May 9, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
Kelly Kreger, a former Redbird volleyball standout and Illinois State's interim head coach during the spring season, has been hired as an assistant coach on new head coach Melissa Myers' staff.
Kreger, known to many Redbird fans as Kelly Rikli in her playing days (2001-04), compiled 4,345 career set assists (11.68 apg), which ranks second all-time. In her junior season (2003), Kreger tallied 1,575 set assists, the third-highest single-season total in program history. Her 66 set assists against in-state rival Northern Illinois (10/2/02) in her junior campaign, and the 69 assists she compiled against Northern Iowa (11/21/03) as a senior both rank among the top-five single-match performances in Redbird Arena history.
"We are fortunate to have Kelly join the ISU volleyball staff," said Myers. "She has a desire to develop as a coach, to be a true professional, and to help ISU not only continue its winning volleyball tradition, but to help take the program to the next level. Her relevant educational background and her enthusiasm for Illinois State will be an asset to our program."
Kreger served as the Redbirds' interim head volleyball coach during the four-week spring season that concluded April 19. She was Bloomington Central Catholic High School's head coach in 2005, and was an assistant coach for the Illinois Juniors Volleyball Club from 2003-04. Kreger has also spent the past five years as a volleyball camp instructor at both Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan, while also creating and directing a series of private satellite camps for high school teams.
"I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this new coaching staff," said Kreger. "I am very impressed with head coach Melissa Myers, and am eager to learn from such an amazing role model. I have seen the changes that have been made since (athletics director) Dr. Zenger has been at Illinois State, and I am honored to be a part of this athletics department. I can't wait to get started and continue to build this program to be nationally competitive."
One of Kreger's mentees in 2008 will be three-year starting setter Erin Lindsey, who enters her senior campaign just 1,297 set assists shy of Marisa Brickley's (1995-99) all-time career record (5,614). Myers and the Redbirds also welcome freshman setter Kristin Stauter, a Bloomington High School product, to the fold next fall. Stauter captured the Raiders' single-season (898) and career set-assist records (2,284) last season.
Kreger spent the past two years as a graduate assistant in Illinois State's Karin Bone Athletics Study Center. She is married to former Illinois State fullback Kevin Kreger (2002-05). She will graduate Saturday with her master's of science degree in exercise physiology.
