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Inside LU Athletics: Vikings shooting for MWC Tournament berth

The old coaching adage says you have to play good competition to get better.

Go ahead and check that one off the list for Lawrence University volleyball coach Matt Schoultz.

Schoultz’s Vikings have played a rigorous non-conference schedule and appear ready to make a run at the making the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament in November.

“Our pre-conference schedule helped us prepare for conference play,” Schoultz said. “We played four teams ranked in the top 25. The level we had to play at was high. We didn’t win those matches but were competitive. It helped us to get better and push ourselves to get better.”

Schoultz said the difference between the top teams in the nation and the Vikings is the peaks and valleys. The Vikings have found some peaks but have spent too much time in the valleys.

“We lost to a lot of those teams because they played more consistent volleyball,” Schoultz said. “I think it’s taught us we have to play more consistent and raise the level of our play. I think it’s definitely preparing us for what we will see in our conference schedule.”

Lawrence sports a 6-8 record after that early stretch, but the Vikings picked up a big win when they opened conference play on Tuesday with an impressive 3-1 victory over Carroll University.

“To get a win over (Carroll) was definitely a big step in the right direction for reaching the conference tournament,” Schoultz said.

The way the Vikings defeated Carroll was just as important as the win itself. Lawrence dominated the first two sets with impressive play before Carroll regrouped in the third set. But the Vikings turned it on again in the fourth set to wrap up the match.

“We have pretty high expectations of the way we want to play,” Schoultz said. “The way we played in the first two sets and the way we finished the fourth set, when we play at that level, we’re going to be pretty tough to beat at times.”

The Vikings have some firepower to play at that high level. Senior outside hitter Clare Bohrer is a three-time all-conference selection and averaged 2.67 kills and 1.02 blocks per set. Junior outside hitter Shannon McLain is right behind Bohrer at 2.27 kills per set.

Sophomore setter Diane McLeod has been a constant, averaging 8.92 assists per set, and piled up 51 in the match against Carroll.

“We have a lot of different weapons,” Schoultz said. “When things are going well like they were (against Carroll) at times, we’re pretty tough to stop. But again, it’s about consistency.”

If the Vikings continue to find that consistency, that goal of playing in the conference tournament becomes more and more of a reality.

“One of our main goals for this year is to make the conference tournament,” Schoultz said. “It’s something we haven’t done since I started here, and I think it’s an attainable goal for this year.”

McLeod setting pretty

McLeod has been named the MWC Offensive Player of the Week. The sophomore from Hartford, Wis., helped Lawrence to a 2-2 record on the week and was named to the all-tournament team at the Lawrence Quadrangular on Sept. 17. For the week, McLeod piled up 144 assists, an average of 11.1 per set, to go along with 43 digs, seven aces, six kills and seven blocks.

Burke takes defensive award

Lawrence women’s soccer standout Cassie Burke has been chosen as the MWC Defensive Player of the Week. The junior goalkeeper went 2-0 and posted a shutout as Lawrence swept a pair of matches. In a 1-0 win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering last Saturday, Burke made seven saves to post her first shutout of the season and fifth of her career. In a 4-1 victory over Lakeland College on Sunday, Burke played the first half in goal and made two saves to help Lawrence to a 2-0 lead at the break.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

Vikings top Carroll in MWC opener

The Lawrence University volleyball team downed Carroll University 3-1 on Tuesday at Alexander Gymnasium in the Midwest Conference opener for both teams.

Lawrence (6-8, 1-0 MWC) won 25-14, 25-19, 32-34, 25-20.

Shannon McLain paced Lawrence with 20 kills and a .319 hitting percentage. Clare Bohrer added 16 kills and seven blocks for the Vikings. Diane McLeod piled up 51 assists and picked up 21 digs. Kathleen Rowland had a team-high 27 digs for the Vikings.

Lawrence’s Sam Nimmer recorded nine digs and passed 1,000 digs for her career.

Emily Cecka led Carroll (7-9, 0-1) with 14 kills, Samantha Derynda picked up 39 assists and Michelle Eberhardy had 30 digs.

Lawrence rolled through the first two sets, but Carroll survived three match points for the Vikings and came back to win the third set 34-32.

The Vikings then trailed 11-8 in the fourth set, but six of the next seven points to grab a 14-12 lead. After Carroll cut the lead to 14-13, Lawrence went on a 7-2 run to grab a 21-15 edge. The Vikings led 22-20 before three consecutive attack errors by the Pioneers gave Lawrence the win.

Box score

McLeod picks up MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors

Lawrence University volleyball standout Diane McLeod has been named the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

McLeod (Hartland, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) helped Lawrence to a 2-2 record on the week and was named to the all-tournament team at the Lawrence Quadrangular on Sept. 17. For the week, McLeod piled up 144 assists, an average of 11.1 per set, to go along with 43 digs, seven aces, six kills and seven blocks.

