Nov. 15, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
The cornerstone of Illinois State's offense for the next four years was signed, sealed and delivered Thursday when head volleyball coach Sharon Dingman officially welcomed her 2008 recruiting class to the fold. Setter and Bloomington, Ill., native Kristin Stauter and Milwaukee product, middle blocker Tabitha Visk, both signed National Letters of Intent (NLI), and will begin their eligibility next fall.
"These two athletes will bring a competitive spirit and championship mentality to our program," said Dingman. "In Kristin (Stauter) and Tabitha (Visk), we've been able to continue to sign great athletes and address our team's immediate needs. It will be fun to watch our new setter and middle grow up together."
At 5-foot-8, Stauter led Bloomington High School to the Illinois Division 3A State Tournament, where the Purple Raiders dropped a three-game decision to Metamora in the sectional finals. During her senior campaign, Stauter averaged 11.00 assists-per-game, and captured the single-season (898) and career set-assist records (2,284). Stauter's 640 service points were also a Bloomington High School record. She was a Pantagraph All-Area and All-Big 12 Conference First-Team pick as a junior, compiling 10.8 assists-per-game for the 34-4 Purple Raiders.
"Kristin is one of the most highly regarded setters in the class of 2008," said Dingman. "She led Bloomington to a national ranking and a record-setting season. She understands the role of a setter, she is athletic and she has competed at a very high level. I love her toughness. She is a competitor.
"We are extremely excited about having Kristin continue the legacy of great setters at Illinois State. We are also very excited about having another standout player from Bloomington High School. Like Katie Seyller, Kristin has been trained at a level that prepares her for the transition to college volleyball."
Stauter played club volleyball for Illini Elite under head coach Andy Erins. Current Redbirds Mallory Leggett and Seyller also played for Illini Elite in their respective club days.
Stauter looks forward to the opportunity of playing in front of a hometown crowd at Redbird Arena.
"One of the most important factors in me deciding to attend Illinois State was the location," said Stauter. "I love having the support of my friends and family, so I'm really excited about that."
Stauter will have one season to learn from ISU's current All-Valley setter, Erin Lindsey, who recently became just the fourth setter in Redbird history to eclipse 4,000 career set-assists.
"I'm ecstatic about the opportunity to play alongside her (Erin Lindsey)," said Stauter. "I've watched her play over the past couple of years, and she is an amazing player. I really hope I can learn a lot from her, both on-and-off the court because she is a great leader for the team."
Illini Elite head coach Andy Erins praised Stauter's competitiveness, and said her knack for the setter position would directly translate over to the collegiate level.
"First and foremost, her competitiveness is very glaring, which is only going to help Kristin at the next level," said Erins. "She is just a knowledgeable volleyball player. She understands her position, and both her job and role on the court. Kristin had the opportunity to set for a very good club team, and a very good high school team. She's a winner, and that experience is difficult to quantify.
"Her biggest physical attribute is her ability to make amazing plays, and that is what sets her apart from a lot of other setters. Most setters can get the job done in front of the net, but Kristin constantly makes plays that you didn't think she could make. That is really going to translate over to college volleyball."
Visk, a 6-foot-1 middle hitter, attended Westosha Central High School, and was coached by Charlie Berg. She was named first-team all-state and to the all-tournament team after leading Westosha Central to a third-place finish in the Wisconsin Division I State Tournament. As a junior, Visk helped Westosha win its fifth state championship. Visk played club volleyball for the Wisconsin Juniors.
"Tabitha (Visk) is extremely athletic," said Dingman. "She jumps very well, has great lateral speed and plays with great intelligence. We've been fortunate to have some tremendously talented middle blockers in our program and Tab is another one. She is a natural blocker and we are excited to have her help us improve in that area of the game.
"Her high school team is consistently one of the best in Wisconsin. Tabitha has won a state championship, so she has experience competing in the championship environment. Tabitha is a winner, and we expect that to translate to the next level."
Visk was impressed by ISU's coaching staff and its current players.
"Of all the places I visited, I never got the feeling that I belonged at that school until I visited Illinois State," said Visk. "I really enjoyed the current players, the coaches and the campus. It was everything I was looking for."
Berg was impressed with how much Visk has progressed in her time at Westosha Central.
"Tabitha has come in and progressed more than any other player I have ever coached," said Berg. "In the past two years in particular, she has discovered her role in our program, and has competed alongside some very good players. She is an outstanding blocker, runs the slide extremely well and has a very quick swing. She is also a good passer; she had a considerable amount of digs and served the ball a lot last season, as we used her in the back row."
