Nov. 19, 2009

2010 SIGNEES PHOTO GALLERY

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Thursday, November 19, 2009) - Redhawks volleyball head coach Renata Heard announced the signing of four highly regarded prep standouts for the 2010 season. The class includes outside hitters Andrea Baylin, Berkley Idel, and Colleen Yarber as well as middle blocker Emily Coon.

Baylin hails from Dublin, Ohio where she played at Dublin Coffman High School and started all four seasons on varsity with the last three years as an outside hitter under head coach Mary Anne Souder. This season the 6-foot-1 star led the Shamrocks to a final national ranking of 25th by PrepVolleyball.com with a 29-1 record, their only loss came in the Ohio State Championship match when they were ranked No. 6 nationally.

This year she was named First Team All-State and is a Gatorade Player of the Year finalist for the state of Ohio after leading her team with 287 kills (3.82 per set), 71 aces (including seven in one match), 244 digs (3.25 per set) and seven double-doubles (including 21 kills in one match). She also recorded 28 blocks and a .498 attack percentage. She was also named PrepVolleyball.com "Senior Ace" as one of the top-100 seniors in the country. She garnered Conference and District Player of the Year awards as well.

As a junior she was named First Team All-State, Ohio Capital Conference (OCC) and District Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player for a team that finished 25-2 and ranked fourth in the state. As a sophomore she was an honorable mention All-District and Second Team All-OCC selection after leading the team in blocks and digs. As a freshman she started in the middle and led the team with a .588 attack percentage and was an Honorable Mention All-OCC selection.

Baylin also lettered in basketball and is a member of the Columbus Volleyball Academy coached by Gweyn Zechman.

Berkley Idel was a Second Team All-State selection this past season for the Lafayette Lancers

Standing at 5-foot-11, Idel is one of the top outside hitters in the state of Missouri. The Wildwood native played at St. Louis powerhouse Lafayette High School. She is a four-year varsity letterwinner for the Lancers under the tutelage of Steve Burkard. This past season she led her team to a 23-6-1 record. She was named team MVP after leading the team with 122 kills and a 4.06 kills per set average. She also recorded six double-doubles (including a match with 19 kills). She finished with a .318 attack percentage and led the Suburban West Conference with 4.36 kills per set in league matches.

She was named Second Team All-State as well as garnering All-Conference, All-District and All-Region honors as a senior. She was team captain her senior season, her third season as a starter. Her sophomore year she started at middle blocker for the Lancers and helped the team to a third place finish at the State Tournament.

Idel is a member of the Rockwood Thunder Club volleyball team where she has appeared in four-straight Nationals and two Open Nationals.

Colleen Yarber led her Freeburg High School to back-to-back Illinois State Titles

Yarber hails from Smithton, Illinois in the volleyball rich Metro-East area of St. Louis. She played at Freeburg High School under the direction of Lesa Bolt and led the Midgets to a 38-2 record (team won 21-straight matches to close the season) and the team's second-straight State Tournament title. As a senior the 6-foot-1 standout recorded 227 kills and a team-best 254 digs. In the state championship game she recorded a match-best 14 kills as well as seven digs earning her the MVP of the title match. The Midgets co-captain is a four-year varsity letterwinner who was named to the All-Cahokia Conference First Team for the second-straight season.

As a junior she led her team to their first state title since 1982 with a record of 36-5. She was named MVP of the state title match. She garnered All-Metro Second Team by the St. Louis Post Dispatch and voted to the Metro-East All-Area First Team by area coaches after leading the Midgets in kills. She was named to the All-Tournament Team at the prestigious Tiger Classic.

Yarber, a three-sport varsity athlete, is a member of the Southwest Illinois Volleyball Club team which have advanced to back-to-back Nationals appearances including a 5th place finish in the Open Division qualifier.

Emily Coon led the Suburban-South Conference in kills and the team in blocks enroute to First Team All-Conference and First Team All-District honors this past season

Coon stands 6-foot-2 and is a native of Imperial, Missouri where she played at Seckman High School under Shannon Ehlmann. Coon is a three-year starter for the Jaguars and was the team's captain this past season. She led the Suburban-South Conference in kills and the team in blocks enroute to First Team All-Conference and First Team All-District honors.

As a junior Coon recorded 173 kills (2.28 per set) from the middle and led the team with 89 blocks (1.17 per set). She helped her team to a District Semifinals appearance.

Coon also competed on the school's track and basketball team. She is a teammate of fellow Redhawks signee Berkley Idel on the Rockwood Thunder Club volleyball team where she has appeared in four-straight Nationals and two Open Nationals.

The four signees will offset the loss of four starting seniors from this past year's team.