2004-05 Press Releases

The MidAmerica Men’s Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference recognized Graceland freshman Kevin Allison as a second team all-conference selection for the 2005 season.

Allison is a six-foot-two-inch outside hitter from Elgin, Ill. In the MAMVIC, Allison was fourth in average kills per set with 244 kills in 65 sets for a 3.75 average. He was also fourth in service aces per set with 25 aces in 65 sets.

Allison played in 102 games this season, and led the Jackets in kills (362) and service aces (69). Allison ranked third on the team in solo blocks (16), assisted blocks (26) and was second with 153 digs.

Kevin was a two-time conference player of the week during the 2005 season. His first honor was awarded on January 24 and the second on February 15.

Graceland men’s volleyball players Conan Salanoa and Gregory Harry have earned Academic All-Conference accolades in the MidAmerica Men’s Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference.

Salanoa, a senior from Aiea, Hawaii, is an outside hitter for the Yellowjackets who is majoring in elementary education. Salanoa played in 58 games this season, and was sixth on the team in digs with 38. He had 19 kills this season and 3 solo blocks.

Harry, who is studying information technology, is a middle hitter from the Commonwealth of Dominica. Harry averaged 2.04 kills per game this season, with 149 kills in 73 games. He had 33 solo blocks and 39 assisted blocks.

The Graceland Yellowjackets ended the 2005 season with a loss to Missouri Baptist University in the MidAmerica Men’s Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Friday morning in Parkville, Mo.

Graceland came out with a strong 30-22 win in the first, but Missouri Baptist won three straight (30-24, 30-24, 30-23) to end the match 3-1.

The Jackets ended the season 12-15 overall under first year head coach Chad McDole.

The Graceland men’s volleyball team is looking forward to the MidAmerica Men’s Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference (MAMVIC) Tournament this weekend after a tough 2-3 loss to Peru State College on April 2.

The Jackets played five strong games to Peru State, including a 28-30 loss in the first set, followed by a 30-28 win in the second. The Bobcats came back with a 30-25 win in the third, and the Jackets took the fourth 30-26. Graceland couldn’t hold on for the win in the fifth, dropping the game 14-16.

With a season record of 12-14, the Jackets took the sixth seed in the conference tournament, and will play the three seed, Missouri Baptist, at noon on Friday, April 8 in Parkville, Mo.

“We still have a shot at fighting for a spot to go to nationals, but with the loss against Peru, we must play to win a tough conference tournament,” says Graceland Coach Chad McDole.

The Graceland men’s volleyball team struggled to a 0-3 loss to Missouri Baptist University on Thursday night in St. Louis. The Jackets lost 24-30, 25-30 and 21-30.

The men play Peru State College on Saturday in Peru, Neb., then look forward to the MAMVIC conference championships in Parkville, Mo. on April 8-9.

The Graceland men's volleyball home season ended with a 3-0 win over St. Ambrose University on Thursday, March 17, 2005. Varsity seniors Justin Franklin and Conan Salanoa were recognized prior to the game, along with JV seniors Trevor Gensler, Matt McLaughlin and Junius Wong.
Senior Night Photos

The Graceland men's volleyball team beat William Woods 3-2 in a tight game on Saturday, March 5 in Lamoni, Iowa.

The Jackets took the first game 31-29, then William Woods took the next two 27-30 in both games. But Graceland didn't let up, winning the final two games 30-25 and 15-12.

Graceland is now 10-9 overall, and host Lindenwood University on March 8 at 6:00 p.m.

The Graceland men’s volleyball team won four of 10 matches this weekend, including a 2-3 loss to both Missouri Baptist University, who is third in the nation, and to the 10th best team in the NAIA, Newman University.

Against Missouri Baptist on Friday, the men started slow with 19-30 and 27-30 losses in the first two, but came back with consecutive wins (30-26, 30-27) to tie the match at two apiece. MBU stood strong and came away with the 15-11 win in the fifth to finish the match ahead of the Jackets 3-2.

