Abby Breitung and Heather Harelstad know their places in Viterbo University volleyball history.

It's not the four school records, four first-team all-conference awards or 1,100-plus sets between them.

The seniors proudly consider themselves V-Hawks coach Ryan DeLong's toughest recruits.

Harelstad, a native of Chippewa Falls, Wis., said she wasn't really interested in going to college in-state, and she didn't want to play volleyball. She didn't even return DeLong's phone calls for a while.

Finally, Harelstad gave in and made a campus visit, talked to DeLong, and everything changed.

"I was driving home and I knew," Harelstad said. "Later on, (DeLong) told me if I hadn't called that last time, he was going to give up. He won't let me live that down."

Breitung, a star athlete at Tomah High School, said she simply was "not interested at all" in playing volleyball at Viterbo.

"My first thought was, no way was I going to go," Breitung said. "I was more of a basketball person. But I visited and talked to coach about volleyball and school, and I've been here ever since."

DeLong, in his fifth season, had no way of knowing that Harelstad and Breitung would go on to become two of the best players in Viterbo history. He did believe his hard work had yielded two key building blocks for his program.

"They were my top two recruits at the time," DeLong said. "Obviously, I thought they could do big things. But to have the careers like they've had, that's hard to predict."

Together, Harelstad and Breitung are first, second, or third in eight categories of school records. They were both All-MCC first team in 2007 and '08 and should three-peat this season.

What makes those records special to them is that they came as extensions of team success. Viterbo has won at least 20 matches in each of their four seasons, and is 110-53 overall during that time.

"We're both proud of being able to walk away and say we helped the team win," Breitung said.

The V-Hawks are 23-9 (4-1 MCC) heading into a showdown with first-place St. Ambrose (23-6, 6-0) 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Viterbo Athletic Complex.

"Since Abby and Heather came here, we've expected to win," DeLong said. "They are the winningest two players in Viterbo history. That speaks volumes."

DIG THIS, NO PADS

Harelstad has 2,586 digs in her college career, tops on Viterbo's all-time list, and her 947 digs in 2007 are the most in a single season.

The records are more impressive when Harelstad reveals that she has never worn knee pads for volleyball. Not in youth leagues, not in high school, not in college.

"I don't use them, and I never will," Harelstad.

It started with her mother, Michelle Harelstad, who was a youth coach and told her daughter that if you dive properly, you land on your hip, thigh, or shoulder rather than your knees.

So, no knee pads.

The lack of protection hasn't stopped Harelstad from being one of the most accomplished defenders in the MCC since her freshman season.

Harelstad, 5-foot-1, was named the conference Libero of the Year in 2007 and '08. This season, she leads the V-Hawks with 4.62 digs per game. She also has a .985 career serve percentage and .933 career serve receive percentage.

"Heather is one of the best defensive players that I've ever seen," DeLong said. "She's quick, she doesn't let the ball hit the floor, and she sees a play before it happens a lot of the time."

Harelstad said she knew early in high school that she wasn't going to be a glamour player.

"Hitters, that's the big position; that's what everybody knows," Harelstad said. "For me, passing and defense is fun."

KILLING WITH CUNNING

Breitung often finishes what Harelstad starts defensively. The 5-foot-10 middle hitter holds Viterbo's all-time kills record (1,327).

Credit that as much to craftiness as pure power.

"In high school I was kind of the hard hitter," Breitung said. "But that didn't work so much in college against girls who are bigger and better. So I put it on myself to get my hits, but in a different way.

"I like the tricky kills."

Breitung said it's a matter of finding the holes in a defense and exploiting them, all in a matter of seconds.

"You really have to see what the other team is doing," Breitung said. "You don't really think about it."

Said DeLong: "She is probably one of the smartest hitters I've coached. She just finds the floor."

Breitung is second in career aces (167), second in single-season aces (83), and third in career blocks (323) in Viterbo's record book.

"Abby has been Miss Consistent over her four years," DeLong said. "It seems like every match she has double-digit kills, three or four blocks. She kind of does it all offensively."

Breitung gladly accepts that label.

"I do take pride in my consistency," Breitung said. "I was always told that's the kind of player we needed. I'm not supposed to get 20 kills every game. We have so many hitters who pick each other up. It's nice that someone else can have the spotlight."

A CROWNING SEND-OFF

Breitung said winning the MCC title as seniors "would be the greatest going-away present ever."

The V-Hawks trail St. Ambrose by 1½ matches with three to play, and can take a big step toward a regular-season championship with a win Wednesday.

Viterbo has not won the conference since 1990. In the last three seasons, the V-Hawks finished second twice and fourth in a tight race last year.

"It's probably been a goal since our freshman year," Harelstad said. "We've been so close. This year, it's in reach and all we need to do it grab it."