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2007-08 roster | schedule | team picture | stats Cody Dunston Joins JWU Men’s Volleyball Coaching Staff Dunston ended his Wildcat athletic career as the most decorated Men’s Volleyball player in JWU history. He was a four year starter, primarily as a setter, from 2005-2008. He was a 4-time Academic All-Conference Selection and a 4-time All-Conference Selection, being named First-Team All Conference in both 2007 and 2008. Dunston holds several JWU records including being the program’s Career and Single Season Assists Leader as well as the Career Digs Leader. In his new position, Dunston will be primarily responsible for administering JWU’s strength and conditioning program as well as player development regarding setting and defense. This addition figures to significantly strengthen the JWU coaching staff, particularly since both David Benedik and Laura Dunston will be retained as assistant coaches for the 2008-2009 season. Johnson & Wales Men’s Volleyball Wraps up 2008 Season Ranked #7 Nationally Although the season ended on a sour note at the conference tournament, 2008 was a successful season for Johnson & Wales in a variety of ways. Recording a 13-9 overall record (10-9 in varsity competitions), JWU finished this season as the #7 ranked NAIA program in the country. Statistically, Johnson & Wales set program records in 2008 for most digs per game (13.09) and for fewest service errors per game (3.07). In addition to their team accomplishments in 2008, Johnson & Wales had several players earn individual awards. Setter Cody Dunston was recognized for the second year in a row as First Team All-Conference, and he was named the NAIA National Player of the Week for the week of February 4th through February 11th. Junior Hapaki Kaululaau (Laie, HI) was named the NAIA National Libero of the Week three different times throughout the season. On the academic side, Johnson & Wales’ players (with a team grade point average of 3.05) earned 4 of the 11 Academic All-Conference Awards that were given, which was more than from any other school in the conference. Academic All-Conference Awards went to four-time winners Cody Dunston (3.49 GPA) and Senior Ty Schraufnagel (Parker, CO) (3.68 GPA) as well as to first-time winners Hapaki Kaululaau (3.34 GPA) and Brad Larsen (3.35 GPA). JWU players set several new individual school records during the 2008 season, and those records are as follows: · Career Kills – 637 – Eric Kiel · Career Hitting Percentage - .313 – Ty Schraufnagel · Career Blocks – 253 – Ty Schraufnagel · Career Blocks Per Game - .88 – Ben Davies · Career Digs – 638 – Cody Dunston · Career Digs Per Game – 3.02 – Hapaki Kaululaau · Career Assists – 2498 – Cody Dunston With the end of the 2008 season, Johnson & Wales Men’s Volleyball says goodbye to four seniors who have been instrumental in establishing the program as a national power. Seniors Chance Dunston, Cody Dunston, Nathan LaHanes (Colorado Springs, CO), and Ty Schraufnagel each graduate holding at least one JWU career or single season record. While these seniors will surely be missed, with the number of impressive underclassmen that are returning for 2009 and the infusion of new talent through solid recruiting classes in the future, the Johnson & Wales University Men’s Volleyball Program seeks to continue to reach new heights in the coming seasons! #7 Ranked Johnson & Wales comes up just short against #5 Lindenwood March 19, 2008 - After two convincing wins in exhibition matches over Boise State University on March 6th and March 8th that extended their record to 12-5 overall (9-5 in varsity matches), the #7 ranked NAIA men’s volleyball team in the country, Johnson & Wales University (Denver, CO) hosted #5 ranked Lindenwood University (St. Louis, MO) for their final two conference matches of the regular season. Both teams came into the weekend tied for 2nd place in the MAMVIC-West Conference. In the weekend opener on March 14th, which was played at the Colorado Convention Center during the Colorado Crossroads Tournament, several hundred fans were treated to a tense match. Johnson & Wales overcame a slow start to Game 1 to win the opening game 30-27. Lindenwood’s block (statistically ranked #1 in the NAIA) led them to wins