Nov. 19, 2007

BEMIDJI, Minn. - Bemidji State University head volleyball coach Laurie Bitter today announced the commitment of five student-athletes to play for the Beavers in 2008. The signing of Courtney Bitter, Kimberly Hacker, Laura Slinger, Melissa McNeely, and Erikka Korpi stand as Bitter’s first signees to the BSU program.

BSU’s 2007 early signing class is the first early signing class since 2003. The early signing class will bring size and depth to the Beavers roster. Adding a setter, along with two middle hitters and two outside hitters, Bitter and her staff bring in a nice balance of players with talents that compliment current players and meet the team’s needs. But maybe more importantly, each of the new signees has experienced success both on an off the court and will bring in the intangible of knowing how to succeed.

“I am really excited about our five signees because they are all very talented young ladies,” commented Bitter. “These girls that are coming in are very high players and have all played at the national level and have been in national championships. These five girls are not only great athletes but they are great kids who know the game and that can help Bemidji State University volleyball get up to the next step.”

In addition to their athletic abilities, these student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom. Each is a member of her respective school’s honor roll and have earned numerous other awards for academic accomplishments.

“All of these kids coming in are all honor roll students who are good volleyball players and good students,” added Bitter. “Academically they have all achieved some very good things in high school.”

“These girls do more than just play volleyball, they are very active individuals within their local communities. These young ladies are very organized and look to go above and beyond what is expected from them and that is the type of leadership we need in order to be successful.”

The Bemidji State University volleyball team, under first year head coach Laurie Bitter, finished the 2007 season with a 10-17 mark overall and a 6-12 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The 10 wins for the Beavers was the most wins for a Bemidji State club since the 2004 season and the six conference wins was the most wins for a Beaver team since 2003 when BSU garnered seven conference wins.

All signees are contingent upon admission to BSU and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

• Courtney Bitter (Setter, 5-6, Fr-HS); Bemidji, Minn. (Bemidji High School)
A six time letter winner at Lake of the Woods High School and Bemidji High School she walks away from high school volleyball with numerous records and awards...during her high school career she participated in three Minnesota State High School League class AA tournaments and led Lake of the Woods High School to a 2005 class AA championship...she was named to the Minnesota State High School League All-Tournament team in 2005 and 2006 while receiving Metro first team in 2006...she is a five time All-Conference selection earning subsection Most Valuable Player two years...the three-time All-State performer broke the Minnesota State setting record and is ranked second in the nation in set assists...she broke the serve ace record two times this season with 17 ace serves and broke the service points record in Minnesota and sits fourth in the nation for service points...she has also been an integral part of the club circuit as she helped bring two Lady Lakers junior teams to the national championship game and as an eight grader she represented the regional team in nationals...in addition to being on the honor roll throughout her high school career she has also been a member of the National Honor Society for three years.

Coach Bitter on Bitter: “I am very privileged to have been able to sign Courtney since she had a lot of Division I offers. She is going to be doing great things for this offense, she will be my quarterback coming in and she is one of the best setters I have ever seen because of her sense of the game and her quickness. I look for the pace of our offense to pick up with the addition of Courtney at the setter position. She has had a lot of success in club volleyball and has had a lot of success at the high school level.”

• Kimberly Hacker (Middle/Right Side, 6-2, Fr-HS); Hutchinson, Minn. (Hutchinson High School)
Has been a mainstay on the Hutchinson high school volleyball team...she is a two-time volleyball letter winner...her junior and senior season she helped lead the Tigers to a second place finish in the Missota Conference and 43-9 record during those two seasons...her senior season she was a All-Conference Honorable Mention selection...she also received numerous player of the game awards while at Hutchinson High School...she has been a member of the Northern Lights club team for the last four years where she was a part of the club division championship team in the 2007 Presidents Day Classic in Omaha, Neb...in 2007 her club team was a Big South Qualifier in Atlanta, Ga. where her team took fifth place in the open division...she has also been a consistent member of the honor roll at Hutchinson High School.

Coach Bitter on Hacker: “She is going to be a fun middle to watch, and I am excited to work with her. She is a very aggressive young lady who can play the outside as well and plays phenomenal defense for being 6-2. I am very impressed with her defense for being that tall and she is a very well rounded young lady who is going to do a lot of great things at the net next year.”

• Laura Slinger (Left Side/Middle, 5-9, Fr-HS); Fairbault, Minn. (Bethlehem Academy High School)
A two-sport standout at Bethlehem Academy High School, Slinger has earned a total of four varsity letters, three in volleyball and one in track...she has been apart of two Class A Minnesota State High School Championship teams (2005 and 2007)...she is a All-State performer in volleyball and a All-Conference performer in both volleyball and track...her junior season she led her team in hitting percentage and kills...she has also participated on the Northern Lights Club team for two years where her team qualified for nationals in 2007 with a 17-3 record...along with her volleyball accolades she has shined in track and field as well...in the spring of 2007 Slinger set the Bethlehem Academy High School shot put record in her first season competing in track and field...she has been a consistent member of the academic honor roll and has been on the Academic All-Conference team the last three seasons...she follows in the footsteps of her two older sisters to go on and play collegiate volleyball as her sister Betty has been a member of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay volleyball team for the past four years and her sister Mary (reigning 2007 NSIC Libero of the Year) is a member of the Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team.

Coach Bitter on Slinger: “Laura is going to be a very good defensive player for us, she is very quick and agile and has very good court sense. She is a leader on the court who has a never give up attitude. She is a finesse player who understands the game and who will bring a lot of experience to the Bemidji State University volleyball program.”

• Melissa McNeely (Outside Hitter, 5-10, Fr-HS); Burnsville, Minn. (Lakeville High School)
Has been a valuable asset to the Lakeville volleyball team...the three time All-Conference selection was voted best offensive player on her varsity team during her junior and senior season and was selected team MVP and garnered the most valuable senior award at conclusion of her senior season...she has participated on the Northern Lights Club volleyball team that posted, 15-1, 16-1, 17-3, and 18-2 records...along with excelling on the volleyball court McNeely also excels in the classroom as she has been a consistent member of the “A” honor roll throughout her high school career, she has also received All-Academic in 2005 and 2006 and was selected to the All-State Academic Team in 2007...in 2005 McNeely was awarded the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence.

Coach Bitter on McNeely: “We are very excited to have Melissa join our program because she is going to provide leadership on and off the court. She is very positive and she is going to be a great team player for us. She is very goal oriented and she will bring a lot both on and off the court.”

• Erikka Korpi (Middle/Left, 6-1, Fr-HS); Maple Grove, Minn. (Maple Grove High School)
A two-sport athlete at Maple Grove High School, Korpi is a three-time letter winner in volleyball and a two-time letter winner in track and field...a two-time all-conference performer she led her team to a second place finish in section 5AAA in 2007 and was a member of a 2005 team that received Minnesota State Team Academic Award for Class AAA...she is also very active in club volleyball as she was a member of a 2005 team that participated in Nationals in Atlanta, Ga., and was a member of a 2006 team that took third place at Nationals in the open division in Minneapolis, Minn...she has been a consistent member of the “A” honor roll and has received two academic letters.

Coach Bitter on Korpi: “Erika will come in and be a middle hitter or right side hitter for us. She has a beautiful arm swing and I feel that she is going to bring a lot of great things to our program. I am excited for her to build up her strength and vertical so she can be an explosive hitter for BSU. She is somewhat of a finesse player that I expect will continue to get better every year.”

Bemidji State University, located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

--beavers--