Nov. 8, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
For outside hitter Peggy Riessen, the 2007 campaign has been a season of firsts. She went from being a seldom utilized reserve to a full-time starter in just one season, and has since become one of Illinois State's most relied upon six-rotation players. One constant over the past two years has been Riessen's outstanding performance in the classroom, where she has a near flawless 3.90 grade-point-average. As a result, Riessen was recognized as a District 5 first-team Academic All-District selection by CoSIDA and ESPN the Magazine.
Riessen has compiled her 3.90 GPA in ISU's business administration program. She tallied a 3.81 GPA in the spring 2007 semester. Riessen was named to the AFNI in both the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters.
Riessen has 18 double-digit kill efforts on the season, including a stretch of eight-consecutive matches between Sept. 14 and Oct. 6. She 13 total double-doubles (kills-digs), including eight in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Riessen twice set a career-high in kills with 18 apiece at Northern Illinois (Aug. 28) and against Missouri State (Sept. 22), and tallied a career-high 25 digs at Alabama. She scored a career-high 20.0 points at Southern Illinois (Sept. 14).
ISU head coach Sharon Dingman is impressed with Riessen's combination of success on and off the court.
"Peggy is the consummate student-athlete," said Dingman. "She has challenged herself to be the best she can be on the court and in the classroom. She is a very gifted person and is using her gifts wisely. I'm very excited for Peggy; this is testament to how diligence, focus, sacrifice and discipline can be rewarded."
