2007 Recruiting Continues to be Strong for Trojan Volleyball

March 23, 2007

(Madison, SD) - The Dakota State University Volleyball Program continues to put together a very strong recruiting class for 2007, and the program has announced the signings of five student athletes to their roster for 2007.  Shannon Park, Laura Bartek, Kristina Bendickson, Erica Harsh, and Kelsea Sandmann are the newest team members.

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                           The five newest Trojan Volleyball players include Shannon Park from Chester High
                            School.  Park who at 5’9” played middle hitter for the Flyers will convert to the outside or
                            right side hitting positions for the Trojans. “Shannon is a fun player to watch and has some
                            good fundamentals for us to work with. Probably her biggest challenge will be making the                             adjustment from middle hitting to the outside or right side hitting positions,” said Coach
                            Cynthia Henning. “She is very quick and explosive which will be good assets for her in the
                            college game and in the DAC.” Park was an all conference selection and a Coca-Cola
                            Unsung Hero Award winner her junior year. She is the daughter of Janet and Tom Park.

Bartek is a 5’10” middle/right side from Dakota Valley High School. Along with volleyball she played basketball and ran track for the Panthers. During her prep career, Bartek helped the Dakota Valley program to a regional championship in 2004 and they were state qualifiers in 2005. She also has been selected as a scholar athlete and a multi-sport letter winner. “Laura just has a great personality and is a lot of fun to watch play. She brings a lot of excitement and intensity to the court, and I’m really looking forward to working with her next fall,” said Coach Henning. “She has strong fundamentals and is pretty adaptable to several different positions on the court which is an advantage to both her and us.”  Laura is an English major and is the daughter of LuAnne and Steve Bartek.
 
Kristina Bendickson is a 5’10” rightside hitter who played for Orono
High School outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Along with her prep team,
she plays on the Minnesota One club team and brings a lot of volleyball
experienceto the Trojans. “Kristy is a great kid to work with; she has a great
desire to learn and understand more about the game and brings a lot of
passion and desire to her teams,” said Coach Henning. “Kristy may be one
of the hardest working athletes I’ve meet, and she never seems to be
satisfied with her performance on the court. She has strong blocking skills
and communication skills on the court. She is a very good addition to our program.” Kristy is a forensic science major and is the daughter of Nancy and Gary Bendickson.

The last signing is 5’6” setter Kelsea Sandmann from Wessington Springs. Sandmann
was a first team all conference selection and also played outside hitter for
Wessington Springs. “Kelsea has a lot of potential and while she played setter and
outside in high school we are eager to see where she will fit into our system,” said
Coach Henning. “She has some good fundamentals in place and now the next step
for her will be adjusting to the speed and tempo of the college game.” Kelsea is a
multi sport athlete for Wessington Springs competing in volleyball, basketball, track,
and softball. Kelsea is a elementary education/physical education major and is the
daughter of Kari and Kevin Sandmann.

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