Jessie Janik, a two-time all-state selection who led Providence Catholic High School to 99 wins in three varsity seasons, has signed a National Letter of Intent for volleyball at Illinois State University.
The 5-foot-8 outside hitter led her team in digs as a senior and captained a Providence Catholic team which went 37-3 in 2001, its best record in history. Janiks teams were consistently ranked among the states top five and won conference, regional and sectional titles in 2000 and 2001.
The president of her schools National Honor Society and editor of her high school newspaper, Janik plans to study public relations at Illinois State and work in professional sports. Redbird coach Sharon Dingman likes Janiks approach to playing volleyball.
" Jessie is one of the most competitive athletes I have seen play, said Dingman. She plays with energy, fire and guts.
I visited a lot of schools and Illinois State was just what I wanted, said Janik. Its close to home, close to my parents, Redbird Arena is incredible and ISU has a great academic program in public relations--just what I wanted. Most of all, though, I am a person who wants to win and Illinois State is a winning volleyball program.
Janik joins prep stars Emily Kabbes of Bloomington Central Catholic High School, Laura Doornbos of Olympia High School plus Ashley Grubb from Jacksonville, Ill. and Lindley McDavid from Tomball, Texas in the five-player freshman class at Illinois State.
Redbird coach Sharon Dingman is impressed with the group.
This is a highly-skilled group of players who are all great people, said Dingman. This is a class of recruits who can have a great impact on the future of Redbird volleyball.
2001-02 ILLINOIS STATE VOLLEYBALL SIGNEES
SPRING,2002: Jessie Janik, 5-8, OH, Lemont, Ill. (Providence Catholic H.S.)
FALL, 2001: Laura Doornbos, 6-0, OH, Bloomington, Ill., (Olympia H.S.)
Ashley Grubb, 5-11, OH, Jacksonville, Ill. (Jacksonville H.S.)
Emily Kabbes, 6-2, MB, Normal, Ill. (Bloomington Central Catholic H.S.)
Lindley McDavid, 5-11, MB, Tomball, Texas (Tomball H.S.)
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JESSIE JANIK, 5-8, OH,
Lemont, Ill., Providence Catholic High School
Celtic Force VBC
JANIK NOTES: Two-time second-team all-stater, three-time all-area choice and three-year starter for Providence teams which went a combined 99-18 ... 2001 team set school record with 37 wins ... led team in digs and serve receive percentage ... prep coach was Nan Airola ... played club volleyball for Celtic Force coached by Gloria Coughlin ... plans to major in public relations and work in professional sports ... daughter of Paul and Carla Janik, with brothers Chris and Scott ... her dad played football at Northern Illinois and her brother Chris played football at Villanova ... National Honor Society president and editor of school newspaper ... Jessica Leigh Janik, born 10-5-83.
QUOTING JESSIE: "I visited a lot of schools and Illinois State was just what I wanted. Its close to home, close to my parents, Redbird Arena is incredible and ISU has a great academic program in public relations--just what I wanted. Most of all, though, I am a person who wants to win and Illinois State is a winning volleyball program.
COACH SHARON DINGMAN ON JESSIE:
" Jessie is one of the most competitive athletes I have seen play. She plays with energy, fire and guts. Jessie comes from strong high school and club programs where she has received very good coaching. She has great leadership skills and is very active in her high school and we look for her to continue to be that type of student-athlete at Illinois State. Jessies talents will compliment those of the four players we signed earlier."
LAURA DOORNBOS, 6-0, OH,
Bloomington, Ill., Olympia High School
Illinois Juniors VBC
DOORNBOS NOTES: 2001 USA Junior Olympics All-American for Illinois Juniors team which finished No. 5 ... in high school, two-time all-area by both Bloomington Pantagraph and Peoria Journal-Star ... lst team all-conference as junior and senior ... led high school teams to combined 80-23 record over three varsity seasons ... team MVP who averaged 1.48 blocks, 1.6 digs, 1.0 aces and 5.1 kills per game with .495 hitting percentage as a senior, 3.6 kills and 1.5 blocks as a junior ... prep coach LeAnn Anderson ... played club volleyball with Redbird classmate Emily Kabbes at Illinois Juniors ... also played prep basketball ... plans to major in public relations ... daughter of Keith and Linda Doornbos, with brother Brian ... prep honor student ... Laura Anne Doornbos, born 6-7-82 in Columbia, Mo.
QUOTING LAURA: "Illinois State has the team, the coaches and the academics I was looking for. The commitment to volleyball and all women athletes at Illinois State is phenomenal. Redbird Arena is a neat environment and the crowds are really great. Everyone I talked to had only good things to say about Illinois State. My (high school) coach encouraged me to make my own choice, but she had great things to say about what Redbird volleyball has to offer."
