Indiana University Athletics
Three To Join Hoosier Volleyball Program
4/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
April 24, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head coach Sherry Dunbar and the Indiana University volleyball program have announced that Mara Hilgenberg (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), Kelsey Hall (Murrieta, Calif./Mt. San Jacinto C.C.) and Martyna Popik (Bielsko-Biala, Poland/Liceum Stefana Zeromskiego) will be joining the program for the 2007-08 academic year.
Hilgenberg will join the Hoosiers after spending three seasons as the starting setter at Lake Forest. A team captain in her senior season, Hilgenberg was also a first team all-conference selection that year. The most valuable player of the Lake Forest Invitational Tournament in 2006, she also earned all-tournament honors the previous season, as her team won the event both years. A News Sun Athlete of the Week in October 2005, Hilgenberg was also named a Pioneer Press all-conference selection in 2005. In addition to her high school experience, Hilgenberg was also the starting setter and captain as a member of the Sky High Volleyball Club from 2004-06 and is currently the starting setter and captain of the Fusion Volleyball Club. While playing with the Sky High Black, Hilgenberg was named the MVP of the all-tournament team for the 17 and Under National Division at the Junior Olympic Girls Championships. Her team took first place in the National Division.
"Mara comes from a very athletic family," Dunbar said. "She has grown up around sports all of her life and specifically with her father being a Chicago Bears Hall of Fame player she has been around sports at the elite level. Something that we need to make this program better is some firey personalities, kids that are very competitive, that have played at a high level, that know how to win and that have just a little bit of an edge to them. Mara has that. She runs a very creative offense, is willing to take chances on the court and is very athletic. She is player that you love to watch compete because she is not only a good player, but she makes her teammates better, too. Mara will come in and challenge for a starting spot right away, and I think that will help Allison (Regas). As they challenge each other and continue to get better, they will make the team better. I am excited to have someone with her experience, ability and knowledge of the game to help build the program."
Hall will join the IU program from Mt. San Jacinto Community College. Prior to her time at Mt. Jacinto, she spent one season as a member of the UCLA volleyball team. While with the Bruins, Hall played in 40 games, tallying 56 kills, three service aces, 71 digs and 10 block assists. She had a career day against USC, as she recorded 12 kills and 13 digs on Sept. 30, 2005. Before she went to UCLA, Hall was a three-year letterwinner at Murrieta Valley High School. One of Volleyball Magazine's "Fab 50 Volleyball Players and PrepVolleyball.com's "Senior Aces" and "Top 50 Recruits" in 2005, Hall was selected to the USA Volleyball Junior National A2 Team and the USA Volleyball National Training Camp in 2004, but did not attend due to injury. She also earned numerous All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) honors during her career, as well All-Valley and All-Southwestern League first team accolades.
"Kelsey is another player that knows how to win, has a lot of experience and generally just loves sports," Dunbar said. "It is very important to us to have somebody who loves athletics the way that she does and is determined to be the best. Whether it is breaking down stats, scouting, or training, she will always be working to be better than her opponent. To have someone with that kind of drive is a huge addition to the program. She played some her freshman year at UCLA and has the experience of playing with a high caliber team and getting trained at that level. Kelsey is going to add a lot of depth on defense and passing. She is a very smart player in the front row as well and is going to be able make great plays for us. She knows exactly what she wants out of her college experience. She brings maturity and experience to the program."
Popik will join the Hoosiers as the first international player in program history. She has been a member of two Slask championship teams, in 2005 and 2006, and was a runner-up in her other two high school seasons. Popik also won four Polish 1/4 Championship Tournament titles during her high school career, two in the U-17 category and the other two as a member of the U-19 group. In 2004 and 2005, MKS Bielsko-Biala took home the Polish 1/2 Championship Tournament crown in the U-17 division. Competing in the U-19 division, Popik and MKS Bielsko-Biala finished in sixth place in the Polish Second League in 2006, while she finished in seventh place at the Polish Final Championship Tournament and sixth in the Polish Second League in 2007 as a member of BKS Aluprof Bielsko-Biala. Popik was the MVP of the 2004 U-17 Polish 1/2 Championship Tournament and earned MKS Bielsko-Biala MVP honors at the Polish Final Championship in 2005. The MVP of an international tournament in Pszczyna in August 2006, Popik closed out her high school career by being named the Best Woman Athlete at Bielsko-Biala.
"Martyna will bring us depth at the outside and right side positions," Dunbar said. "She will also bring a ton of experience because of the level of competition she has played at in Poland and the type of players she has played with. She comes from volleyball family and has grown up around the sport at a high level. I think it is great to bring in an international player, both for her and for the team. We are exited about the impact that Martyna will make on the program."
The three will join Taylor Wittmer (Loogootee, Ind./Loogootee) and Ashley Benson (Bloomington, Ind./North) as the newcomers to the program. Wittmer and Benson, who signed letters of intent to join the Hoosiers during the previous signing period, as well as Hilgenberg, Hall and Popik and the rest of the Hoosiers will open the season on Friday, August 24, in DeKalb, Ill. The Hoosiers will face Western Illinois to open both the season and the Northern Illinois Tournament on that day at a time to be announced.
