Nov. 10, 2005
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State head volleyball coach Sharon Dingman's 2006 recruiting class of "athletes" includes one local standout (Katie Seyller) and a pair of outside hitters from the Midwest (Mary McGinnis and Peggy Riessen) who are each excited about becoming Redbirds next season.
"We really tried to increase our athleticism with this class. In order to continue to compete with the teams at the top of the conference, we need to have really good athletes and I think we accomplished that with this class," Dingman said. "We're really fortunate to get a class like this."
Six-foot middle blocker Katie Seyller (SY-ler) will travel just across town to begin her collegiate volleyball career. The Bloomington High School product, who earned all-area and all-conference honors her junior and senior year, helped lead her team to three straight regional championships from 2003-05. Seyller, who was a team captain in 2004 and 2005, also led her team to the 2005 Jacksonville Tournament title en route to claiming tourney MVP honors. Seyller is a three-year member of the Illini Elite Volleyball Club, which finished in the top 11 nationally the past two years.
Seyller has also been heralded for her work in the classroom. Her academic achievements include being recognized as an IHSA Scholar-Athlete three times, earning three Big 12 Conference Scholar-Athlete accolades and being honored as an Academic Scholar at Bloomington High School three times since 2003. Seyller, who intends on majoring in Accounting, is also a National Honor Society member.
"With Katie, we're thrilled to get another player from the area," Dingman said. "She's a big jumper, and she's fast. She's played at a pretty high level, and we're really excited about her level of preparedness."
Mary McGinnis, a 5-11 outside hitter from Fraser High School in Michigan where prep volleyball is a winter sport, is the first of two outside hitters in Dingman's 2006 recruiting class. McGinnis, a four-year starter in both volleyball and basketball, helped guide both teams to district championships her junior year. The three-time all-state and all-county honoree also led her volleyball team to a pair of conference crowns and consecutive state titles in 2003 and 2004. She is a member of the Fraser Volleyball Club.
"Mary is just a complete player. Our fans will really love to watch her play," Dingman said. "She's incredibly athletic and she comes from an athletic family. Her sister, Angie, is a setter at Florida. Mary is smooth, and her understanding of the game is far beyond that of a senior in high school."
McGinnis' basketball accomplishments include earning Most Valuable Defensive Player honors in 2004, being selected as a team captain this season, twice being named to the all-county team and helping her team finish in the top four in the state as a freshman. The honor roll member has also earned earned all-academic honors for both basketball and volleyball every year of her career.
The third member of the 2006 recruiting class, Peggy Riessen (REE-sin), is a 5-11 outside hitter from Wilton High School in Iowa. The Moscow, Iowa native led the state with 499 kills as a senior, while finishing second in kills as a junior. Her team won the regional title in 2003 and 2004 en route to two straight state tournament berths. Riessen's efforts in the 2004 state tournament were rewarded as she was recognized as a member of the state tournament team. The three-time all-conference designee, who received all-state first team accolades as a junior and senior, led her team to three conference and district championships.
Riessen's well-rounded high school experience also includes being a two-year member of the basketball team and a four-year letterwinner in track. As a sophomore, she was a state qualifier in the high jump. The three-time academic all-conference honoree, who plans on majoring in Business, is also a National Honor Society member.
"Peggy can hit the ball hard. When our fans see her play, she'll remind them of Laura Doornbos because of the way she hits the ball. Actually that's one of the main things that attracted us to her," Dingman said. "She has great ball skills, she's physical and she blocks well. Peggy just sees the game at a higher level. Another plus is that both she and Mary (McGinnis) can play the whole game; they're six-rotation players.
"The thing about each of these players is that they just really enjoy playing volleyball," Dingman said. "They have some finesse, and they can get physical. We will lose some size with the players that are graduating; but I like the physicality of these players, and we're getting a ton of competitiveness. This class has a really good mix of different skills."
