Lakeland Men's Volleyball - 2008 NIRSA Champions
The 2008 Lakeland men's volleyball team will forever hold a special place at the school with a special designation: national champions. One year after finishing as national runners up, the Muskies took the final step and won the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Administration (NIRSA) Division I title. Competing against club teams that included many large schools, Lakeland won the championship by defeating Illinois in two sets in Dallas, Texas, winning it all one year after falling in the championship match in three tough sets to local rival UW-Oshkosh. The Muskies finished with a 52-5 record in 2008 and in their tournament march defeated the likes of Stanford, Maryland, Arizona State and James Madison to get to championship bracket. There, Lakeland defeated Cal Poly in the quarterfinals and Central Florida in the semifinals, setting up the match with the Fighting Illini, a team the Muskies posted a 0-3 record against in the regular season. Lakeland defeated Illinois in two sets, 25-21, 27-25, for the program's first and only national title.
Video of Lakeland's 2008 NIRSAÂ championship match vs. Illinois
2008 Lakeland Men’s Volleyball Season Honors
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Wisconsin Volleyball Conference
Regular Season Champions
Conference Tournament Champions
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NIRSA National Tournament
National Champions
Matt Martin – National Player of the Year
Joe Julkowski – First Team All American
Avdo Omerbegovic – First Team All American
Jared Rohland – Second Team All American
2008 Schedule/Results
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| Date |
Opponent |
Win/Loss |
Score |
| Jan. 26 |
UW-La Crosse |
W |
3-0 |
| Jan. 27 |
UW-Stout |
W |
3-0 |
| Jan. 27 |
UW-Platteville |
W |
3-0 |
| Jan. 31 |
Marquette |
W |
3-1 |
| Feb. 1 |
UW-Whitewater |
W |
3-0 |
| Feb. 9Â Midwest 10 Tournament - DeKalb, Ill. |
|
Notre Dame |
W |
2-0 |
|
Illinois State |
W |
2-0 |
|
Ball State |
W |
2-0 |
|
Northern Illinois |
W |
2-0 |
|
Marquette |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Oshkosh |
L |
0-2 |
| Feb. 11 |
UW-Oshkosh |
L |
1-2 |
| Feb. 13 |
Carthage |
W |
3-0 |
| Feb. 16Â Badger Bump-Around - Madison, Wis. |
|
Northwestern |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Madison |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Milwaukee |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Madison |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Milwaukee |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Oshkosh |
L |
1-2 |
| Feb. 19 |
UW-Stevens Point |
W |
3-1 |
| Feb. 23Â Hoosier-Illini Tournament - Bloomington, Ind. |
|
Indiana |
W |
2-0 |
|
Eastern Illinois |
W |
2-0 |
|
Navy |
W |
2-0 |
|
Ohio Northern |
W |
2-0 |
|
Dayton |
W |
2-0 |
|
Virginia Tech - Quarterfinal |
W |
2-0 |
|
Illinois - Semifinal |
L |
0-2 |
| March 4 |
Carthage |
W |
3-0 |
| March 6 |
Marquette |
W |
3-0 |
| March 8Â Â Midwest 10 Tournament - Milwaukee, Wis. |
|
UW-Milwaukee |
W |
2-0 |
|
Iowa State |
W |
2-0 |
|
Ball State |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Milwaukee (Semifinal) |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Oshkosh (Final) |
