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Show ffrrrri iTrrrnTirrrirrrrTiagnr5graE55agaaBiasfe 722 c L M BY PORTER LARSEN r"' PLarsenDSN r , 3 c J 3 4 k 1 O' 'D Coming off one of the most successful seasons in Dixie State Universitys volleyball history, the Storm hoped to return to midseason form with a warm-u- p contest against a team comprised of DSU alumni. DSU finished 17-- 3 in the Pacific West Conference last season and upset No. 1 nationally ranked Northwest Nazarene in the NCAA tournament before its campaign came to an end in the Sweet X O "-- A V!'"' 1 I . vA' 1 it ft U .. t X, ,M i . 16. Fcr coverage of , f The alumni team, led by Nichole Koehler and Kara Cotter, both members of last years team, put up quite a fight. It led at some point in each set and even pulled off a win in the fourth. Ultimately, the Storms towering front line proved to be too much for the alumni to handle, blocking and spiking seemingly every ball in play. DSUs size is an asset that head coach Robyn Felder said is a huge c . i Ay. -- . i A. V Lindsey Jones, a junior from St George, made her presence known at the net during Dixie's game against DSU's volleyball alumni on Saturleader for hitting percentage at 320 day Aug 29 Entering the 201 5 season, Jones is DSUs all-ti- u s first football game Sept. check 5, cnfne at DxAunNevvs.com. advantage. Our defenders this year are ridiculous, Felder said. Im 5 foot 11 inches and at practice, I feel small. I think our blocking and defense can be No. 1 in the conference. Anchoring the Storms defense are returning middle blockers Makenzi and Lindsey Jones. a senior communication major from St. George, started in 22 matches and posted Pac-We- st Bird-Murph- ey Bird-Muiphe- y, a .279 hitting percentage, which ranks in the top 10 in DSU history. She added 142 kills and 54 total blocks, both among the leaders in those categories in the PacWest. Jones, a junior from St. George, is already proving to be a force in the middle for the Storm. She finished her sophomore season with similar numbers to gathering 112 48 blocks and a hitting kills, percentage of .339, landing her at second on Dixies list. Also returning for DSU is libero Alex Anderson, who is 605 digs away from becoming the Storms leader. Anderson, a senior biology major from Prescott, Arizona, has been a staple of consistency for DSU for the last two years, appearing in some capac Bird-Murph- y, all-ti- all-ti- ity in every game since her sophomore season began. She has been awarded with honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons. Along with those familiar faces, the Storm will welcome five junior college transfers. Newcomers who, Anderson said, are fitting in perfectly. I think thats something Felder really stresses, Anderson said. In order to be a team, you really have to go outside your comfort zone. Our team has been really good at that. Along with the transfers, seven freshman will be join All-PacW- New era for DSU BY PORTER LARSEN PLarsenDSN Womens volleyball at Cal State Los Angeles Sept 4 11.30 am Mens soccer vs vs Cal State San Marcos Sept 4 at 5 30 p m MSU-Billin- gs Women's volleyball at Seattle Pacific Sept 4 at The end of an era at Dixie State Athletics will now shuffle into the beginning of another. Dixie State University Athletic Director Jason Boothe announced the addition of three members to the athletic administration this summer, just one of several big changes coming to the athletic program this year. Following the departure of Kenny Cox, Jason Herbers and John Potter II, Boothe admitted he had some big shoes to fill before this years athletic season. He said he did just that with the changes were made during the summer. Buddy Allen joins DSU as the coordinator of internal operations, where he will oversee all scheduling of athletic facilities, game day operations and summer 430 pm. Men's and Women's Cross Country at Northern Kyte Classic Sept. 5 TBA Women's volleyball at Molley College and Lewis University Sept 5 at 9 a m. and 430 pm Women's soccer at Antelope Valley Sept. 5 at 11 a m. Football vs Colorado Mesa University at home Sept 5 at 6 pm. Allen Allen joins DSU at the coordinator of internal operations said he hopes to create a better environment at the games ing the DSU foster this year, adding some much needed depth. We are excited to have some more depth at each position, Felder said. I cant wait to see who steps up. I have big expectations for this group and I know they will rise to the challenge. Felder is not the only one who has high expectations of this years squad, as Dixie received the most first place votes in the PacWest preseason poll with four. ii also picked up four while California Baptist University and Point Loma Nazarene University were awarded three. The BYU-Hawa- coaches poll resulted in the closest voting in the conferences history with CBU being tabbed as the No. 1 team coming into the season. PLNU took the No. 2 spot, BYU-nabbed No. 3 and the Storm rounded out" the top four. This season is shaping up to be a tightly contested one at the top of the PacWest as DSU looks to make its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Storm begins its season with an exhibition match Sept. 2 at 5 p.m'. in the Student Activities Center against Colorado Mesa University. H athletic department camps. Before making the move to St. George, Allen was employed at his alma mater, Grand Canyon University. While in Phoenix, Allen gained the kind of experience and expertise that he said makes him a perfect fit at DSU. Im coming from a school that knows how to get people into games and really create an environment at the events, Allen said. Thats something that Dixie already does really well, but just being able to add my 2 cents is a big positive. While still trying to adjust to the colder St. George weather, Allen said his job transition has been seamless. Steve Johnson, incoming associate athletic director for media relations, had an even easier transition, as he only had to move his office across the parking lot. Johnson served as DSUs director of public relations, marketing, publications, trademarking and licensing for nine years before showing interest in the athletic i t ' - V f '- . 1 v A'2 ' 'I jj ? 1 x 1 - . m CO i NT -t 2X it X rn f Seegmiller joins DSU as the assistant coordinator of media relations Seegmiller is a DSU graduate, and he said it helps him connect with the fans department position. His. experience in that department was what made him stand out to Boothe. Its a home run, Boothe said. With his familiarity with the school and his experience in PR, it was a natural fit and somethin we couldnt pass up. Prior to his arrival at DSU, Johnson spent eight years as the assistant sports information director at Southern Utah University. Returning to this job is returning to my roots in athletic media relations, Johnson said. Im eager to increase the visibility of the Dixie State athletic department across the Wasatch Front, Vegas and Southern California. Thats our role. Keric Seegmiller was cho sen to fill the shoes of John Potter II. Potter served as the assistant coordinator of media relations for DSU for six years. He was also the see ERA page 1 |