Head Coach Riann Mullis has high expectations as she enters her third season with Chadron State volleyball, which opens the season on the road at the Lindenwood Challenge in St. Joseph, Missouri with four other schools beginning Friday.

We caught up with Coach Mullis at preseason practice to check in on how the team is preparing for the season and what the expectations are for 2018.   The vibe around the team is very positive and Mullis says with extra preseason time this year the team is benefiting.

 

That extra practice time is allowing the team to mold faster with new impact players joining key returners.  Mullis says a former Chadron High School star is among the newcomers that will help take the Eagles to new heights, along with a transfer on the outside.

 

Senior Madison Webb is back and will be among the best setters and leaders in the entire RMAC.  Coach Mullis says Webb is an example of the type of player she wants every Eagle volleyball player to be.

 

If senior Dominika Senkerikova can return to top form after two knee surgeries the Eagles will have another potent offensive weapon back.

 

A program building needs high-quality freshman to come in and help the progress trend upward.  This year’s class is generating a lot of buzz within the team.

 

The RMAC preseason coaches poll isn’t expecting as much from the Eagles as Coach Mullis and the players believe they can achieve.   Naturally, CSC uses it as motivation to prove the skeptics wrong. And low preseason expectations from outsiders is something Coach Mullis’ past teams have proven to be silly.

 

So, what’s the true goal of this year’s team?  Coach Mullis sees the RMAC postseason in CSC’s near future.

 

While the coaches report the Chadron State College football team is coming off another solid week of practice, they also emphasize that much is still to be accomplished before the Eagles are ready for the season-opener on Sept. 1 at home against Black Hills State.

Crews that feverishly have been constructing the Eagles’ new field, stadium and press box almost since the 2017 season ended nine months ago say about the same thing: Great progress has been made, but the finishing touches are still taking place.

Head coach Jay Long said the Eagles, who had the 13th of their 24 practices on Monday, have completed their “building phase” where most of the basics were installed. From now the focus will be on what Long called the “compete phase,” where the game plans for the opener and the season as a whole will be emphasized.

“I’m excited about how things have been going,” Long said Monday. “We’ve worked hard and have a great group of mature seniors to lead the way.  They’re ‘team-first guys.’ They’d probably like to skip the next two weeks of practice and play a game now, but we all know there are things that still need to be worked on.”

A question that remains unanswered is at quarterback.  Offensive coordinator Chris Stein said his son, TD, now a senior who missed nearly all of last season because of injury, and last year’s starter, sophomore Dalton Holst, are in a tight duel for the starting nod.

“They’re both good quarterbacks, both have been playing well, but they do things a little differently,” the elder Stein said. “Dalton can really throw the ball.  TD manages the offense well and puts us in good position. He’s also thrown the ball really well this fall. I don’t know how things will look two Saturdays from now (when the season opens).”

While the O coordinator didn’t comment on whether the two quarterbacks might share the playing time, he also commended Tyler Hyland, a redshirt freshman who is third on the depth chart at quarterback.

“I won’t hesitate to put him in,” Stein said. “He moves really well.”

Elsewhere in the offensive backfield, rugged senior Kevin Coy has been the leader at tailback while both juniors Stevann Brown and Priest Jennings, who were outstanding during spring practice, have not taken part in much contact.

“We’re being cautious with them,” Stein said.  “Hopefully, they’ll be ready to see action by the end of this week.

The absence of Brown and Jennings has opened the way for true freshman Elijah Myles of Hawthorne, Calif., to make a favorable impression.

“We’re pleased with him,” Stein said of Myles. “He has some physical tools and a good mind.”

Long added that even if Brown and Jennings reach full speed in the next two weeks, Myles, who is 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, will not redshirt.

The head coach also noted that Austin Rapp, a 6-2, 294-pound redshirt freshman from Moville, Iowa, has been impressive while filling the opening at right guard.

“You’ll hear plenty about him the next few years,” Long said.

Last year’s starters at the remaining four line positions have returned.

Receivers’ coach Logan Masters said that beginning in the spring great emphasis has been placed on not dropping passes by his troops.