L |
0-2 |
| March 12 |
UW-Whitewater |
W |
3-1 |
| March 13 |
UW-Oshkosh |
W |
3-0 |
| March 29-30Â Â MIVA Championships - Columbus, Ohio |
| March 29 |
UW-Madison |
W |
2-1 |
|
Ohio Northern |
W |
2-1 |
|
Illinois |
L |
0-2 |
|
Grand Valley State |
L |
1-2 |
| March 30 |
Cincinnati |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Oshkosh (Quarterfinal) |
W |
2-0 |
|
Notre Dame (Semifinal) |
W |
2-0 |
|
Illinois (Final) |
L |
0-2 |
| April 4-5Â Â WVC Tournament - La Crosse, Wis. |
| April 4 |
UW-Stout |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Platteville |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-La Crosse |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Stevens Point |
W |
2-0 |
| April 5 |
UW-Stevens Point (Quarterfinal) |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-La Crosse (Semifinal) |
W |
2-0 |
|
UW-Whitewater (Final) |
W |
2-0 |
| April 10-12Â Â NIRSAÂ National Championships - Dallas, Texas |
| April 10 |
Stanford |
W |
2-0 |
| Pool Play |
Missouri |
W |
2-0 |
|
Maryland |
W |
2-0 |
| April 11 |
Arizona State |
W |
2-0 |
| Power Pool |
UW-Oshkosh |
W |
2-0 |
| April 12 |
James Madison |
W |
2-1 |
|
Cal Poly (Quarterfinal) |
W |
2-0 |
|
Central Florida (Semifinal) |
W |
2-1 |
|
Illinois (Final) |
W |
2-0 |
Roster
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| No. |
Name |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
High School |
| 1 |
Matt Clemens |
S |
5-10 |
Jr. |
Oak Lawn, Ill. |
Oak Lawn Community |
| 2 |
Tim Frillman |
MH |
6-7 |
Sr. |
Linclnshire, Ill. |
Stevenson |
| 3 |
Chris Plamann |
MH |
6-6 |
Sr. |
Appleton, Wis. |
Hortonville |
| 4 |
Jared Rohland |
MH |
6-6 |
Sr. |
Fort Atkinson, Wis. |
Fort Atkinson |
| 5 |
Matt Martin |
OH |
6-3 |
Gr. |
Schaumburg, Ill. |
Conant |
| 6 |
Avdo Omerbegovic |
MH |
6-7 |
Sr. |
Chicago, Ill. |
Amundsen |
| 7 |
Spenser Jasutis |
OH |
6-1 |
Jr. |
Elk Grove, Ill. |
Elk Grove |
| 8 |
Nick Wiskirchen |
Util. |
5-11 |
Jr. |
Schaumburg, Ill. |
Schaumburg |
| 9 |
Andrew Lietz |
RS |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Thiensville, Wis. |
Homestead |
| 10 |
Joe Julkowski |
OH |
6-4 |
Jr. |
Carol Stream, Ill. |
Glenbard North |
| 11 |
Shawn Voelz |
DS |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Elk Grove, Ill. |
Elk Grove |
| 12 |
Kevin Casey |
RS |
6-9 |
Fr. |
Woodridge, Ill. |
Downers Grove North |
| 13 |
Perry Ringfelt |
OH |
6-0 |
Fr. |
Elwood, Ill. |
Joliet Catholic Academy |
| 14 |
Devin Doyle |
OH |
6-2 |
Sr. |
Fort Gibson, Oka. |
Fort Gibson |
| 15 |
Chris Kubacki |
Util. |
6-4 |
Fr. |
Vernon Hills, Ill. |
Vernon Hills |
| 16 |
Tyler Theisfeldt |
OH |
6-2 |
So. |
Green Bay, Wis. |
Bay Port |
| 17 |
Guy Fendron |
S |
5-11 |
Fr. |
Gladstone, Mich. |
Gladstone |
| 18 |
Brian Valenti |
S |
5-11 |
Fr. |
Chicago Ridge, Ill. |
Richards |
| 19 |
Beau Bradshaw |
MH |
6-6 |
Fr. |
Oak Lawn, Ill. |
Oak Lawn Community |
| 20 |
Marko Grgic |
OH |
6-1 |
Fr. |
Chicago, Ill. |
Glenbrook South |
| Head Coach: Chad Schreiber |
| Assistant Coaches: Andy Kerwin, Mike Smolinski |
2008 NIRSAÂ Championship Photos
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