Senior Year (2014)

Appeared in all 33 matches and started in 19, while playing in 119 sets … named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Elite 18 Award winner, recognizing the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average competing at a MVC championship … also named to MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team … named Illinois State’s 2014 Most Improved Player … ranked fifth among Redbird players with 191 kills and 1.66 kills per set … ranked fourth on the team in total blocks (65) … added 46 digs, ranking eighth on the squad … set a career high with 12 kills against Indiana State (10/31) … posted a career-high 13.5 points against Northern Iowa (10/17) … notched a career-high six block assists in Illinois State’s MVC Tournament semifinal win over Missouri State (11/28) … recorded double-digit kills eight times … registered a season-best .421 hitting percentage at Indiana State (Oct. 3).

Junior Year (2013)

Appeared in 12 matches and started in four, while playing in 25 sets … ranked fourth on the team in blocks per set (0.68) … ranked sixth in hitting percentage (.194) and eighth in kills (22) … set a career high in solo blocks (2) against Indiana State (10/25) … recorded at least one kill in nine matches and at least one block in seven matches … named to MVC and AFNI academic honor rolls … earned MVC Commissioner’s Excellence Award.

Sophomore Year (2012)

Appeared in 14 matches and 23 sets … recorded two or more kills in four matches … posted a season-high four kills and a season-high .275 hitting percentage against VCU (8/24) … tallied three blocks in three matches … recorded 10 total blocks during the season and averaged 0.43 blocks per set … named to MVC and AFNI academic honor rolls.

Freshman Year (2011)

Appeared in 17 matches with 11 starts … ranked third on the team in blocks per set (0.80), and eighth in points (46) and points per set (1.33) … compiled a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage two times … recorded two or more kills in six matches … named to MVC and AFNI academic honor rolls … earned MVC Commissioner’s Excellence Award.

Prior to ISU

A member of the Australian Senior Women’s Volleyball Team, which competed in the Vietnam Cup in 2011 … represented Australia in indoor volleyball at the junior level in the Asian Youth Championships in 2010 … represented Victoria in the Beach Volleyball Australian Junior Nationals in 2010 … won the Most Improved Player award for the Melbourne University Renegades Volleyball Club in 2010, the highest division in Victoria, and won gold during the 2010 season … was selected to represent Victoria as part of the All-Star Team in the 2010 State of Origin Match against Queensland in 2010.

Personal

Eliza Jean Smith … born November 10, 1992 … daughter of Steve Smith and Deb Way … has one sister (Annabel) … major is public relations.