In the first match, Mott Community College defeated Moraine Valley in three sets: 19-25, 18-25, 14-25. It was a rough start on Friday afternoon against a talented Mott team. Four first year players—Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley), Raven Phillips (Bloom), Jessica Contant (Stagg), and Ashley Cunningham (Eisenhower)—each contributed four kills with sophomore Bianca Hull (Bremen) adding three kills and four blocks of her own. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) was tough on defense with 20 digs and Molly Duckwall (Bremen) dished out 21 assists. Moraine Valley battled in their second match against St. Clair Community College, narrowly losing three: 22-25, 23-25, 24-26. The Cyclones played much better in the second match of the day and played well against a Michigan team that outsized them in every position. There was some strong ball handling and touch serving that kept Moraine Valley in this match. Hull played tremendous ball with 14 kills, three blocks and five digs while Gardner notched nine kills, 12 digs, a block for a point, and an ace serve. Stack was busy in the back court with 22 digs while Duckwall set 32 kill assists. Saturday morning gave the Cyclones fresh arms, fresh legs and a fresh outlook that helped them win in five—25-18, 16-25, 22-25, 26-24, 15-11—over Jackson Community College that lasted a full two hours. Hull led the team with 15 kills, hitting an amazing .333 kill percentage over the five sets along with three blocks and five digs. Gardner notched the first double-double of her college career with 11 kills and 19 digs. Stack was not only stellar in defense with 24 digs and 28 receptions, but also made an offensive impact with nine kills out of the backcourt with two service aces. Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) was also strong in defense adding three service aces, 14 digs and 26 receptions. Duckwall distributed 43 assists. The match with Jackson took a toll on the young Cyclones as they had to face a big and physical Kellogg Community College team that won in three straight sets: 20-25, 20-25, 15-25. Hull led the team with 11 kills while Contant and Stack added five kills apiece. Stack also scored three points at the service line and added 23 digs. A tired Cyclone team took the court for the third time on Saturday and fell to Lansing Community College to end their tournament run: 16-25, 19-25, 20-25. With nothing left in the tank, Gardner led the team with six kills and 12 digs while Stack added four kills, two aces and 21 digs. "The Owens Invitational was a great tournament with over 20 top teams from around the country competing in the facility that will host the NJCAA Division II national tournament this November," said coach Gloria Coughlin. "We met great competition that helped us prepare for our Skyway Conference and NJCAA Region IV play this season."
September 2, 2011 In their first match of conference play Sept. 1 the Cyclones showed their dominance by taking three from College of Lake County: 25-14, 25-14, 25-18. Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central) had seven service aces of her 13 serves. Kelly Stack (Sandburg) also was tough at the service line, scoring on five of her 13 serves. Bianca Hull (Bremen) led the team in attacks with nine kills followed by Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) with seven.
August 29, 2011 There's still a lot of work to be done after the Cyclones' first tournament of the season, but they are optimistic after a 3-2 overall finish at the College of DuPage Invitational, Aug. 26-27. The first match for Moraine Valley was a defeat by Harper College: 15-25 and 14-25. First match jitters may have been a small factor in the loss to a very talented Harper squad that had solid pin attackers (hitters at each antenna) presenting a challenge to the Cyclones at this early stage. Bianca Hull (Bremen) led the team with five kills while freshman Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) added four kills and 11 digs. With first game nerves settled and growing more comfortable as a team, Moraine Valley went on to defeat Illinois Valley: 25-12, 25-23. The Cyclones notched a team total 18 kills, 10 service aces and four blocks. Returning libero Kelly Stack (Sandburg) and left-side hitter Gardner led the team with four kills each and added 10 and nine digs, respectively, with Stack scoring three more points on service aces. Defensive specialist, Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central), was strong on defense with nine digs and three points by service aces. Setter Molly Duckwall (Bremen) distributed 16 assists and added four aces of her own. The Cyclones continued their momentum by defeating St. Louis Community College, Florissant Valley: 25-22, 25-15. This second win was a good matchup of skilled ball handlers on both teams. Hull led with 10 kills and three service aces, followed by a balanced attack from Gardner, Stack and Jessica Contant (Stagg) with three kills each. More tough serving came from Gardner, who had four aces, and Duckwall, who added three aces to her 21 kill assists. In their third consecutive win, Moraine Valley defeated Lake Michigan College: 25-22, 25-23. Lake Michigan College is always a well coached, feisty team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes, but the Cyclones battled for the win with Hull dominating the net with 12 kills, hitting at a .357 kill percentage. Contant added six kills, and both Gardner and Stack pitched in with five kills apiece. Stack led the defense with 19 digs while Duckwall dished out 28 assists. "The team was showing growth with every match and worked very hard for this win," said coach Gloria Coughlin. After bouncing back from their initial loss, the Cyclones were eliminated in the semi finals in a three-set match against Vincennes University: 19-25, 25-21, 11-25. Hull led the team with 10 kills and Contant followed with seven. Stack notched 20 digs while Duckwall had 24 assists. "Although it was a good match, we needed a little more fire power to take down a strong Vincennes team," Coughlin said. "All in all we have much to do, but we are encouraged by what we saw this weekend."
August 24, 2011 Cyclone volleyball fans will see a new and different team on the court in 2011 as only two of the seven starters from last year's Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference and NJCAA Region IV championship squad return to the lineup. A total of five players from last season return to become the new court leaders. Replacing those athletes creates quite a challenge, but also brings new blood, talent and excitement to the court. The Cyclones had a stellar run last year, going nearly two months without a loss and topping both the conference and Region IV which led to the national tournament where they finished in 13th place. From that starting lineup are the 2010 All-Region and All-Conference libero Kelly Stack (Sandburg) along with All-Conference middle hitter Bianca Hull (Bremen), both of whom return for their second season. Both players competed in the national championship and will bring their high-level playing experience to the 2011 squad. Returning defensive specialist, Danielle Donahue (Lockport Central), will continue to score service points as well as solidify the defense in the center back position. Also returning is Molly Duckwall (Bremen) taking over the helm as setter, and Allison Pytko (Stagg) who will play in both the middle and outside hitter positions. Joining the Cyclones this year are outside hitter Colleen Gardner (Mother McAuley) plus Akane Murao (Osaka, Japan) and Ashley Cunningham (Eisenhower) who should help out on the right side in the opposite position. Taking a short break from the Cyclone women's basketball team are Jessica Contant (Stagg) hitting on the left side and Raven Phillips (Bloom) protecting the net as a middle blocker. Meghan Lyons (Marist) will make her contributions as setter and Melissa Bender (Evergreen Park) will add to the outside. With a number of newcomers on the scene, the team will rely on the experience of the veterans to carry some of the weight. "At first glance, fans will see that we lost some height in the off season, but we are very excited about the fresh new talent, strong ball handling skills and competitive spirit that we gained," said head coach Gloria Coughlin. "Every season is new, different and fun. I look forward to it." Join the Cyclones in their first home match of the season against College of Lake County on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Cyclone Center. |
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