Sharon Dingman is known for turning difficult situations into advantages and the Illinois State volleyball coach has done it again with the addition of former Redbird star Jenny Kabbes to the coaching staff.
Dingman lost both of her assistant coaches last summer and was only able to hire one replacement--Dawn Sullivan--because of a university hiring freeze. Now, Kabbes, a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection who completed her Redbird playing career as the No. 6 blocker in Valley history, fills the second assistant spot as a graduate assistant working on her masters degree.
According to Dingman, Kabbes work with the Redbird middle blockers is a continuation of what she began doing during the season. Illinois States other middles were Kabbes younger sister Emily and Lindley McDavid, both freshmen.
Really, Jenny pitched in last fall when we were short-staffed and helped Emily and Lindley, said Dingman. But this works out well for everybody; were fortunate to have a coach of Jennys caliber and it works out for her academically to get her masters degree.
Kabbes is studying sports management in the Illinois State Department of Kinesiology and Recreation. The Normal native graduated last year with a degree in business administration. She is excited about staying with the Redbirds in a new role.
This year, I watched and worked with Emily and Lindley and now I get to work with them and watch them develop even more, said Kabbes. Im looking forward to learning a lot working with Sharon and Dawn
Kabbes went from Central Catholic High School to Illinois State in 1998, earning Valley Newcomer of the Year honors and honorable mention all-conference status. The following year, she was a first-team all-Missouri Valley choice while leading her team in blocking.
Shoulder problems led to the surgeries and more than a year off the court. She returned to the court in 2001, earning second-team all-Valley honors. In 2002, she regained her status as one of the Valleys elite players and was elected first-team all-Valley . She completed her career as one of only two players in Redbird history (her teammate, Kendra Haselhorst, was the other) to have more than 1,000 kills and more than 400 blocks in her career.