in Games 2 and 3, 30-26 and 30-28. JWU fought back to win game 4 31-29, before falling 13-15 in the 5th and deciding game. With just 3 points separating the teams over the span of 5 games, this was unquestionably Johnson & Wales’ most closely contested match of the season. On the night, JWU was led by a match high 26 kills from junior outside hitter Curtis Oliver (Santa Barbara, CA) who did so while hitting .340. Senior setters Chance and Cody Dunston (Aurora, CO) each contributed 31 assists. Defensively, the Wildcats were led by senior middle blocker Ty Schraufnagel’s (Parker, CO) 6 blocks and by junior libero Hapaki Kaululaau’s (Laie, HI) match high 23 digs. For his efforts this past weekend, Kaululaau was named the NAIA co-libero of the week. This is the 2nd time this season that Kaululaau has won this award. The rematch between these two teams took place the following day on March 15th, at Johnson & Wales’ Senior Day, which was the final home match for seniors Chance Dunston, Cody Dunston, Nathan LaHanes, and Ty Schraufnagel. The Wildcats again took Game 1, this time by a score of 33-31, but Lindenwood bounced back to take the next 3 games, winning the match 3-1 (31-33, 30-20, 30-27, 30-27), behind the stellar offensive play of senior Prince Wilson who put down 22 kills while hitting .500. Johnson & Wales was led on the day by setter/opposite Cody Dunston who put down 13 kills, hit .476, dished out 29 assists, and dug 8 balls. Schraufnagel also put up another solid night at the net by collecting 12 kills, hitting at a .364 clip and amassing 3 blocks. Defensively, junior libero Brad Larsen (Costa Mesa, CA) came up big with a match high 12 digs. With the losses, Johnson & Wales falls to 12-7 overall (9-7 in varsity matches) and will finish in 3rd place in the MAMVIC-West Conference. JWU and Lindenwood will face off again in three weeks in the first round of the conference tournament, as Lindenwood has now secured 2nd place in the conference standings. Next up for JWU is a trip to Lake Wales, FL where they will take part in a tournament at #9 ranked Warner Southern College JWU Men's VB Winning Streak Stopped at 10 Matches March 2, 2008 (Denver, CO) - This past week, the #7 ranked Johnson & Wales’ Men’s Volleyball Team extended their winning streak to 10 matches (9 against varsity opponents and 1 exhibition against Colorado University) with two wins at Graceland University before the streak was stopped by two losses against the #1 ranked NAIA team in the country, Park University. The 10 match winning streak spanned 34 days and started back on January 26th with a 3-0 win over #5 ranked Cardinal Stritch University. In the 10 matches that they won, JWU won 30 games while only dropping 3. This past week’s stretch of four conference matches began at Graceland University in Lamoni, IA on February 26th. While the teams split the first two games, JWU gained control as the match progressed en route to a 3-1 (30-24, 31-33, 30-25, 30-23) victory. The Wildcats were led offensively by junior outside hitter Curtis Oliver (Santa Barbara, CA) who recorded 20 kills while hitting .405. Oliver was also strong defensively with 6 blocks and 8 digs. Other strong defensive performances were turned in by senior middle blocker Ty Schraufnagel (Parker, CO) who blocked 5 balls, and by juniors Hapaki Kaululaau (Laie, HI) and Brad Larsen (Costa Mesa, CA) who collected 20 digs and 11 digs respectively. Johnson & Wales led the rematch with Graceland on February 27th from start to finish as they recorded a 3-0 (30-25, 30-25, 30-25) victory. Junior outside hitter Eric Kiel (Long Beach, CA) led the offensive charge by putting away 10 kills on 16 errorless swings to record a .625 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Ben Davies (Worcester, MA) recorded a team leading 3 aces to go along with a team leading 4 blocks. The Wildcats were again led defensively by Larsen and Kaululaau, who this time dug 13 and 11 balls respectively. After a day off, JWU headed to Kansas City for two matches against the #1 ranked team in the NAIA, Park University. Over the past two seasons, Park has only dropped 3 matches to NAIA teams, with 1 of those losses coming at the hands of Johnson & Wales last year, and the other two coming at the hands of 5-time reigning