Ball State University Athletics
Women?s Volleyball Signs Five Players For 2010 Season
November 30, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - -Ball State women's volleyball head coach Dave Boos announced the signing of five players to national letters of intent during the early signing period. The five players will join the Cardinals for the 2010 season.
Joining the team for next season are Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North H.S.), Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls H.S.), Whitney Heeres (Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.), Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven H.S.) and Jacqui Seidel (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East H.S.).
Four of the recruits, Fredrich, Heeres, Marx and Seidel, were recently named to the PrepVolleyball.com 2010 Senior Aces "The 150" list which ranks them among the top 250 recruits in the nation. Baker was named to the "Just Missing" list, meaning she was just outside the top 250.
"Our staff is ecstatic to add the class of 2010 to our already talented group of returning athletes," said Boos. "These five recruits are some of the most talented players in the Midwest and will make up one of the top, if not the top, class in the MAC."
Baker, a 5-11 outside hitter from Plainfield, Ill., is a four-year letterwinner in volleyball at Plainfield North H.S. for coach Kerri McCastland. A four-time All-Area First Team and All-Southwest Prairie Conference selection, Baker established school records in kills (1,075) and digs (839) while leading Plainfield North to three conference championships.
As a senior, Baker amassed 293 kills and 290 digs while assisting Plainfield North to a 22-9 overall record en route to her fourth straight team MVP award. A three-year team captain, Baker helped the North to No. 6 rankings in the state in 2007 and 2008.
Baker also played club volleyball for Club Fusion. With the program, she helped guide her 16 Black team to a Junior Volleyball Association national championship. Her 17 Black team, which also included fellow recruit Seidel, placed third at nationals, with Baker earning a slot on the all-tournament team.
"Kylee is a tremendous competitor who can play the entire game," said Boos. "She is a top-level ball handler with a great arm. Through her experience at the elite club and high school levels, Kylee understands what it takes to win. She will bring incredible fire and passion to our team."
Baker is the daughter of Bryan and Nancy Baker, and has two sisters. Her sister, Katelyn, also played volleyball at the University of South Carolina Aiken.
Fredrich, a 5-10 libero from Menomonee Falls, Wis., is a four-year letterwinner in volleyball at Menomonee Falls H.S. for coach J.C. Bruns. A First Team All-State and First Team All-Conference selection as a junior, Fredrich helped lead the Falls to four conference titles and a pair of state championship runner-up finishes.
Fredrich, who was named the Player of the Year in the Greater Metro Conference after her junior year, compiled 1,304 digs, 246 kills and 212 aces over her career while helping Falls to a 22-10 record her senior year.
A two-time team Most Valuable Player, Fredrich also played club volleyball for the Milwaukee Sting. Her 17 Gold team placed fifth at the JVA Nationals.
"Catie is extremely gifted and possesses the complete package for a libero," said Boos. "Her touch as a passer is as good as any player in the Midwest and she should help solidify our passing game. Catie also has a very high volleyball IQ as a defender and makes difficult plays look easy. She is a smooth athlete that is going to add confidence to our squad."
Fredrich is the daughter of Robert and Christine Fredrich, and has one brother and one sister.
Heeres, a 6-2 outside hitter from Flushing, Mich., is a four-year letterwinner in volleyball at Flushing Senior H.S. for coach Shawn Andrews. A three-time First Team All-Big Nine Conference selection, Heeres holds the school record for career kills at 1,697. Heeres, who helped guide Flushing to 192-36-1 record over her career, was also named to the All-Region team three times and was an All-State selection as a junior.
Heeres, who was also nominated for the Michigan Miss Volleyball Award her senior season, helped guide the Raiders to four conference championships, four district championships and a regional championship. Over her career, Heeres recorded 1,697 kills, 1,153 digs and 269 aces.
In addition to her high school career, Heeres played club volleyball for the Michigan Elite Volleyball Club. In 2006 and 2007, her teams qualified for the Junior Olympics. A member of the 14's, 15's and 16's National-1 teams for Michigan Elite VBC, Heeres also earned a spot on the Michigan High Performance Team in the summer of 2006.
"Whitney is going to be a terminating hitter in the MAC," said Boos. "She possesses great size for an outside hitter and will be a point scorer for us as both an attacker and blocker. Whitney has also put extra work into her ball handling and has become a complete player. We are very fortunate to have Whitney joining us this spring, so I see her being very prepared for the 2010 fall season."
Heeres is the daughter of Kevin and Sharon Heeres, and has two sisters. Her sister, Krystal, played volleyball for Kellogg Community College and Olivet College.
Marx, a 6-0 middle blocker from Grand Haven, Mich., is a three-year letterwinner in volleyball at Grand Haven H.S. for coach Aaron Smaka. A two-time all-conference selection, Marx smashed a single-season school-record 643 kills her senior year to help guide the Buccaneers to a 45-16 overall record.
Marx earned Second Team All-State accolades as a junior after posting a Grand Haven school-record 207 blocks. A two-time all-area and all-region honoree, Marx finished her prep career with 1,378 kills, 516 blocks and 432 digs. She also hit .285 over her career to help guide the Buccaneers to three district championships and a pair of regional finals.
In addition to volleyball, Marx earned three letters in track and field and one letter in basketball at Grand Haven. She earned First Team All-Conference honors three times in track, while earning all-state honors as a freshman. In basketball, Marx helped guide the program to district, conference and regional championships as a sophomore.
"Mindy is the best athlete in our class," said Boos. "She is extremely fast as a blocker and plays very aggressively. Mindy has a mind frame that she wants to dominate the net and block every attack. As Mindy catches up to the speed of the collegiate game, she is going to become a major force.
Marx is the daughter of Robert Marx and Mariene Wierenga, and has one sister.
Seidel, a 5-10 setter from St. Charles, Ill., is a three-year letterwinner in volleyball at St. Charles East H.S. for coach Jennie Kull. A two-time All-Conference honoree and a second-team All-State selection as a junior, Seidel led St. Charles East to a state championship her junior year, as well as to three conference titles over her career.
Named to the All-Area First team in the Daily Herald and Chronicle as a junior, Seidel helped St. Charles East to a 90-24 overall record in three years including a 32-7 mark her senior season. She also helped the Fighting Saints place third in the state her sophomore year.
In addition to high school, Seidel played club volleyball for Club Fusion. With the program, she helped her 17 Black team place third at JVA nationals and win the PrepVolleyball.com championship alongside fellow recruit Baker.
"Jacqui is a volleyball player," said Boos. "She is a strong, agile athlete who has worked hard to develop into an elite-level volleyball player. Jacqui possesses refined skills as both a setter and attacker as she has been trained in each position during the club and high school seasons. What truly sets Jacqui apart from most players is her competitiveness. She is a winner that leads her team by both her words and actions."
Seidel is the daughter of Alan and Roberta Seidel. Her father was a three-sport athlete in soccer, hockey and baseball at Northern Illinois.
