NORMAL, Ill. – Former Illinois State standout Jaelyn Keene (2014-17) announced on Monday that she has signed a professional contract to play volleyball with the ATSC Kelag Wildcats in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Keene, who graduated with her bachelor's degree in accounting in May 2018, exhausted her indoor volleyball eligibility and used her fifth and final year to play a sport not sponsored by Illinois State – beach volleyball – at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She recently completed her master's degree in accounting at UAB.
"This opportunity is something I have been dreaming about since I was a little girl," Keene shared. "It is awesome to be able to represent the two institutions I studied and played at – Illinois State and UAB. The sport of volleyball has brought me more opportunities in my life than I could have ever imagined. Playing volleyball at ISU was so amazing and it is crazy to think the next step was going to play beach at UAB. Now, I'm off to play volleyball in Europe for nine months. Sometimes it is still hard to believe it is happening."
A four-time AVCA All-Region honoree, Keene finished her ISU career in the top-10 all-time in points (1,983), kills (1,567), blocks (472) and aces (140). She also holds the ISU career hitting percentage record with a .367 clip. She became the sixth player in Missouri Valley Conference history, and second in ISU history, to be named a four-time All-MVC First Team selection.
"We are very proud of Jaelyn's journey," ISU head coach Leah Johnson shared. "She has earned every step of it and is deserving of this new chapter as a professional athlete. Jaelyn is a gifted athlete with an exceptional work ethic, and with that combination, she will continue to be successful. We are looking forward to being her biggest fan club and will always be proud to call her a Redbird."
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