The Buena Vista volleyball team kicks-off the Aubrey Havlichek era on August 31 and September 1 by taking part in the Kathryne Pals Legacy Tournament hosted by the University of Northwestern-St. Paul.

Depth will be a bit of concern for Havlichek, but she is still excited about the roster that will take the court.  Among the group will be seniors Serena Sandvig, Brooke Runneberg Kylie Roe and Summer Goss.  Sandvig ranked fourth on the team as a junior with 1.5 kills/set and was just shy of 200 total for the year.  She was an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection following the year.  Runneberg was among the team's top defensive players at the net, registering just under 1.0 block per set while also posting 70 kills.  Kylie Roe led the team in digs with 425 as a junior last season with Goss right behind with 420.

Sophomore Mackenzie Gropel looks to take over the primary setting duties this season after dishing out over 6.0 per set while splitting time with Goss in 2017.

Junior Emily Ivey will see significant playing time this season after spending her first two years playing primarily on the junior varsity team.

Havlichek has a trio of newcomers joining the team this season.  Freshman defensive specialist Jade Hays will add a great deal of depth to the backrow.  She was a First Team All-Conference and First Team All-District selection at Coon Rapids High School.  Sydney McLaren and Megan Vaughn will each bring a deeper presence to the offensive attack.  McLaren was a four-year all-state selection at Council Bluffs St. Albert and was a two-year member of the state all-tournament team.

BVU has made the conference tournament in each of the last four years and has come within striking distance of clinching at least a share of its first-ever league title during that stretch.  The team was picked to finish seventh in the preseson poll, but despite being a new head coach, Havlichek knows how tough the league is and says her team is expecting to make some noise.

"We are anxious to hit the ground running this season with a strong core returning," she says. "They will be essential in molding the culture with our incoming freshmen and are looking to make a statement in conference play." 

After its season-opening tournament, the Beavers will travel to Martin Luther on September 4 before taking part in the Grinnell College Tournament on September 7-8.  The home opener is set for September 11 at 7:00pm and will be a 'Blue Out Night.'  The American Rivers Conference opener is at Nebraska Wesleyan on September 13.