Volleyball went 19-11 overall and 14-2 in the Mid-American Conference, making it to the MAC Championship game for the fourth time in six years.

Unfortunately, the team fell to University of Ohio in the MAC Championship game in straight sets, 25-17, 25-11, 25-19, and hasn’t won the conference tournament since 2001.

The Huskies were led last season by T’ara Austin, who transferred to University of South Florida for her senior season, Alexis Gonzalez, who graduated after the 2015 season, senior Jenna Radtke, and redshirt senior Lauren Zielinski. All of them earned first Team All-MAC Honors. Austin was named MAC Player of the Year and Gonzalez Setter of the Year accolades, along with being named to the MAC All-Tournament Team with junior Anna Brereton. Junior Meg Wolowicz was named to the All-Freshman team. These notable Huskies contributed to the success of the 2015 season along with the rest of the team.

Other than Austin and Gonzalez, the rest of the team will be returning, with three new signees: freshman setter Samantha Boever, freshman middle blocker Brinley Milbrath and sophomore outside hitter Autumn Martin.

Boever, of Gilbert, Arizona, ended her high school career with 1,144 assists, averaging 10.50 assists per set. She has earned the Golden Scholar Distinction the last three years from Gilbert High School. Boever also played on several successful club teams, including Club One 18 Platinum.

Milbrath, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, helped lead John F. Kennedy High School to a seventh place finish and a conference championship her senior year. She also helped her club volleyball team to a fifth place finish at the national tournament. Milbrath was a three sport athlete, adding basketball and shot put to her agenda.

Martin, of Tyrone, Georgia, played her freshman year at Florida International University, appearing in six matches and averaging 1.30 kills last season. She played in five conference U.S. matches.

Head coach Ray Gooden will return for his 15th season with the Huskies, all as head coach. He has been named MAC Coach of the Year four times and has 264 victories, which is only three short of setting a new record in the program.

Gooden has coached volleyball at many different levels including club, college, and Team USA development programs. He also commentates men’s volleyball games for the Big Ten Network and other organizations in the spring.

A close knit team like this has its advantages on the court, Zielinski said. Many of the players are returning, meaning the chemistry is already there, and now the freshman are joining and connecting to the rest of the team very well, Zielinski said.

The Huskies continue to practice in preparation for their home opening weekend against DePaul at 7 p.m. Friday in the Convocation Center.