“We had way too many drops last year,” he stated. “We’ve got to catch the ball first, then perhaps we can make a big play.”

Masters said several of the younger receivers have been impressive.  They include sophomore Cole Thurness of Rapid City and redshirt freshmen Chad Mikelson of Julesburg, Colo., and Maurice Wyatt of Denver.

Masters added that Thurness could play any of the skill positions and is expected to be a member of all the special teams.

On the other side of the ball where just a handful of starters have returned, defensive coordinator Jeff Larsen said he and his assistants continue to evaluate personnel at several positions.

“We still have a revolving door at places,” Larson said. “We have a lot of good looking young players who are still learning. We’ve got two more weeks to work with them, get them in the right defense and make it work.  We may not have everything answered until after the first game.”

Larson added that transfer Tyree Fryar has been a good addition to the secondary, especially since he can play either cornerback or safety.  He also noted that sophomore Louis Smith has blossomed at defensive end and said depth appears to be a strength in both the line and at linebacker.

Long said two position changes were made late last week to give promising players a better chance to get on the field. Karson Avila moved from quarterback to tight end and Dante Wiggins shifted from running back to defensive back.

Chadron State College has a new head cross country and assistant track and field coach.

He is Scott Foley, who was a standout cross country and distance runner at Cheyenne Central High School and also competed in those sports at Boise State in Idaho, graduating in 2012.

Foley, 29, replaces Brian Medigovich, who after being at Chadron State the past five years, resigned last week to become the assistant cross country and track and field coach at Adams State, his alma mater.

During the past three years, Foley has helped coach cross country and track at Black Hills State.  The first two years, he was a graduate assistant.  After earning his master’s degree in 2017, he remained at the school as an assistant coach last season. While there, Foley helped coach BHSU to its first-ever team NCAA appearance in 2015, and the program claimed its first-ever NCAA All-American in Alec Baldwin.

While at Boise State, Foley was a member of four Mountain West Conference championship teams—one in cross country, one in indoors track and two in outdoors track.  As a senior in 2012, he had a career-best time of 29:52.10 while placing fourth in the 10,000 meters at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays in Azusa, Calif.  At the time, his mark ranked third on Boise State’s all-time list.

Highlights of Foley’s high school career included placing among the top eight in Class 4A at the Wyoming High School Cross Country Meet as both junior and a senior.

As a senior in spring of 2007, he was fifth in the 800 meters, second in both the 1600 and 3200 and ran on the winning 4×800-meter relay team, helping the Central Indians win the Class 4A track and field state championship to go with the cross country title they’d won in the fall.

He also placed fourth in the 10,000 at the Mountain West Conference Meet that spring, qualified for the NCAA National Meet and earned national all-academic honors for the season.

Foley is now a fledgling marathon runner.  Last fall, he entered his first such race, the Twin Cities Marathon, and finished 12th among the 4,091 male contestants and was third among the American entries.  His time qualified him to enter the USA Championships Marathon at Sacramento, Calif., this December, and he is planning to do that.

The Chadron State cross country teams under Foley’s guidance will open their 2018 schedule at the South Dakota Mines Invitational Meet in Rapid City on Saturday, Sept. 1.  The Eagles will have their own meet the following Saturday.

 

The Chadron State defense is building for the season in fall camp and opportunities are all over the place for guys to step in and become the next great defensive Eagle.  D-Coordinator Jeff Larson is tasked with finding the right combination of guys to fill a unit that lost several multi-year starters and huge playmakers.

Through the first week-and-a-half of practice Larson said last week the defense is starting to find consistency.

 

Defensive line is the biggest area that needs re-stocking, and Larson says his top returner Kyle Temple is playing and leading as expected.  He also noted a couple guys that are taking advantage of opportunities and a position change that has been great for a former safety.

 

Eagle fans know it’s not just a set four that will play most of the game up front. Larson says the competition is fierce, new assignments and evaluations are continuous.

 

He added thoughts on the need to find depth on the line, not only a new starting rotation.

 

On to the most veteran starting group returning – the linebackers.  The elder statesmen are doing what they do best, and a pair of sophomores are standing out.

