Ball State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball Completes 2006 Signing Class
June 13, 2006 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Julie Breivogel (Boonville, Ind./Boonville H.S.), Cassie Conner (Willow Springs, Ill./Lyons Township H.S.), Courtney Diggins (Indianapolis, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School) and Ana Gabriela Pedrosa (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Colegio Arnaldo) 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. In addition, Christine Kennedy (San Marcos, Calif./University of San Diego H.S.) has transferred to Ball State after playing one season at Saint Mary's College of California.
Breivogel, a four-year letterwinner at Boonville for coach Mary Cox, was named First Team All-State after guiding the Pioneers to a 35-3 record her senior season, including a 7-0 mark in Big 8 play. A three-time All-Big 8 Conference selection over her career, Breivogel helped guide Boonville to back-to-back state tournament appearances for the first time in school history. The Pioneers' 30 regular season wins and 35 overall wins in 2005 were both school records.
Breivogel, a three-time team blocking leader, posted 138 total blocks her senior season and 424 over her career. In 432 career games, she tallied 1,360 kills, 424 digs, 118 aces and 18 assists. A three-time Who's Who in Sports honoree, she was a Second Team All-State selection as a junior and a member of the 3A/4A South All-Star Team her senior season. She earned four letters in track at Boonville, where she was a two-time state finalist in the shot put, placing fifth as a senior and seventh as a junior. She also played club volleyball for the Southern Indiana Starz.
"Julie will bring a lot of versatility and energy to our team in 2006," said Litchfield. "She has the ability to play all three net positions as well as in the backcourt. At six-foot and a great jumper, she will compete for playing time immediately. Julie is an intense competitor and could be a great one some day."
Conner, a two-year letterwinner in volleyball at Lyons Township for coach Joann Pyritz, was named to the All-West Suburban Conference team after helping guide the Lions to a 31-9 overall record and a second-place finish in the conference's silver division her senior season. Conner played in 93 games as a senior, collecting 148 kills and a .372 hitting percentage. She also tallied 86 digs, 48 aces, 37 assists and 17 blocks.
An academic all-conference and Rich-East All-Tournament team selection as a senior, Conner helped guide LTHS to two regional and two sectional titles over her career. She also played club volleyball for Sports Performance.
"Cassie has the experience of playing in one of the nations highest quality clubs for the past two years. She has fine-tuned her setting skills while maintaining her ability to attack. She's fairly tall but very long. These physical attributes will allow her to play pretty big from the setting spot."
Diggins, a two-year letterwinner at Brebeuf for coach Brian Murray, helped guide the Braves to a state championship during her senior campaign in which the team finished the season ranked fourth in the nation with a 37-1 record. As a senior, Diggins earned recognition on the All-Star North and All-Marion County honorable mention squads.
Diggins began her high school career and lettered at Brownsburg High School under Ball State alumnus Bob Yeager. Her club career consisted of a stint with Circle City Volleyball Club and Team Indiana.
"Courtney has some real potential. Her front court game is good, but she'll require a lot of attention to her back court game. With a redshirt year and some experience in a college gym we feel like her game can explode."
Pedrosa joins the Cardinals after playing her entire youth career in Brazil's Sparta Volleyball Club, where she has developed into a highly skilled player. The first Brazilian to play for the BSU women's volleyball team, Pedrosa is just the seventh international player in the program's history.
"Ana offers us a lot of skill and experience. Brazil is arguably the top volleyball nation in the world and Ana has competed at a high level. She'll need to first adjust to our language and culture. Once she finds some comfort here she'll be a great asset to us on the outside or in the backcourt."
Kennedy joins the Cardinals after spending the 2005 season as a freshman for the Saint Mary's Gales. Kennedy saw limited action during the season, playing in just seven matches and 15 games. Despite the limited playing time, Kennedy was a clutch performer when needed, replacing an injured teammate late in the season and collecting seven total blocks versus both No. 12 Santa Clara and No. 20 San Diego. In the Santa Clara match, she paced all players with a career-high three solo blocks.
Prior to joining the Gales, Kennedy was a two-year letterwinner in volleyball at the University of San Diego High School where she helped guide the program to Southern California Regional Final appearances in 2003 and 2004. A First Team All-Western League and First Team All-CIF selection as a senior, she also helped the program earn a pair of Western League Championships in 2003 and 2004 and a CIF title in 2003. Kennedy was also a three-year letterwinner in track for the Dons.
"Christine is just what the doctor ordered. She has a lot of high-level experience in the middle and will offer our roster a lot of flexibility. Christine proved herself late in her freshman year at nationally-ranked St. Mary's by starting and excelling in some big matches."
