Monmouth College volleyball will have a different look this fall as the team prepares to welcome a new head coach for the 1998 season. The new face on the bench will not be an unfamiliar one to Fighting Scot fans as Kari Shimmin replaces Mia Smith after her four-year run. Shimmin, a 1997 Monmouth graduate, is the program’s all-time career leader in kills (944), kill attempts (3,154), service aces (149) and digs (1,427) and still holds single-season team marks for service aces and digs. She was a two-time All-Midwest Conference selection at outside hitter, voted to the squad in 1995 and 1996 after leading Monmouth in both kills and digs in each season, and will now attempt to translate her on-court leadership skills to success on the bench.

"Returning to Monmouth College as head volleyball coach is a positive career move for me," said Shimmin. "As an alum of the college and as a former Fighting Scot athlete, I have a lot of pride in Monmouth. I am truly excited about the upcoming volleyball season." Shimmin will be aided by longtime assistant coach Cheri McNall, who enters her ninth season as a member of the Scots’ coaching staff.

The season ahead will pose several challenges as the Scots will attempt to find the winning ways again after two consecutive sub-.500 campaigns. Monmouth posted a 14-17 overall record and split its four MWC South Division matches last year, finishing 3rd in the division standings with a 2-2 mark. The women were 9-12 in tournament action in 1997, including a 1-2 record in three postseason MWC Conference Tournament matches.

Shimmin is hoping to build on the enthusiasm that comes with a new season and new challenges. The team’s number-one offensive player in 1997 [All-MWC hitter Lynn Utter] has graduated but Shimmin will have the luxury of five returning starters and several others with game experience. Despite the experience of a year together at the collegiate level, the players must adjust to a new system and the veteran athletes will have to develop quickly and produce more consistent results if the Scots are to contend for the league championship.

  Juniors Cindy and Wendy Erlandson (Kirkwood,IL/Yorkwood) came into their own last year and will also lay crucial roles in the team’s results this year. Cindy, who was one of the team’s two main setters, racked up 305 assists (3.3 per game) and added 126 digs in 93 games while Wendy was used at outside hitter and posted 99 kills and 131 blocks on the frontline. Junior Stacey Kreps (Champaign,IL/Centennial) split time with Erlandson at setter and recorded a team-high 329 assists (3.9 per game). Junior Jill Brant (Sandwich,IL/HS) and sophomore Abby Pollentier (East Moline,IL/United Township) are two other veteran players who have game experience and will provide depth on the Monmouth bench.

The freshman class is talented on paper but will face a hard task in replacing some of the returning players in the starting lineup. Jody Schaill (Henry,IL/Henry-Senachwine) and Shelley Moreno (Richton Park,IL/Rich South) both enter the program with solid high school playing experience while area prep standouts Andrea White (East Peoria,IL/HS) and Jaime Jones (LaHarpe, IL/HS), a two-time state high jump champion on the track, will provide hitting and blocking skills to fill Utter’s shoes at the net.

The volleyball team will report to campus for practice on August 26th and will open at home with the annual Monmouth Invitational on Saturday, September 5th. After a non-conference match at Iowa Wesleyan, the Fighting Scots will travel to Augustana for the first of four scheduled tournaments on the road this season. The 1998 MWC schedule begins on Friday, September 18th when the Scots play host to reigning Midwest Conference and South Division champion Lake Forest. The league tournament will be hosted by Grinnell College the first weekend in November.