 

Keenan Johnson, Tyler Lewis and Merritt Crabtree are reminding Larson of a special group at linebacker from a few years ago.

 

On to the secondary next where the situation is similar to the line with graduation losses.  Who’s stepping up?

 

It’s possible there will be some young DB’s getting playing time through the season.

 

Check back for more on the Chadron State defense including a deeper look into the CSC secondary as camp moves along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nearly two full weeks into Chadron State fall camp the Eagle offense is seeing it’s top returning players perform well as expected, and some young freshmen are making an impact and bidding for playing time when the season kicks off September 1.

On a breezy afternoon after practice this week Offensive Coordinator Chris Stein talked about the progress the offense is making.

 

We went position group by position group with Coach Stein to learn how each unit was looking ten days in.  Once again this fall the Eagles will have two quarterbacks that bring different specialties to the field with Dalton Holst and TD Stein, which gives Coach Stein an option in any particular game situation.

 

The two distinct quarterbacks are performing so well in their respective areas Coach Stein is still determining when to deploy one or both QBs in games this year.

 

Whoever takes snaps will be protected by one of the most veteran and top offensive lines in the RMAC.  Only one starter doesn’t return, and a freshman guard is coming along well and the outlook for his production up front is very positive.

 

Another freshman is getting plenty of reps and making nice plays in camp running the football.  And Coach Stein says senior Kevin Coy may be in for the best year of his career.

 

Down field there will be plenty of weapons to choose from through the air.  Big time veteran targets like Brandon Fullerton and Tevon Wright are back and primed for big years, and a freshman with tremendous hands has emerged in the receiver mix.

 

Former Hemingford Bobcat Colt Foster will be an instrumental part of the offense once again and is battling through a minor injury.  Stein says Foster’s a “special kid and a special player” that the Eagles are counting on for a big year.

 

Check back for a look across the CSC defense with coordinator Jeff Larson coming soon.

 

Chadron State volleyball opens the 2018 season at the Lindenwood Challenge August 24 in St. Charles, Missouri.  The team has had an extra week of preseason practice, which is helping two senior stars become even more ready for what’s expected to be excellent seasons leading CSC.

Senior setter Madison Webb and right-side hitter Dominika Senkerikova talked with Voice of the Eagles Dave Collins at practice Wednesday night on several topics heading into the season opener.

Q-&-A with Madison Webb

Is it hard to believe your senior season is already here?:

“Four years ago I would have never believed how fast it goes. And when they say that college goes faster than high school I definitely didn’t believe it but I’m just super thankful for the four years that  I’ve had here.”

You’ve had to go through quite a bit in your career, several coaches, a lot of new players in and out of the program.  What was it you were able to do to stay composed and want to stay a part of Chadron State volleyball to come to this point? 

“Yea my freshman year I came in and my coach then was talking about re-building the program and each year we just have that talk of turning this program around and making Chadron State volleyball something that the RMAC remembers. So I’ve seen that vision from when I was 18 and now heading into my senior season it’s been really cool to see Coach Mullis actually make that happen.”

“We’re taking baby steps each and every single year.  Obviously it takes time to build a program, but I’m super excited about the system that she’s implemented and seeing that success now, even though it didn’t happen right away (in my career), heading into this year we’re just super excited for all of our hard work over the past few seasons just to take bigger steps in this conference than ever before.”

How has fall practice gone?

“There’s a lot of excitement in the gym.  We have a lot of new talent, new faces coming in, more talent probably than we’ve had in the past, which is super exciting.  We’ve gotten to scrimmage and play against each other a lot this preseason, which has honestly made all of us better.  We’re sharpening one another, we’re pushing one another to be better, whether that’s between the setters or the hitters, and even the defense.  (We’re) competing in a healthy way to make sure that we’re competing at the top of our abilities.”

How is your chemistry with the hitters developing?

