Jan. 13, 2006
Leander, Texas -
College Volleyball Update, a nationally-circulated print and on-line volleyball magazine, has chosen Illinois State setter Erin Lindsey as one of its 14 national "Rising Stars" of college volleyball. Lindsey, the 2005 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, led Illinois State to an 18-12 record this season, 13-5 in the Valley, while breaking the Illinois State freshman record for set assists in a season.
Redbird coach Sharon Dingman was pleased to hear the news.
"When you watch an athlete like Erin every day, you appreciate her but you don't have the same perspective as other people who only see her in games," said Dingman. "This is an impressive honor for her and it speaks not only to how good of a player Erin is, but how good she can become. It's nice to see that others around the country appreciate that she is already an outstanding player."
Lindsey will be among the Redbirds honored at the annual Redbird Volleyball Awards Banquet at 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 29 in Redbird Arena. She was one of two Valley freshmen recognized by CVU, as Creighton setter Korie Lebeda also was one of the 14 recognized.
Western Kentucky middle blocker Megan Argabright was the CVU National Freshman of the Year. Argabright led her Hilltopper team to a 31-3 record, but one of those defeats came against Illinois State at Redbird Arena in the title match of the 2005 Barker GMC Classic.
A second team all-Valley choice this season, Lindsey stepped into some big shoes in her first semester, succeeding all-Missouri Valley Conference setter Kelly Rikli. But she proved herself from the start, piloting the high-powered Illinois State offense while ranking in the Top 25 in the nation in set assists per game throughout the season. Her 1,465 set assists were just four short of the Valley record for set assists by a freshman.
Dingman, who just completed her sixth season at Illinois State, wasn't surprised to see the two Valley players in the group.
"As a group, this is the best freshman class I've seen since I've been in the Valley," said Dingman. "It's neat to have two from our league get national recognition. Both Erin and Korie had outstanding years as freshman setters."
College Volleyball Update (CVU Magazine, CVU.com)
2005 Rising Stars
Megan Argabright, Western Kentucky (National Freshman of the Year)
Jeannette Abbott, Clemson
Foluke Akinradewo, Stanford
Cynthia Barboza, Stanford
Nicole Fawcett, Penn State
Christa Harmotto, Penn State
Korie Lebeda, Creighton
Erin Lindsey, Illinois State
Jessie Nevitt, Cincinnati
Lara Newberry, Chattanooga
Jourdan Norman, Duke
Natalie Peters, SMU
Sara Radosevic, Tulane
Nellie Spicer, UCLA
