June 10, 2010

ST. LOUIS - PrepVolleyball.com recently voted Saint Louis volleyball's incoming freshman class as the No. 18 recruiting class in the nation. Head coach Anne Kordes' Billikens were the only Atlantic 10 Conference program listed among the Top 30. Recruiting classes, which were judged by a panel of college coaches from around the country, were assessed based on the cumulative impact of the group in four to five years with the program.

The seven players who comprise SLU's 2010 recruiting class are outside/right-side hitter Lauren Baumet (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg), outside hitter Andrea Beaty (Pacific, Mo. / Washington), libero Grace Bonoma (Chicago, Ill. / St. Ignatius), right-side hitter Emma Goldschmidt (O'Fallon, Ill. / O'Fallon Township), setter/defensive specialist Sarah Knouse (Homer Glen, Ill. / Providence Catholic), setter Hannah Kvitle (Quincy, Ill. / Quincy Senior) and middle blocker Kelsey Toebben (Jefferson City, Mo. / Helias). Each player will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2010 season.

"We're so excited to welcome these seven student-athletes into our program," Kordes said. "This is the most versatile and athletic class that we've signed since I've been at SLU. With only seven players returning this fall, including just two starters, the freshmen will have an immediate impact on our program. Our ultimate goal is to be a top-10 program, and, I believe, this class will help us move even closer to accomplishing that feat."

Baumet was ranked among the Top 100 Senior Aces by PrepVolleyball.com in 2009 in addition to being nominated as the Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year. The 6-foot-1 outside/right-side hitter earned 2009 All-State first-team laurels and was named to the 2009-10 Under Armour Girls' High School All-America Watch List.

Beaty, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, earned a spot on the 2009-10 Under Armour Girls' High School All-America Watch List and was chosen as one of the top 250 recruits for the 2010 season by PrepVolleyball.com. She garnered Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association (MHSVCA) Class 4 All-State first-team accolades as a senior after capturing second-team honors her junior year.

Bonoma, who was named to the 2009-10 Under Armour Girls' High School All-America Watch List, is a 5-foot-6 libero. The two-time All-State designee earned Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC) Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2009. She is the only libero in the history of the league to receive that distinction.

Goldschmidt, a 6-foot right-side hitter, was awarded 2009-10 Under Armour Girls' High School honorable mention All-America laurels. She also captured PrepVolleyball.com High School Academic All-America first-team plaudits in addition to earning a spot on the Champaign News-Gazette All-State second team as a senior.

Knouse, a 5-foot-8 setter/defensive specialist, paced the Celtics in assists and service aces during her final two seasons. The 2009 All-Conference selection was a team captain her senior year and garnered three All-Tournament accolades.

Kvitle piloted Quincy Senior to a 36-5 mark and a fourth-place finish at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A state tournament as a senior. The 5-foot-11 setter, who ranks among the top 10 on the IHSA career assists list, was a finalist for the PrepVolleyball.com Andi Collins Award presented to the nation's top senior setter. Kvitle received PrepVolleyball.com High School All-America plaudits and was named one of the top 250 recruits for the 2010 season by PrepVolleyball.com. She enrolled at SLU in the spring.

Toebben, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker, was named to the 2009 MHSVCA Class 4 All-State second team after helping the Crusaders to a 36-2-1 record and the state championship quarterfinals. She earned 2009-10 Under Armour Girls' High School honorable mention All-America accolades.

Saint Louis Billikens Women's Volleyball

• VB: Billiken Invitational