On Saturday the Jackets started with the same round one loss (16-30) as the previous night, but this time came away with a second round win of 30-26. Newman took the third 27-30, and the Jackets won the fourth 30-23. With the same results as on Friday, Graceland lost the fifth and final game 11-15.

The Jackets are now 9-9 overall and 3-6 in the MAMVIC. Graceland is currently sixth in the NAIA Men’s Volleyball Coaches Top 10 Polls.

The MAMVIC has awarded Graceland freshman Kevin Allison with his second player of the week honor for the season. Allison received his first player of the week award on January 24.

Allison, an outside hitter from Elgin, Ill., played in 13 games this week, four in the win over Peru State and nine in the losses to William Woods and Missouri Valley. Kevin averaged 4.83 kills, .42 blocks, 1.8 digs and .75 service aces per game with a .36 hitting percentage in his 13 games.

“Kevin has filled a great role as a leader on the court for us,” said Coach Chad McDole. “He performs well in every aspect of the game, serving, hitting, passing, blocking. He is a well-rounded player that we are looking for great things from in his career here at Graceland. You could not ask for more of an impact from a freshman, he is doing a great job.”

This weekend the Jackets take a road trip to play St. Ambrose University on Saturday, then dip down to Lindenwood University on Sunday, February 20 to play the Lions.

Graceland’s men’s volleyball team opened the regular season at the Closson with a high energy 3-1 win over the Peru State Bobcats on Friday night in Lamoni, Iowa.

The Jackets began the night with a convincing 30-23 win over Peru from Nebraska. Graceland played game two to the wire, and fell short 30-32, but turned up the heat in the last two games to come away with 30-25 and 30-22 wins.

The Graceland men look forward to another game in the Closson tomorrow night, Saturday, February 12, at 7:00 p.m. against Missouri Valley College.

The Graceland men’s volleyball team fought William Woods to five games, but ended up on the short end of the final game, dropping the match 2-3 Monday night in Fulton, Mo.

Graceland battled 29-31 in the first game, and game two was much of the same, with William Woods taking it 24-30. The Yellowjackets fought back with back to back wins of 30-27 and 30-24, taking the contest to the final game. In the fifth, William Woods came back 15-12 to end the event.

Graceland is now looking forward to returning to their home court on Friday, February 11 to host Peru State College at 7:00 p.m. in the Closson Center.

Ainoa Miyashiro has been recognized as the MidAmerica Men’s Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference Setter of the Week for January 24-31.

In week two of the season, Miyashiro played in 17 games, averaging 12.1 assists, .35 kills, .17 blocks, 1.23 digs and .29 service aces per game.

Miyashiro is a five-foot-ten-inch freshman from Honolulu, Hawaii. At Kamehameha High, Ainoa was an all-state player and was on an all-tournament team at junior Olympics as a club player.

Ainoa is the son of Gordon and Joey and the brother to Tehani, Imai, Tamari and Kaulana.

The Graceland men’s volleyball team went 1-3 at the Lindenwood Tournament in St. Charles, Mo. on January 28-29. The Jackets were defeated by Cardinal Stritch in five, but came back to beat Johnson and Wales 3-1 on day one. The second day Graceland dropped games to Missouri Baptist 3-1 and Park University 3-1.

The weekend started with what Head Coach Chad McDole stated to be a disappointing loss to Cardinal Stritch University. “Against Cardinals Stritch (CSU) the loss boiled down to unforced errors and no intensity,” said McDole. “The CSU match was our worst passing game of the season, and passing well should be something we should be able to plan on. When we are in system, thanks to our passers, we are a tough team to beat, but when we are not we are very beatable. That is what happened against CSU.”

After a long talk about intensity, Graceland volleyball tradition, accountability, and fundamentals the team came out the rest of the weekend an entirely different team. With the motto of “Champions hate to lose more than they love to win!” the game against Johnson Whales University was played with totally different energy. “It was the kind of Graceland volleyball spirit I was used to,” continued McDole. “No fear, smiling, having fun, and playing to win.”

