The Minnesota Monarchs were one of six
Major League Volleyball Major League Volleyball may refer to:
* Major League Volleyball (1987)
Major League Volleyball (MLV) was a women's professional sports, professional volleyball league in the United States. It was established in 1987 and disbanded during its th ...
franchises. The league began in 1987 and ended short of completing a full season in 1989.
The Minnesota franchise was reported to be the strongest in terms of attendance, repeatedly filling the stands time after time. In 1987, the Monarchs led Major League Volleyball in attendance with an average of 2,000 fans per game.
In 1988, they drew a total of 22,000 fans during the season.
The Monarchs played at
Si Melby Hall at Augsburg College, Minneapolis during the regular season and at
Williams Arena
Williams Arena is an indoor arena located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home arena for the University of Minnesota's men's and women's basketball teams. It also housed the men's hockey team until 1993, when it moved into its own building ...
at the campus of the University of Minnesota during playoff matches.
The Monarchs set a league attendance record of 3,404 in the Minnesota-San Jose semifinal match on May 20, 1988, at Williams Arena.
[{{cite news, first=Roman, last=Augustoviz, url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/195206493/, title=Starlites win Major League Volleyball title, date=May 22, 1988, newspaper=Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), access-date=July 21, 2021, page=3C, via=Newspapers.com]
Unfortunately the team was lackluster in 1987 coming in last place. However, some trading and new talent (such as
Ruth Lawanson and
Linda Chisolm) joined the next season and the team improved. The team finished in second place in 1988 and was leading the league in matches won before the league ended in 1989.
Ownership of the franchise switched hands prior to the 1989 season. For the first two years of operation, the league itself owned its six franchises. R. Steven Arnold, founder of the league and league commissioner for the 1987 and 1988 seasons became team President. Lee Meade Sr., General Manager for the Monarchs during the 1987 season, returned as GM for the 1989 season. Leo W. Lund was the owner from 1987-1989. David L. Mona, CEO of a Twin Cities-based public relations firm, became Vice President of the team.
Players
1987
MB=Middle Blocker, OH=Outside Hitter, S=Setter
Angie DeGroot: S
Jill Halstead: OH
Lucia Chudy: MB
McDougal: MB
Jerry McGahan (Volleyball Hall of Fame member): Right Side
Annie Adamczak: OH, college-Nebraska, hometown-Moose Lake, Mn.
Head Coach: Jim Coleman
1988 (16 wins-6 losses)
PLAYER HT. POS. COLLEGE HOMETOWN
Judy Bellomo, 5-10, MB, UC Santa Barbara, Glendale, Ca
Merja Connolly, 6-0, MB, UCLA, Culver City, Ca.
Kathy Crotty-Rodgers, 5-9, OH/S, SW Missouri, Belleville, Ill.
Ellen Hensler, 5-8, S, Penn State, North Huntington, Pa.
Ruth Lawanson, 5-8, OH, Fresno St., Fresno, Ca. - 1988 League MVP
Head Coach: Walt Weaver
Ass't Coach: Jeff Nelson
1989
[ innesota Monarchs 1989 Program vs. New York Liberties/ref>
No. PLAYER HT. POS. COLLEGE HOMETOWN
1 Diane Ratnik, 6-1, S/MB, Canadian National, Scarborough, Ont.
6 Sari Virtanen-Stevens, 6-0, OH/MB, BYU, Provo, UT
7 Ruth Lawanson, 5-8, OH, Fresno St., Fresno, Ca.
8 Jill Halstead, 5-9, OH, Minnesota, Brooklyn Park, MN
10 Jackie Silva, 5-7, S, Brazil National, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
11 Judy Bellomo, 5-10, OH/MB, UC Santa Barbara, Glendale, CA
12 Ellen Crandall-Orner, 6-0, OH/MB, Penn State, Rockton, Pa.
13 Janet Cobbs, 6-0, MB, North Dakota St., St. Paul, Mn.
14 Lori Zeno, 5-9, OH/S, UCLA, Fountain Valley, Ca.
Head Coach: Jeff Nelson
Ass't Coach: Steve Willingham
]
References
Volleyball clubs in the United States
Sports in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Volleyball in Minnesota