Ball State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball Inks Four Players for 2007 Season
November 09, 2006 | Women's Volleyball
Muncie, Ind. - - Ashley Heyman (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy), Abby LaVigne (Swanton, Ohio/Swanton H.S.), Alyssa Rio (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) and Alexis Shonkwiler (Marion, Ind./Eastbrook H.S.) have signed national letters of intent to attend Ball State University and compete on the women's volleyball team according to head coach Randy Litchfield.
"On paper, this is the best recruiting class we've ever signed," said Litchfield. "All four have the ability to impact us immediately; all four are good people and solid students; all four are top athletes with very high ceilings; and all four have been winners in all their endeavors.
"One year ago I designed a five-year plan and this class is a big key to that plan. In combination with our current freshmen, we are assembling people that can compete at a very high level and be the faces for Ball State volleyball though 2010. Needless to say, we have high expectations and feel this class can contribute greatly to our goals."
Heyman is set to join the Cardinals after earning three varsity letters in volleyball for coach John Buck at St. Ursula Academy in Toledo, Ohio. A first-team all-city and all-district selection, as well as a third team All-Ohio Division I honoree as a senior, Heyman helped guide the Arrows to a 23-4 overall record and a regional runner-up finish in the state tournament this season. A senior team captain, Heyman's Arrows finished the year ranked No. 2 in the final Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, plus earned Toledo City League and district championships.
In her three seasons with the Arrows varsity squad, the team posted an 80-5 overall record, including a 29-0 record and an Ohio Division I State Championship her sophomore season. Both her sophomore and junior squads finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, with her sophomore team ranking fifth in the final national rankings and her junior team ranking as high as seventh in the nation.
A member of prevolleyball.com's 2007 Senior Ace Top 150 list, Heyman finished her career with a school-record 542 blocks, including a St. Ursula single-season record 234 blocks as a senior. Both her career and single-season block totals rank in the top five in Ohio High School History.
A 2006 Toledo City League Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete Award recipient, Heyman also tallied 136 kills as a senior, while logging 16 aces and a .403 attack percentage in 76 games. Over her career, she logged 436 kills and 18 aces, while hitting for a .384 rate of success over 236 games.
A three-time all-city academic honoree, Heyman also earned a pair of Toledo St. Ursula Academy (TSUA) Arrow Awards, was a second team all-city and all-district selection as a junior and picked up the TSUA Black and Blue Award and all-city honorable mention accolades as a sophomore.
In six years of club volleyball with Toledo VBC, Heyman has been a five-time participant in the USVA Junior Olympic National Championships. In 2004, she was a member of the USAV Colorado Crossroads National Qualifier championship team. In 2005, she participated in the USA Volleyball High Performance Development Camp and was invited to the Holiday Camp. Heyman was also a member of the 2004 and 2003 Ohio Valley Region High Performance Team.
"Ashley is a top-notch student-athlete with great credentials both on the volleyball court and in the classroom," said Litchfield. "She has had great training and knows how to win through her time at Toledo St. Ursula, one of the top high school volleyball programs in the midwest. She's also had great experiences with Toledo Volleyball Club.
"On day one, Ashley will provide us true middle blocking abilities. She has great size, athletic ability, lateral quickness and loves to block. Ashley's offense is also solid and will be a strong point once she learns our system."
LaVigne will join the Cardinals after earning four varsity letters in volleyball for coach Jason Borer at Swanton High School in Swanton, Ohio. This past season, LaVigne served as team captain for a team that posted a school-record 19-4 overall mark. During the course of the season, the Bulldogs also tallied a school-record 14-straight wins.
LaVigne finished her prep career as one of the most prolific players in Ohio High School Volleyball history, ranking first in career blocks (776), second in career kills (1,517) and sixth in career aces (221), all of which are also school records. LaVigne also logged Swanton career records for matches played (97), digs (1,045), service receptions (1,046) and points (665). Her school single-season records including marks for blocks (296 - - which ranks second in state record books), kills (527 - - which ranks fourth in state annals), aces (76), digs (355) and service receptions (344).
The first player in Ohio High School history to record over 1,000 kills before her senior season, according to the Toledo Blade, LaVigne helped guide the Bulldogs to a 67-30 record over her career. She was also a member of three sectional championship teams and three district runner-up squads.
LaVigne is a three-time first team all-Northwest Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) selection, as well as the 2006 NWOAL Player of the Year and a 2005 NWOAL Co-Player of the Year. A two-year team captain, LaVigne is also a three-time District 7 First Team honoree, a two-time District 7 Player of the Year selection, a four-time Coaches Award recipient, a second team all-Ohio honoree as a senior and an all-Ohio Honorable Mention as a junior.