The team was a little tentative early and did lose the first game 25-30, but then controlled the rest of the match, and obviously had the mental edge. The focus was to get the middle hitters more involved so that the team would not be so predictable. With the help of Greg Harry in his season opener from being hurt, the Jackets had a huge spark in the middle. Harry had not had much time in practice with the team due to injuries, but he stepped right in and did some great things.

Against the number three team in the country, Missouri Baptist, the Jackets opened the match with a 35-33 win in game one. In game two Graceland stuck with the Spartans until about 20, then lost 23-30. The same was true for game four, when the Jackets lost 23-30 staying in the game until 20. Game four showed great tempo from the Lamoni team, and had the serve to win the game at 29-2, but Missouri Baptist got a sideout and scored two points to end the match.

The Park game was a true battle. The Jackets were in every game, and won game two, but again lost in four games. Graceland stayed close, never losing by more than four or five points.

“You can look at the score but it was a tight match,” said McDole. “At times it was a serving battle, a ball control battle and who could put balls away when they were out of system. When both teams were in system they were pretty much getting sideouts. Park’s experience I guess paid off. But our energy and perseverance kept us in every game! We never let down.”

LINDENWOOD MEN’S VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Missouri Baptist University defeated Moody Bible Institute 3-0 (30-19, 30-20, 30-14)
Missouri Valley College defeated Newman University 3-0 (30-27, 30-27, 31-29)
William Woods University defeated Peru State College 3-1 (32-30, 30-32, 30-27, 30-25)

Cardinal Stritch University defeated Graceland University 3-2 (30-28, 30-23, 22-30, 24-30, 15-6)
Lindenwood University defeated Johnson and Wales 3-0 (30-18, 30-19, 30-22)
Park University defeated Warner Southern College 3-0 (30-12, 30-17, 30-19)

Missouri Baptist University defeated William Woods University 3-0 (30-28, 30-18, 30-25)
Newman University defeated Peru State College 3-1 (30-21, 30-23, 30-32, 30-17)
Missouri Valley College defeaed Moody Bible Institute 3-1 (30-25, 30-20, 26-30, 30-19)

Park University defeated Cardinal Stritch University 3-0 (30-19, 30-27, 30-21)
Lindenwood University defeated Warner Southern College 3-0 (30-19, 30-13, 30-15)
Graceland University defeated Johnson and Wales 3-1 (25-30, 30-21, 30-27, 30-24)

DAY 2

Park University defeated. Johnson and Wales 3-0 (30-22, 30-19, 30-24)
Peru State College defeated Warner Southern College 3-0 (30-11, 30-14, 30-27)
Missouri Baptist University defeated Graceland University 3-1 (32-35, 30-23, 30-23, 31-29)

William Woods University defeated Moody Bible Institute 3-0 (30-14, 30-18, 30-21)
Lindenwood University defeated Newman University 3-0 (30-23, 30-28, 30-21)
Missouri Valley College defeated Cardinal Stritch University 3-030-23, 30-30, 30-24)

Johnson and Wales defeated Warner Southern College 3-0 (30-17, 31-29, 30-17)
Park University defeated Graceland University 3-1 (30-24, 25-30, 30-27, 31-29)
Missouri Baptist University defeated Peru State College 3-0 (30-25,30-13, 30-27)

Newman University defeated Moody Bible Institute 3-0 (30-22, 30-16, 30-15)
Lindenwood University defeated Cardinal Stritch University 3-0 (30-25, 30-20, 30-22)
Missouri Valley College defeated William Woods University 3-1 (30-20, 30-15, 28-30, 30-20)

The MidAmerica Men’s Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference awarded Graceland freshman Kevin Allison MAMVIC player of the week honors for the first week of the men’s volleyball 2005 season.

Allison, from Elgin, Ill., has played in 10 games this season, with an average of 3.28 kills, .71 blocks, 2.14 digs and 1.42 service aces per game.

Allison is a six-foot-two-inch outside hitter from Larkin High School. For the Royals, Allison was a four-year varsity player and unanimous all-conference his junior and senior years.