national champion California Baptist University. There would be no upset this time against Park, as the #1 ranked team backed up their ranking with two convincing wins. In the first match on February 29th, the teams traded blows for much of game 1, but Park’s Ryan Stafford’s 18 kills and .680 hitting percentage proved too much for the Wildcats, as JWU fell 0-3 (22-30, 20-30, 24-30). Johnson & Wales was led by Kiel’s 9 kills, and by three different players who each recorded 3 blocks in Davies, Oliver, and senior setter Cody Dunston (Aurora, CO). In the weekend finale on March 1st, JWU would again compete well in game 1, before struggling down the stretch in a 0-3 (25-30, 18-30, 20-30) loss. Offensively, the Wildcats were led by Kiel’s 7 kills and .429 hitting percentage and defensively Kaululaau and Cody Dunston led the way with 12 digs and 9 digs respectively. Johnson & Wales will look to get back to their winning ways this week with a pair of matches against Boise State University. The two teams will face off on March 6th at 7pm at the Wildcat Center and then again on March 8th at 7pm at the Colorado Convention Center as a featured match during the Colorado Crossroads Tournament. Men’s volleyball finishes season with #2 seed After defeating nationally ranked opponents like Park University, Graceland University and Missouri Valley College at home the men’s volleyball team has secured their best conference tournament seeding ever with much needed road wins. The Wildcats defeated NCAA Division II Newman University twice this past weekend elevating their record to 8-2 in the MAMVIC West. JWU had never defeated Newman on the road and was fighting off a nasty 0-7 road record this season. The Wildcats will hit the road this weekend for the MAMVIC conference tournament held just outside Wichita, Kansas at Newman University. Men’s volleyball downs Peru State Johnson & Wales successfully downed Peru State 3-0 in front of 573 fans at the Colorado Convention Center on Friday night. The Wildcats were hosted by the locally owned and operated Front Range Volleyball Club as part of the Colorado Crossroads volleyball tournament. Crossroads serves as a national qualifier for the Junior Olympic National Championships and for two weeks plays host to over 1,000 volleyball teams from around the nation. As part of the event Johnson & Wales downed Peru 30-25, 30-24, 30-22. Facing Peru on Saturday night, the Wildcats played their last home match of the season in the Wildcat Center. Johnson & Wales used their momentum from the previous night to roll over Peru 30-35, 27-30, 30-18, 30-21. With the win Johnson & Wales improves to 6-2 in the MAMVIC West and 6-9 overall. Peru State falls to 2-12 overall and remains winless at 0-9 in MAMVIC competition. Wildcats fight back into NAIA Top 10 After a rocky seven game losing streak the Wildcats have rebounded and are playing solid ball again. This past weekend JWU hosted fourth ranked Missouri Valley College (MoVal). The Vikings of MoVal came into the weekend having won four of their last five against ranked opponents. On Saturday night it was all JWU. Behind the stellar play of Junior Middle Blocker Ty Schraufnagel (Parker, CO) the Wildcats defeated MoVal 3-0. Schraufnagel posted an amazing 7 kills, 5 blocks, and 2 aces leading the Wildcats to victory snapping the losing streak. Sunday afternoon’s match started out much the same. Game’s one and two saw the Wildcats controlling the tempo of play and siding out at will. The Vikings soon fell 30-21 and 30-25. Game three began as predicted with the Vikings coming out of the gate fast scoring seven quick. JWU climbed back into the game, but eventually fell 26-30. At the start of game four is when the action really began. At this point the crowd had grown to have a life of it’s own and the players had begun to trash talk. Without hesitation the referee issued two red cards in the span of three plays, giving the Wildcats the edge. However, on a controversial match-point call that went against JWU the tides turned and the Vikings pulled away with a 36-38 win. In game five the momentum
was all Vikings as they pulled away using tough service and solid
offensive execution. JWU was able to
come back being down as many as six points, but couldn’t