COACH SHARON DINGMAN ON LAURA:
"Laura is a strong player who hits the ball exceptionally hard. She adds an exciting dimension to our program. Although we will likely have her play on the right side, she also has played middle in club. Shes best suited to play the right side, but she brings some versatility to our team."
ASHLEY GRUBB, 5-11, OH,
Jacksonville, Ill. (Jacksonville H.S.)
Illini Elite VBC
GRUBB NOTES: Four-time all-conference and two-time all-state player (2001 teams were not announced when she signed) who led Jacksonville to 136-24 record, including a state tournament appearance (3rd) in 1998 ... had 1,066 career kills, 487 career blocks and 162 career service aces in high school ... prep team finished 38-2 in 1999, including school-record 26 straight victories ... honor roll student in high school ... plans to major in pre-pharmacy ... daughter of Steven and Tamera Grubb, with brother Mathew and sisters Lauran and Mariah ... Ashley Colette Grubb, born 11-27-83.
QUOTING ASHLEY: "Red is my favorite color--I have a red car and lots of red clothes--and they seem to have a lot of that at Illinois State. They also have coaches and players who make you feel welcome. I played at Illinois State my freshman year at the (IHSA) state tournament and it was a great experience. I know a lot of people who go to Illinois State and they all seem to like it. The coaches and players just seem to be nice people; they werent pushy and that was important to me."
COACH SHARON DINGMAN ON ASHLEY:
"Ashley has played volleyball at a high level for a long time. She is an outstanding athlete who jumps well and has a great arm swing. In addition to her skills, she has a strong, take-charge personality. We believe she has an outstanding future at Illinois State."
EMILY KABBES, 6-2, MB,
Normal, Ill., Bloomington Central Catholic High School
Illinois Juniors VBC
KABBES NOTES: 2001 USA Junior Olympics All-American for Illinois Juniors team which finished No. 5 ... two-time all-area by both Bloomington Pantagraph ... two-year all-conference selection ... led prep team to school-record 26 wins as a junior and topped that with 28 wins as a senior ... averaged 3.6 kills and 1.4 blocks per game as a senior ... had 3.8 kills and 1.4 blocks as a junior ... prep coach Daniel Rolph ... played club volleyball with Redbird classmate Laura Doornbos for Illinois Juniors ... also played prep basketball ... plans to major in public relations ... daughter of Mike and Jody Kabbes, with sister (and teammate) Jenny, brothers Luke and Paul ... her mother is an Illinois State alumnus and her father played basketball at Quincy University ... full name is Emily Christine Kabbes, born 9-30-83 in Decatur, Ill. ...
QUOTING EMILY: "ISU has a strong tradition in volleyball. I thought it would be awesome to be part of that. ISU is a great fit for me. My recruitment was a different experience than (her sister) Jennys, but I asked her questions and she helped me. She just wants me to be happy and it turns out that will be at Illinois State. The atmosphere at Redbird Arena is like nowhere else and I wanted to stay close to home. Since Jenny was a freshman, Ive seen how well Illinois State players get along. Its something I want to be part of."
COACH SHARON DINGMAN ON EMILY:
"Emily is an intelligent player who sees the court very well. She has been the leader of a high school program which has gotten better each year and is at its competitive best right now. Her (front row) skills are very balanced; she hits and blocks at a high level."
LINDLEY McDAVID, 5-11, MB,
Tomball, Texas (Tomball H.S.)
Texas Tornados VBC
McDAVID NOTES: Three-time Texas prep all-district selection ... averaged 3.5 kills and 1.2 blocks as she led her prep team to 25-10 record and lst trip to Texas prep playoffs in 12 years ... three-year prep starter who led team in kills and blocks as a junior and senior ... led club team to nationals in 2000 and 2001 ... high school coach was Cheri Wallace ... club coaches were Jen Kazmierski and Farrah Mensik ... National Honor Society member ... plans to major in business ... daughter of Donald and Georgia McDavid, with sister Katie ... full name is Martha Lindley McDavid, born 6-20-84 in Houston.
QUOTING LINDLEY: "I was very excited during my campus visit to Illinois State in September. I called and committed to Illinois State two days later. Now, every day, Im excited about it. I cant wait ... I was impressed with the crowds at Redbird Arena--Ive never seen that many people that excited about volleyball. Illinois State players are focused on being the top team in their conference. I was impressed with their high goals and commitment to win."
COACH SHARON DINGMAN ON LINDLEY:
"Lindley is an athletic player with a big jump. Her quickness is another asset. At the 17 Junior Olympic national tournament last year, she was one of the best blockers there. Being from the Houston area, shes looking forward to seeing her first snow."
