Aug. 25, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
For junior libero Kasey Mollerus, the thrill of digging an opposing offensive player's would-be kill is just as exciting as scoring a set-winning point. That thrill has resulted in two prolific defensive seasons, and numerous dominating single-match performances. As Mollerus enters her third season as the Redbird starter, she is on pace to significantly re-write the career defensive record book at Illinois State.
Mollerus, a club teammate of ISU senior setter Erin Lindsey in high school, made an immediate impact in ISU's back row upon her arrival in 2006. Mollerus saw action in all 30 matches, and was a consistent performer from start-to-finish. She tallied double-digit dig efforts in all but three matches, including three matches with at least 30 digs, becoming just the second freshman in ISU history to accomplish that feat.
Mollerus averaged 4.97 digs per game, ranking fifth in the Valley, and upped her output in Missouri Valley Conference play, tallying 5.28 digs per stanza. After tallying three of the top-five single-match dig efforts in school history, Mollerus was named to the MVC All-Newcomer Team, and narrowly missed out on the ISU single-season digs record by just five, ending the season with 576 digs. She also recorded 12 matches with a perfect 1.000 reception percentage, including the last five matches of the season.
Mollerus carried that momentum over to her sophomore campaign, setting the Redbird single-season record with 586 digs (5.01 dpg). She tallied 14 matches with 20-or-more digs, including two with at least 30. Mollerus contributed 34 digs in ISU's upset of No. 22 Wichita State in the State Farm MVC Tournament semifinals, spearheading an effort that saw three players record 30-or-more digs in a single match for the first time in program history.
As any Redbird volleyball fan can attest to, the fact that ISU has had its two-best defensive seasons in history with Mollerus in the lineup (2,291 digs in 2006, and 2,479 in 2007) is no coincidence. In just two seasons, Mollerus has become the Redbirds' active-career leader in digs per game (4.99), and enters her junior season just 106 digs away from moving into second-place all-time on the career digs list. She is 644 digs away from the all-time ISU standard set by Chris Rehor-Federico (1985-88) with two full seasons left in her career.
Mollerus' two per game averages (5.01 digs per game in 2007 and 4.97 in 2006) are the respective second-and third-best efforts in school history, and she owns four of the top-10 single-match efforts at ISU. Mollerus' aforementioned 34 digs against Wichita State (Nov. 23, 2007) ranks second all-time; her 33 digs in a road win over the Shockers on Nov. 17, 2006 is the fourth-best effort in program history; Mollerus' 32 digs against DePaul in just her sixth career college match is tied for the sixth-highest at ISU, and her 31 digs in a five-game win at Drake (Sept. 29, 2007) last season ranks ninth overall in the ISU single-match annals.
Tuesday's 12 Topics in 12 Days installment will recap outside hitter Mallory Leggett's record-setting freshman season.