In a 3-0 win over Mount Mary College on Sept. 14, McLeod had 34 assists and 14 digs to go along with three aces and a pair of blocks. At the Lawrence Quad, she finished the three matches with 110 assists, 29 digs, five blocks and four aces. Her top totals of the day were 42 assists and 14 digs against Edgewood.

Lawrence returned to action on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over Carroll University. McLeod piled up 51 assists to help Lawrence to the victory in the Midwest Conference opener for both teams.

This marks the second consecutive week Lawrence has earned MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Clare Bohrer (Eau Claire, Wis./Regis) picked up the honor last week.

Burke earns MWC Defensive Player of the Week award

Lawrence University women’s soccer standout Cassie Burke has been chosen as the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

Burke (Golden Valley, Minn./Hopkins) earned the award after not allowing a goal in Lawrence’s two victories during the past week. The junior goalkeeper went 2-0 and posted a shutout as Lawrence swept a pair of matches.

In a 1-0 win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Saturday, Burke made seven saves to post her first shutout of the season and fifth of her career.

In a 4-1 victory over Lakeland College on Sunday, Burke played the first half in goal and made two saves to help Lawrence to a 2-0 lead at the break. Burke also got into the game in the second half and played the final 10 minutes in the midfield.

For the week, Burke had a 0.00 goals against average and 1.000 save percentage.

Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it opens Midwest Conference play by hosting St. Norbert College.

Vikings edge Lakeland 1-0

The Lawrence University men’s soccer team scored very late in the first half and that goal was enough as the Vikings beat Lakeland College 1-0 in a nonconference game on Sunday at Whiting Field West.

The Vikings scored with just 21 seconds left in the first half when Vince Butitta found Hashim Allah-Morad open across the field. Allah-Morad collected the pass and dribbled around Lakeland goalkeeper Alex Piekarski and buried the ball in the back of the open net. It was Allah-Morad’s first goal of the season.

The Lawrence defense posted its first shutout of the season and limited Lakeland to 11 shots. Steve Solomon made five saves to record the shutout, the third of his career.

Box score

Muchowski scores twice as Lawrence hooks Muskies

Keli Muchowski scored her first two collegiate goals to lead the Lawrence University women’s soccer team to a 4-1 nonconference victory over Lakeland College on Sunday at Whiting Field West.

Muchowski, a freshman from Neenah, Wis., gave the Vikinga a 1-0 lead when she took a corner kick and hooked it into the net at the 39:23 mark.

Muchowski scored again less than five minutes later, with just 46 seconds left in the first half, to give Lawrence a 2-0 lead at the break. Mallory Koula and Cadence Peckham picked up assists on the goal.

Koula made it 3-0 just over two minutes into the second half when she scored off passes from Natalie Jin and Anita Babbitt.

Lakeland trimmed the lead to 3-1 at the 50:37 mark, but Lawrence got that score back just six minutes later. Jin scored off a corner kick from Koula to give Lawrence a 4-1 lead at 56:33.

Cassie Burke made two saves in the first half to pick up the win. Dani Glass took over in net for the second half.

Box score

Vikings stay unbeaten with rout of Beloit

The Lawrence University women’s tennis team stayed unbeaten with an 8-1 Midwest Conference victory over Beloit College on Saturday at the Lawrence Courts.

The Vikings improved to 8-0 and are now 1-0 in the North Division with the impressive win over the Bucs, who had been beaten only once in eight matches coming into the event.

Lawrence swept the singles matches, and the most impressive wins came from Beth Larson at No. 1 and Christina Schaupp at No. 4. Both players lost only one game en route to their wins.

Lawrence also picked up wins by Larson and Jenni Roesch at No. 1 doubles and by Schaupp and Hannah Geoffrey at No. 3 doubles.

Box score

Koula’s goal lifts Vikings past MSOE

The Lawrence University women’s soccer team got a goal from star forward Mallory Koula and that was enough to give the Vikings a 1-0 nonconference victory over the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Saturday at Whiting Field West.

Koula took a pass from freshman Keli Muchowski and scored at the 31:45 mark of the first half to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.

Lawrence made that stand up with seven saves from junior goalkeeper Cassie Burke. It was Burke’s first shutout of the season. Lawrence outshot the Raiders 22-16.

Box score

Inside LU Athletics: Mazur, Barthelmess forming prolific partnership

What started as a competition has turned into a partnership that is poised to produce prolific results.

Luke Barthelmess and Tyler Mazur came to Lawrence University fall football practice set to battle for the starting quarterback job with the Vikings. After several weeks of practice, Barthelmess got the nod at quarterback, and Mazur moved to a starting spot at wide receiver.

“It is a show of their internal character that they went from competitive to cooperative,” Lawrence head coach Chris Howard said. “In the best interests of the team, we made the decision on the position, and we asked each one to support the other one.”

In the first two weeks of their quarterback/wide receiver partnership, all they are doing is leading the nation in various statistical categories. In the wake of Lawrence’s 62-42 victory at Knox last week, Mazur broke or tied three school records, and Barthelmess broke two school records and a Midwest Conference mark.

