Sept. 20, 2005
Normal, Ill. -
Freshman setter Erin Lindsey ranks No. 27 in the nation in set assists, according to the NCAA Statistics Service figures posted Tuesday. Her 12.94 set assists per game make her one of only four freshman setters in the country to rank among the nation's top 30 in set assists.
The 5-foot-7 graduate of Eureka (Mo.) High School has had Illinois State's offense on a roll lately. Over its last four matches (all away from home), the Redbirds have averaged 18.22 kills per game and she has been assisting on 15.01 of those kills per game. Lindsey sets a group of veteran hitters which includes three of the top eight in the Missouri Valley Conference: senior Laura Doornbos (4th), sophomore Kari Staehlin (6th) and junior Savannah Knowles (8th).
Redbird coach Sharon Dingman thinks Lindsey's achievement speaks well of her team's offense.
"I think it says two things," said Dingman. "Erin has the ability to set hittable and killable balls consistently. And we have hitters who can kill the ball. So I think her ranking is an honor for our hitters as well. She puts them into position to get kills a lot of the time."
The other three freshmen on the list include one from a recent Redbird opponent and one from a conference foe coming to town this weekend. Loyola Marymount's KC Walsh (12th), Michigan's Mara Martin and Creighton's Korie Lebeda (tied for 24th) all are in the top 30. The Redbirds faced Martin Sept. 10th in Ann Arbor and will face Lebeda and Creighton at 2 p.m. Sunday at Redbird Arena.
The Redbirds play their Missouri Valley Conference home opener Friday against Drake in an 8 p.m. match at Redbird Arena.