In addition to volleyball, LaVigne has had very successful careers in track & field and basketball for Swanton. In track & field, she boasts school records in the 100-meter dash (12.4), the 200-meter dash (26.1) and the long jump (17'-8.25"). A two-time state qualifier and a 2006 district champion in the long jump, LaVigne earned eight NWOAL event championships over her career. In basketball, LaVigne is a two-time NWOAL First Team honoree, as well as the 2004-05 NWOAL Player of the Year and a 2005-06 NWOAL Co-Player of the Year.
"Another terrific student, Abby might be the best pure athlete to ever join our program," said Litchfield. "She is a great, multi-sport athlete in high school who has yet to put her focus entirely on volleyball. Once she trains only in volleyball her skill level will grow and she'll quickly evolve into a standout.
"Abby has the ability to play any net position but will likely transition to an outside hitter once she enters our gym. At a long 5-10, she's played primarily as a middle player and has great natural instincts at the net. We'll work hard to fine-tune her general skills and she'll be thrown into the mix rather quickly. She's the type of athlete who'll figure out ways to succeed by being on the court."
Rio will join Ball State after earning four varsity letters in volleyball for coach Peg Kopec at St. Francis, H.S. in Wheaton, Illinois. During her senior campaign, Rio has captained the Spartans to a 38-2 overall record, a sectional championship and a berth in this weekend's Illinois Class AA State Championship Quarterfinals. St. Francis is currently ranked eighth in the nation, after being ranked as high as third earlier in the year.
During her four-year career, Rio has helped the Spartans claim a pair of Illinois Class A State Championships, before the program jumped to Class AA last season where it loss to eventual 2005 state champion Naperville (Central) in the sectional finals. Entering this weekend, Rio has helped guide St. Francis to an 146-16 record over her career.
Entering the final weekend of play, Rio paces her squad with 48 service aces, while posting 164 kills and 31 blocks on the year. Like Heyman and Shonkwiler, Rio's name appears on prevolleyball.com's 2007 Senior Ace Top 150 list.
"In Alyssa, Ball State volleyball has yet another high-quality libero who knows nothing but winning," said Litchfield. "Alyssa competes and stars for one of the most successful high school programs in the nation, St. Francis (IL). As a high school player she is a very good outside hitter. However, her true passion is at the libero position.
"Alyssa plays libero for one of the nation's best club teams, Sports Performance Volleyball Club. At 5-10, she has terrific size and strength which enables her to cover a lot of ground that smaller liberos can not. She has the skill level and background as a winner to step on the court immediately for the Cardinals. Like the others, Alyssa is also a terrific student."
Shonkwiler will play for the Cardinals after earning four varsity letters in volleyball for coach Wilma Cox at Eastbrook High School in Marion, Indiana. During her senior season, Shonkwiler helped guide the Panthers to a 31-3 overall record, which includes conference, county and sectional championships. Eastbrook's 31 were a school record, while the team was ranked in the top 10 all year, including a school-record No. 2 ranking during the season.
Over her career, Shonkwiler helped Eastbrook build a 100-35 overall record. A two-time team Most Valuable Player and a first team all-state selection as a junior, she also helped the Panthers win county and sectional championships her sophomore season. A member of prevolleyball.com's 2007 Senior Ace Top 150 list, Shonkwiler picked up first team all-Central Indiana Conference accolades as a senior, junior and sophomore.
During her senior season, Shonkwiler tallied 218 total blocks in 103 games to rank 14th in the state with a 2.11 blocks-per-game average. Shonkwiler's 15 total blocks in the team's win over Madison-Grant (Oct. 7) rank as one of the highest single-match totals in the state this season.
In addition to her stellar blocking totals, Shonkwiler compiled 329 kills, 291 digs, 38 aces and a .346 attack percentage during her senior campaign. Over her career, she logged 1,090 kills, 956 digs, 474 blocks, 119 aces and a .285 attack percentage in 419 career games.
In addition to volleyball, Shonkwiler has earned three letters to date in basketball at Eastbrook, while helping guide the program to county championships three years in a row. A two-time first team all-conference selection, she was the team's leading rebounder and posted a team-best field goal percentage as a freshman. During her sophomore season, she picked up the program's 3D Award (Dedication, Desire and Determination) while earning Practice Player of the Year accolades as a junior.
"Alexis is one of the top athletes in the state and has a very high ceiling as a college volleyball player," said Litchfield. "She learned how to win through her time at Eastbrook High School. She has also excelled as a student. Alexis will offer us a lot of versatility as she can play any of the front court positions.
"We also feel Alexis will be a solid back court player. She is a great jumper and very quick with terrific net instincts. Once she gets accustomed to the speed of the college game the sky's the limit. Her versatility will enable her to help our program immediately."