pull it off in the end losing the game 12-15 and the match 2-3. The Wildcats return to action Friday and Saturday evening at 7pm when they host MAMVIC rival Peru State College. Friday nights match will take place in from of thousands of volleyball players from around the country in the Colorado Convention Center (Court 4). Saturday night’s match will be back in the Wildcat Center. Men’s volleyball defeats 3rd ranked Park University After falling to the Pirates of Park University on Friday night 0-3 the Wildcats could have given in and taken a loss on Saturday. Even after going down 0-2 in the first two games of Saturday’s match, Coach Crosier stayed true to his game plan and felt that they still had a chance. “I know my players and I have all the confidence in their abilities to beat the best teams in the country” states Crosier. “They just need the opportunity to see it for themselves.” And in game three they got that opportunity and ran with it. In game three the Wildcats came out determined and on fire. They found weaknesses in the Pirates lineup and exploited them. Execution and tough defense catapulted the Wildcats to victory in games three and four; winning 30-21 and 30-23. That is when the tides truly changed in favor of JWU. Game five was to be the Wildcats’ greatest
test. After starting out even at 3-3, the Pirates pulled away to
6 causing a scare.
However, a 12-4 run with key plays from outside hitter, Eric Kiel
and middle blocker, Ty Schraufnagel secured the win. Park 30 30 21 23 10 - 2 Men’s volleyball ranked 7th in the nation The Wildcats were voted back into the top ten after defeating the nations 6th ranked team Graceland University in back to back matches last weekend. The team is making great strides in all positions, but middle blockers Nate LaHanes and Ty Schraufnagel have really stolen the show. The dynamic duo have combined for 35 kills, 17 blocks, and an impressive hitting percentage of .497 in just two matches. The Wildcats return to action this weekend when they face the NAIA’s 3rd ranked Park University. The two juggernaughts will face off Friday night at 7pm in the Wildcat Center and Saturday at 12:30pm at Manual High School. Johnson & Wales University downs #6 Graceland, 3-1 Johnson & Wales men’s volleyball
defeats Air Force Academy, 3-0 Leading the way for the Wildcats offensively was sophomore outside hitter Eric Kiel (Long Beach, CA) with 13 kills and a .435 hitting percentage while Chance Dunston (Aurora, CO) tallied 3 blocks and 8 digs defensively. The Wildcats played well as a team posting 5 service aces, 10 blocks and a .410 hitting percentage. The win bodes well for the Wildcats as they look forward to start their regular season with an away match against Air Force Academy on the 17th of January. The JWU-Denver men’s volleyball program will begin its fourth year of competition in the Fall of 2006. JWU competes at the NAIA level, and is a member of the Mid-America Men's Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference, which consists of 11 teams from Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. Despite fielding a young team, the JWU men’s volleyball team has finished ranked in the top 10 among NAIA teams in the country each of the past two years, by placing 8th in 2005 and 10th in 2006. In addition to their team success over the past few seasons, the men’s volleyball program has had a number of players receive individual accolades. Ty Schraufnagel, Brandon Kramer, and Cody Dunston have been regulars on the Dean’s List and were each named Academic All-Conference in 2005 as they had the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th highest grade point averages in the conference. Dunston and Schraufnagel again received Academic All-Conference recognition in 2006. In 2005, Kris Hartwell and Cody Dunston were named Honorable Mention All-Conference. In 2006, Cody Dunston and Eric Kiel were named Honorable Mention All-Conference. Throughout the past two seasons, several JWU players have received conference player of the week, setter of the week, or libero of the week awards. Additionally, during the entire 2005-2006 school year, the JWU men’s volleyball team had a cumulative team grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
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