Hoosiers Host Senior Banquet

2/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Feb. 4, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University volleyball team celebrated the 2007 season on Saturday night with their team banquet. Friends and family of the team, coaches and support staff gathered in the Hoosier room for a night full memories from the fall.

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"The banquet was a great night to celebrate the steps forward we made in our program this past season and honor our seniors," said Head Coach Sherry Dunbar. "It also allowed us the opportunity to thank our support staff which is so instrumental to our program. We are very fortunate to have a lot of wonderful people work with our program on a daily basis who genuinely care about the welfare of our student-athletes."

The evening began with dinner, which was followed by comments from Coach Dunbar and the guest speaker, IU Head Football Coach Bill Lynch. After a few words from Coach Dunbar and Coach Lynch, a DVD highlight film was presented.

Next up was the awards ceremony. First-year players Ashley Benson, Mara Hilgenberg, Kelsey Hall, Morgan Miller, Martyna Popik and Taylor Wittmer were all given varsity jackets as a reward for their first varsity letter earned. It was then the seniors turn to be recognized. Gabrielle Allison, Lauren Ditteon and Annie Moddrell were all given senior awards and a chance to talk to the crowd, sharing some of their fondest IU volleyball memories.

The night concluded with the presentation of two final individual awards. The first one was called the Players' Inspirational Award and was voted on by the players. This award goes to a person who plays for the love of the game, and this year's winner was Jessica Langert.

"She always remained positive and encouraging of her teammates," read the banquet's MC, Kelly Smith. "Her heart has been in this program since freshman year. She dedicated herself to this program and is a motivational leader to teammates on and off the court. Her hard work ethic did not go unnoticed and her ability to demonstrate leadership both on the court as well as in the classroom."

The last award given was one voted on by the coaches and symbolizes someone who exemplifies what a student-athlete really means. This year's Coaches' Award honoree was Taylor Wittmer.

The coaching staff describes Wittmer as "a player who is a great example academically and in the weight room, is appreciative for all she is given and does everything with a smile on her face. She works hard to get better every day. She wants to make this program better and has 100-percent dedication to IU volleyball."