“What I think is really cool between Tyler and myself is that ever since last year when this started, we’ve had a professional approach to it and off the field we’re great friends,” said Barthelmess, who was 28 of 39 for a record 549 yards and a record six touchdowns against Knox. “It doesn’t make sense that we’re as close as we are.”

That symbiotic relationship that can build between quarterback and receiver is in effect between these two stellar athletes. Mazur, a triple threat catching, running or throwing the ball, caught eight passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns, which tied a school record. He also ran for another score to set records of five TDs and 30 points in a game.

“At the beginning of camp, I had the attitude I wanted to win the quarterback spot but overall I’m having fun playing football. I’ve embraced that idea. Luke and I have gotten to working really well together,” Mazur said.

“It’s a huge team effort. If they need me to try and catch the ball, that’s what I’m going to do. If they need me to come in for that wildcat package, I’ll do my best to score that way. I have fun doing it.”

With a receiving corps that also features Kaukauna’s Jon Bruehl, Green Bay’s Taylor Mandich, Sam Wagner and newcomer Dominque Dirden, the Vikings were looking to amass a potent offense. Throwing Mazur, with his versatility and stunning athletic ability, into the mix only sweetens the pot.

“We only have so many quality athletes and we can’t have quality athletes sitting on the bench,” Howard said in reference to Mazur. “In the past we’ve had talented individuals. In the past we had a guy or two guys, but we now have five or six bonafide playmakers. The issue is to spread the ball along and make them happy.”

Lawrence had nine different players catch a pass against Knox last Saturday in one of the most prolific offensive explosions in school history with 656 total yards.

“The whole object of the offense is to stress defenses in ways that we can rather than line up and pound people in ways that we can’t,” Howard said. “From a coaching world, we have a lot to work on but the path is developing. We have a certain vision of what we want our offense to be and we have a certain vision of what we want our defense to be. Our offense is closer to that vision right now.”

Barthelmess likes the progress the team has made in the opening two weeks, but he’s looking for more.

“I’m looking forward to it when things really start to sync up,” Barthelmess said. “Whenever this thing starts to really click, we might do some special things.”

Honors pour in

In the wake of the Vikings’ victory at Knox, Barthelmess, Mazur and kicker Cody Robel, an Appleton native, all picked up awards.

Mazur was named to both the D3football.com and Beyond Sports Network national teams of the week. Barthelmess also was chosen for the BSN team and was chosen as the MWC Offensive Player of the Week. Robel, who tied the school record by going 8-for-8 on PATs, was named the MWC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Lawrence also leads the nation in passing offense (454 yards per game). Barthelmess leads the nation in passing yards per game (442) and total offense per game (495). Mazur is tops in the nation in scoring per game (21).

Bohrer chosen

Lawrence volleyball standout Clare Bohrer was named the MWC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Vikings to a 3-2 mark on the week. Bohrer piled up 52 kills on the week and had a .159 hitting percentage. She also picked up 24 blocks, eight aces and 18 digs. She led the Vikings to a fifth-place finish at the UW-Oshkosh Classic and was named to the all-tournament team.

Larson nets award

Lawrence women’s tennis star Beth Larson was named the MWC Player of the Week after posting a perfect record at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles. The senior from Maplewood, Minn., lost only five games total in singles as Lawrence defeated Dominican (Ill.), Edgewood and Lake Forest. She also teamed with Jenni Roesch for a 3-0 mark in doubles.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

Mazur named to D3football Team of the Week

Lawrence University football standout Tyler Mazur was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week after a record-setting performance.

Mazur (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg), a junior wide receiver/quarterback, caught eight passes for 220 yards and tied the school record with four touchdown catches in Lawrence’s 62-42 victory at Knox College on Sept. 10. Mazur also ran for a score and broke the Lawrence record for touchdowns and points in a game.

Mazur tied the record of four touchdown catches, which was set by Zach Michael vs. St. Norbert College in 2003. Mazur grabbed a 92-yard touchdown pass, the fourth-longest pass play in Lawrence history, to give the Vikings the lead for good in the second quarter. He then added 72-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter. He also had touchdown catches of four and 14 yards. Mazur’s 220 receiving yards is the fourth-highest game total in school history.

Mazur also ran three yards for a touchdown to give him a school-record five touchdowns on the afternoon. He broke the record of four, which was shared by four players. Mazur’s 30 points broke the record of 25, which was set by Carl Stumpf against Ripon College in 1953.

Mazur, who leads the nation in scoring and is 10th in receiving yards per game, is the second Lawrence player in as many seasons to be named to the D3football.com Team of the Week. Sam Wagner (Salem, Wis./Burlington Catholic Central) was chosen for the team in 2010.

Both Mazur and quarterback Luke Barthelmess (Dow, Ill./Principia) were chosen for the Beyond Sports Network Team of the Week this week as well.

Lawrence (1-1, 1-0 MWC) returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Monmouth College.