By Renee Thony
UWRF Sports Information

Going into the 2009 season, Falcon Coach Patti Ford’s dream of having a strong base of veteran players to help shape a talented group of younger athletes is coming true.

Kelsey Scheele Gina DeRosa and Andria Vetsch are Ford’s three seniors this season. Each has made their own impression in the UWRF volleyball program through their time spent on the team.

Vetsch is a right side hitter from Minneapolis, Minn. (Richfield High School). She joined the team as a freshman in 2006. In her 2008 season, Vetsch had nine solo blocks and 77 block assists for a total of 86 blocks with an average of .63 a set. She served up 31 aces and had a total of 251 kills on the season. She averaged 1.83 a set. She finished the season with 329.5 points, an average of 2.40 a set.

Vetsch. 5-10, is anxious about her senior season, saying she’s pleased with how the team’s looked so far in 2009. “We’re looking very good. I’m excited,” Vetsch said. In her career she has amassed 377 kills, 31 aces, 192 digs and 147 total blocks.

She also commented on the fact that the team’s practices have been full of laughter, which makes her hopeful for team bonding throughout the season.

Vetsch, who has been named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2007 and 2008, was the team’s Most Improved Player after the 2007 season.

DeRosa is the team’s big middle hitter from Maplewood, Minn. (North St. Paul High School). As a junior last year, DeRosa lead the team in blocking. She finished with 31 solos and 104 assists for a total of 135 blocks on the year (.96 per set). She ended the season with 290 kills, averaging 2.07 a set with a hitting percentage of .211. At the finish of her junior year, DeRosa had scored 373 points with an average of 2.66 points a set.

DeRosa, 6-0, also earned honorable mention to the All-WIAC team as a middle hitter.

The senior said she’s excited about the upcoming season. She said that being a leader on a young team is something she looks forward to. “It’s exciting to get to lead a team and take charge,” she said.

DeRosa, who has been named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll for three straight years, has 795 kills and 407 total blocks in her career.

Scheele, the team’s strongest outside hitter from Norwood, Minn. (Mayer Lutheran), has been with the team since her freshman year in 2006, as well. She leads the team in several categories. In 2008, Scheele finished the season with 456 kills, averaging 3.19 a set with a .214 hitting percentage. She served up 44 service aces and had 528 digs, averaging 3.69 a set. She finished the season with four solo blocks and 45 block assists for a total of 49 and an average of .34 blocks a set. She ended her junior year with 526.5 points, averaging 3.68 a set.

Scheele, 5-7, earned honorable mention to the AVCA All-American team in 2008. She has also named the team’s Most Valuable Player and been named to the first All-WIAC teams the past two seasons. In 2007 she was also the team’s Offensive Player of the Year. Shceele, along with her senior teammates, has also done an outstanding job in the classroom and has been named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll every year of competition.

Last year she accomplished a great individual feat by registering her 1,000th career kill in a match against St. Ambrose. She has 1,064 kills, 48 aces, 1,527 digs and 118 total blocks entering the 2009 season.

Scheele said she’s just as excited as her fellow seniors for her final season as a Falcon. She said that she’s looking most forward to using the depth the team will have coming off the bench. “We have so much depth this season,” the senior said. “We’ve implemented a new defense that’s working well, and our serving is looking really good. We’re playing scrappy volleyball, and I’m excited.”