Indiana University Athletics
Whitney Thomas Added to '09 IU Volleyball Roster
7/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
July 17, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Whitney Thomas will return to the court for a fifth year this upcoming season ... the volleyball court that is. Indiana Head Volleyball Coach Sherry Dunbar announced the addition of Thomas to the 2009 IU Volleyball roster on Friday. Thomas is taking advantage of an NCAA rule which affords student-athletes a fifth year of eligibility to play one season of a different sport.
"I'm sure a lot of Hoosier fans are going to be thrilled to see Whitney Thomas still in an Indiana uniform for one more season," said Dunbar. "As evidenced over the past four years, Whitney brings leadership, experience, work ethic and athletic ability to our program and will be a great addition to our team."
"It's a great opportunity to play volleyball at IU and I am really excited about it," said Thomas. "It's been awhile since I've played competitively, but I'm ready to get back at it."
On the basketball court, Thomas put together one of the finest careers in Indiana Women's Basketball history. The Bloomington native became just the second player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and rebounds; and the only player to ever hit the double millennium mark while also compiling 200 steals. Her 237 career swipes rank second all-time in IU lore.
"She is a special young lady that knows what it means to represent Indiana University after growing up in Bloomington," said Dunbar.
Thomas graduated from IU in May, but has enrolled in graduate school and will pursue her master's degree while playing right-side hitter for the volleyball team this fall. As a two-sport standout at Bloomington North High School, Thomas was heavily recruited by several big-time volleyball programs coming out of high school before ultimately choosing to play hoops for the Hoosiers.
"The girls have already been helping me get better," said Thomas. "It's completely different from basketball, I am just going to have to make some adjustments."
The '09 edition of Hoosier Volleyball is set to begin on August 28 with a trip to Texas for a three-match weekend at the University of Houston Tournament. For the second consecutive year, every IU Volleyball match will be broadcast live right here at IUHoosiers.com.