“It’s been really exciting with the middles, having Chandler (Hageman) and Timmi (Keisel) returning we got a lot of time to do setter-hitter connection during the spring and so it’s been awesome.  Even over the summer that hasn’t gone away, that’s just gotten stronger so we can’t wait to show some teams and surprise some teams this year.  As far as the outside hitters go, we have a bunch of new outsides so that connection has been coming along over these past two weeks.  We’re thankful for the ton of time we’ve gotten to have in the gym.”

CSC was ranked #12 in the preseason RMAC coaches poll.  What do you make of the prediction and do you pay much attention to things like preseason polls?

“We definitely are gonna have the most successful season that we’ve had.  That’s the standard we’re setting for ourselves – each year we’re winning more games than we did the last (year).  So that’s kind of the standard, we’re not settling for anything less than that.  I think we’re going to upset a lot of teams.  I think a lot of the teams in the conference are overlooking us right now, which is exciting that we can come up and show some teams that we’re going to be able to compete at a higher level than we have in the past.”

What did you do to prepare yourself in off-season, and what areas did you try to improve for your senior year:

“I think consistency for a setter, that’s just going to be our biggest thing, putting up a consistent ball no matter where the pass is on the court, is going to produce the greatest results from our hitters so that’s a lot of what I’ve been working on.”

“Also, watching a lot of film and making sure to make smarter and better decisions so I can get those one-on-one attacks for our hitters and we can get more kills out of each and every single one of the hitters.  Also, becoming more dynamic, not just being an outside-hitter team but using our middles in transition and in serve-receive, because in this conference you have big blockers on the other side so you’ve got to be able to move that ball around.”

 

Q-&-A with Dominika Senkerikova

 

How excited are you that volleyball season is just about here?

“It feels great, this year we are having two weeks of pre-season which is very beneficial for us since we don’t get a lot of time to get ready for the real season with the new freshmen coming in, so it’s been great.”

 

On freshman in fall practice:

“I’m very surprised with the new freshmen because they are strong, they are very genuine, and they do what they are supposed to do.  They are very motivated.  This is a special freshmen year that I think they are going to be very good in a few years.”

 

What’s it like to play with a setter like Madison Webb?

“Madison is an awesome player.  I call her the ‘brain of the game’ – not just because she’s a setter, which should be brain of the game – but she also knows how to be ‘Madison Webb.’ We have a great connection.  She helps people out, she never leaves anyone behind her back, meaning if someone is struggling, (her) first priority is to help them out.”

 

What are your goals for yourself and the team?

“I’m not sure about myself. I had a second surgery in May so both of my knees have had surgery.  I’m practicing, trying to get stronger.  However, we have Shelby (Schouten) on our team, which is a great right-side hitter as well, she makes great decisions.  So, if I don’t make it to play for whatever reason, she can replace me or anyone else, which will be very helpful for our team.”

Chadron State College has partnered with SuperFanU to bring students and fans a new way to experience campus with the launch of a new mobile application, CSC Eagle Rewards.

The free app is available now in both Apple’s App Store as well as the Google Play Store.

CSC Eagle Rewards offers users benefits for checking in to campus events on their mobile phones. Points are awarded for each event and they may be exchanged for prizes in the Prize Store. Additionally, the app keeps fans up-to-date on promotions, athletics event changes, and important reminders.

Events included in the app’s calendar include all types of college functions, including athletic events and student-led activities, as well as residence life initiatives and new student orientation.

Prizes to be offered will include CSC gear, local food discounts and giveaways, drawing entries, athletic concessions, and more.

“This is a great way to make the most out of your college experience,” CSC alumnus John Murphy, now a graduate student at the college, as well as a sports information assistant. “By participating in as much of campus life as possible, students will maximize their potential and get rewarded for it at the same time.”

A social media component also allows students and fans to interact with each other and the app, using fan polls, a social feed, points leaderboards, and a FanCam.

The app is being made available at no cost by a joint effort from CSC Athletics, College Relations, Admissions, Student Activities, and Residence Life. CSC Athletics Director Joel R. Smith hopes that the launch of the application during the new student orientation period and Week of Welcome will be a factor driving student participation.

Smith added that when students are planning an event, they will still need to contact Conferencing to make room reservations and food arrangements. Students wishing to add events through the app may do so by using an online form.