Allison also played club ball for Sports Performance. His 18-Mizuno team took fifth place at nationals in Austin, Texas in 2004, and his 17-Mizuno team placed fifth in the 2003 nationals in Phoenix, Ariz. In August of 2003, Allison was invited to attend the National High Performance Developmental Camp at Kent State in Texas, where he received the best attacker award. Allison was also listed on Volleyball Magazine’s Fab 50 list of the top 50 players in the country.

Kevin is the son of Jeff and Teri, and the brother to Matt and Katie. Kevin plans to major in athletic training at Graceland.

Kevin and the Yellowjackets play at the Lindenwood Invitational Tournament this weekend in St. Charles, Mo. Graceland plays against Cardinal Stritch at 4:00 and Johnson and Wales at 8:00 on Friday, January 28, and against Missouri Baptist at 10:00 and Park at 2:00 on Saturday.

January 28-29 at St. Charles, MO
Graceland’s Game Schedule

Friday, January 28
	Cardinal Stritch vs GU	4:00
	GU vs Johnson and Wales	8:00
Saturday, January 29
	GU vs Missouri Baptist	10:00
	GU vs Park	2:00

The Graceland Invitational men's volleyball tournament schedule is set and the Yellowjackets will play three games to open up their 2005 campaign. Game one is set for Friday Jan. 21st at 8:15 pm vs. Cardinal Stritch University. On Saturday the Jackets will have two games; the first against St. Ambrose University at 12:15 pm and the second at 2:30 pm vs. Trinity Christian College

Full Schedule - Final

Fri. 6:00 Peru State vs. Trinity Christian - PSU 3-0

6:00 Missouri Valley vs. St. Ambrose - MVC 3-0

8:15 Graceland vs. Cardinal Stritch - GU 3-1

Sat 10:00 Peru State vs. Cardinal Stritch - CSU 3-1

10:00 Trinity Christian vs. Missouri Valley - MVC 3-0

Sat 12:15 Missouri Valley vs. Cardial Stritch - MVC 3-0

12:15 Graceland vs. St. Ambrose - GU 3-0

Sat 2:30 Trinity Christian vs. St. Ambrose

Yellowjacket alumnus Chad McDole has accepted the men’s volleyball coaching position coupled with a teaching appointment in the Department of Health and Movement Sciences at Graceland University, in Lamoni, Iowa. Chad will begin his duties August 1.

Chad is currently the head women’s volleyball coach and sports information director at a fellow Heart of America Athletic Conference school, Benedictine College. For the Ravens, McDole is in control of both a varsity and junior varsity women’s volleyball program. The varsity team finished the season 26-7, with a second-place finish and an 8-2 record in the HAAC.

“Chad McDole has the knowledge and ability to keep the men's volleyball program at its high level of excellence,” says Dan Hanton, Director of Athletics at Graceland. “His experience in the Heart of America Athletic Conference as a player and coach will greatly enhance the men's program.”

McDole graduated from Graceland in 1999 with a degree in wellness and recreation. While at Graceland, Chad was a defensive specialist for the 1998 NIRSA men’s volleyball National Championship Team. Chad also served as one of Graceland’s junior varsity women’s volleyball coaches from 1996-99.

Following his tenure at Graceland, McDole then completed his masters of education in sports administration from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. At KU, McDole spent two years as a women’s volleyball assistant under Head Coach Ray Bechard.

The Graceland graduate has been on staff for several volleyball camps including USAV National Development Camps for the past 12 years, USAV Regional High Performance Camps for two years, University of Kansas Volleyball camps for the past four years, the Benedictine College Camp for two years and the Fort Osage Volleyball Camp for three years. McDole is also a member of USA Volleyball and the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

“Graceland athletics will miss the teaching, coaching, and personality of Stu Sherman,” continues Hanton. “However, the two departments have hired an outstanding young man with a proven track and work ethic to take his place.”

Chad is the son of Stew McDole, the head women’s volleyball coach at Graceland University.