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WOLVES
SIGN PAIR OF MINNESOTA PREP STANDOUTS
Dec.
28, 2001
Northern
State University's volleyball program signed Minnesota high
school standouts Angela Thielen and Kristina Sabby to National
Letters of Intent. That announcement was made today by NSU
head volleyball coach Lisa Schriver.
Thielen
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Thielen,
a 5-foot-10 do-it-all player from Detroit Lakes High School,
played middle hitter, left side hitter, right side hitter
and setter in helping lead her squad to the 2001 Mid-State
Conference Championship and second-place sub-section finish.
She earned all-conference honors that season and has also
been an all-conference honorable mention pick during her prep
career. Thielen also excelled in major off-season camps, earning
the 1998 North Dakota State Skills Camp MVP award, the 1999
NDSU camp high performance award, and the 2000 Debbie Sokol
Camp (Texas) Awesome Attacker Award.
In
addition to volleyball, Thielen is a team captain and all-conference
honorable mention performer in basketball and a team captain
for the softball team. Outside of athletics, she has earned
an academic excellence award and is involved with the Key
Club, Art Club and Business Professionals of America. Angela
is the daughter of Pete and Jayne Thielen.
Sabby,
a 5-11 middle hitter from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, was
a 2001 all-Rum River Conference performer. In addition to
volleyball, she also competes in basketball and softball.
Outside of athletics, she's involved with the school's video
productions. She's also involved with a youth service program
and is a youth recreation volunteer.
Sabby
plans to be a business major at Northern. She is the daughter
of Gary and Sandra Sabby.
Schriver
is already looking forward to next season with her new players
on board.
"I
think Kristina and Angela will both have a positive influence
on our program," Schriver said. "They are both very athletic
and willing to learn, which is what we need to help take our
program to the next level."
NSU's volleyball team already began breaking new ground last
season, earning the program's first-ever North Central Region
regional ranking and climbing to as high as seventh in the
poll. The top six teams move on to NCAA II post-season play.
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30 --
Volleyball Camp Begins
Northern State kicked off its
volleyball season Friday, Aug. 10 with the first day of fall
camp. Twenty-three players reported to camp, including nine
new faces from last season. NSU's season begins Aug. 24-25
at the South Dakota State Burger King Classic.
More
first-day camp photos
NSU VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM SIGNS FIVE
RECRUITS FROM FOUR STATES
April 11, 2001
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Four high school volleyball standouts and
one junior college transfer have signed National Letters of
Intent to attend and play volleyball at Northern State University
this fall. That announcement was made on National Signing
Day today by NSU head volleyball coach Lisa Schriver.
The list includes two players from South Dakota and one each
from North Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. The players are:
Recruit
P. Ht. Hometown (Previous School)
Renae Sparling
MB 5-8 Athol (Northwestern HS)
Jill Ford
DS 5-4 Mellette (Northwestern
HS)
Tara Engquist
OH 6-2 Oakes, N.D. (Oakes HS)
Lindsey Ono
S 5-7 Omaha, Neb. (Millard
West HS)
Kim Heny
OH 6-0 Powell, Wyo. (Northwest
CC, Powell, Wyo.)
This year's recruiting class hits every position on the court,
and is a very accomplished group. All told, the class includes
a junior college all-American, a high school Miss Volleyball
Award winner, a Miss Volleyball nominee, two players with
three state championships and one runner-up finish, and a
record-shattering setter.
"All the players we're bringing in have experienced a very
high level of success at either the high school or junior
college level," Schriver said. "They are all winners on and
off the court and will make excellent additions to our program."
Renae Sparling earned the South Dakota Class B Miss Volleyball
Award as a senior. The two-time all-state and all-state tournament
team performer helped lead Northwestern High School to its
third straight state championship this season. The four-year
starter also helped the Wildcats to a second-place finish
at state as a freshman. Sparling finished her senior campaign
with over 225 kills and 200 digs. She also tallied over 65
ace serves and blocks. Schriver said Sparling makes up for
her lack of size in net with her own brand of explosive play.
"Renae has great jumping ability and a good sense of timing,
which is very hard to teach," Schriver said. "It will be exciting
to see what she can do for our program once she becomes a
regular in our strength and conditioning program."
Sparling plans to major in either sociology or education.
Jill Ford joins Sparling on the Wolves' squad as a three-time
state champion and one-time runner up for Northwestern High
School. A four-time all-conference performer and Aberdeen
American News All-Area team selection as a senior, Ford finished
her last season second on the team in ace serves and once
served out an entire game in the regional tournament. According
to Schriver, a defensive specialist's contributions to a successful
team often go beyond the stat sheet.
"Jill's passing and defense were a very key part of Northwestern's
ability to run a faster-tempo offense," Schriver said. "It's
similar to the style of offense we run here, which gives both
Renae and Jill a head start in learning how to be successful
in our system. Jill's defensive skills will help us out next
year, and she'll only improve as she gets used to the faster
pace of the collegiate game."
Ford plans to major in elementary education and is an NSU
Leadership Scholarship recipient.
Tara Engquist was a North Dakota Miss Volleyball nominee
for Oakes High School and is no stranger to Northern State,
as NSU's volleyball camps have helped hone her game for the
past four years. The two-time all-state and three-time all-conference
selection was also the District I and Region II Senior Volleyball
Player of the Year this season. As a junior, she earned all-state
tournament team honors.
"It's been very rewarding to watch Tara develop over the
past four years," Schriver said. "She has a lot of potential
and will continue to improve for us every season.
Engquist plans to major in education.
Lindsey Ono set a new standard of excellence at Millard West
High School (Omaha, Neb.). The four-year starting setter finished
her career holding the career set assists record with over
1,880 career assists. That shattered the old mark by more
than 1,000 assists. Ono also holds the season assists record
at the school, as well as the third-place season assist mark.
She also holds the second-through-10th spot in the school's
match assists record log. Aside from setting, Ono also ranks
second in school history in service aces (107) and is third
in digs (206). After losing a four-year starter of its own
in Tricia Schilling, the Wolves filled a need with Ono.
"Lindsey will come in and help our setter spot out right
away," Schriver said. "After finishing her high school season,
she is gaining more valuable experience by playing club ball
for a team in Omaha. She has good volleyball instincts and
we're looking forward to seeing her work with our hitters."
Ono plans to major in international business.
Kim Heny comes to Northern after an all-American season at
Northwest Community College in Powell, Wyo. She was voted
an all-American by both the National Junior College Athletic
Association and by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
She also earned the 2000 Wyoming Conference Player of the
Year award. Heny is a two-time all-conference performer and
has also earned all-region and all-region tournament team
honors. Schriver thinks Heny could be an impact player for
her program right away.
"Kim Heny is a terminator," Schriver said. "Her all-around
skills will enhance the program right away. She has competed
at the NJCAA National Tournament and knows what it takes to
win at a high level. She is a very strong and explosive player
that should be very exciting to watch this season."
Heny plans to major in education.
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