Spartan Volleyball Signs Three to 2013 Squad
12/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate volleyball program inked a trio of hitters in Alexa Lagaly, Emily Koelling and Dani Eschweiler during the NCAA's early signing period as announced by head coach Jennifer Calloway.
Lagaly, a 5-10 outside hitter from nearby Greenville, S.C., led St. Joseph's Catholic High School to back-to-back state championship titles in 2011 and 2012. The Knights also won the 2012 Porter Gaud Tournament and were the 2012 Dorman Tournament Silver Champions. The outside hitter collected Class 1A Region Player of the Year accolades as a junior and senior. She went on to earn Class 1A State Player of Year in 2011 and 2012.
"I chose Upstate because I loved the coaches and the players," Lagaly said. "I felt that I would fit in very well as a member of the team. When I visited, I immediately fell in love with the campus, dorms and apartments. After leaving from my first visit, I knew that Upstate is where I wanted to go. Upstate also has one of the best nursing programs in the South, which I plan to major in."
The Greenville native is a member of the Carolina One club team. Lagaly helped Carolina One win the Orlando Tournament Gold Division in 2010-11 and the K2 Wilderness Tournament Gold Division in 2011-12. The team advanced to the Open Gold semifinals at the South Carolina Regional Championships in 2011-12. Lagaly was an all-region selection in 2011 and again in 2012, posting a .313 hitting percentage to go along with a 76.5 serve percentage.
Koelling hails from Bartelso, Ill., and is a 6-1 middle hitter from Mater Dei High School in Breese, Ill., where she played with Upstate's Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman team selection Kayla Eversgerd. She helped the Knights to the Illinois Class 3A State Championship title in 2011 and 2010 and to the regionals championship crown in 2012. During her junior season, Mater Dei posted a 39-3 record and a 35-5 mark in 2012. Koelling earned her team MVP honor in 2012 and was named to the Quincy Notre Dame All-Tournament Team. She was an All-Area Team Honorable Mention selection in 2011. As a senior, she tallied 190 kills for the Knights to go along with a team-high 177 total blocks, including 83 solo rejections. 
"I chose Upstate because I really like the coaches and the players who I have met, the great volleyball program and the strong academics," Koelling said. "The area is beautiful and the campus and facilities are top notch. I am really impressed with the professionalism and kindness of everyone I have spoken with. Upstate feels like the perfect fit for me."
The 6-1 middle will bring club-level experience to the 2013 Spartan roster. Koelling has spent the last five years playing for C4 Crush and will play with SWI Crush this season. C4 Crush qualified for the USA Volleyball Junior National Tournament in 2012.
Eschweiler is a 5-11 outside hitter from St. Charles, Mo. As a senior, she helped the St. Charles West Warriors claim their conference championship title for the first time since 1981. SCW posted a 16-0 regular season record and ended up 27-4-1 overall for the 2012 campaign. Eschweiler is a three-time All-Conference selection and a two-time All-District honoree. She earned All-Region and All-State accolades during her senior season, setting school records for the most single-season kills (493), career kills (1,195) kills per game (6.94) and highest kill percentage (.596). She also paced the Warriors with a 98.3 serve percentage and collected 381 digs.
"USC Upstate had a lot of the things I was looking for in a college," Eschweiler said. "The team was very nice and seemed to have great chemistry. The coaches have high expectations and everyone I met was very nice. The campus was beautiful. I think it will be challenging and fun and I look forward to it."
The outside hitter has quite the volleyball pedigree as her mother played for Missouri State before coaching at the club and high school levels. Eschweiler played under her mother's guidance for six years at Club Elite St. Louis and her senior year at St. Charles West. It was quite the family affair as Eschweiler's younger sister was SCW's setter.
"I am thrilled to have Emily, Dani and Alexa join our team next fall," Calloway said. "Each one has had individual success, but more importantly has contributed greatly to their teams' success throughout the season. I love the competitive nature and enthusiasm each player shows and they have big hearts for the game. These young ladies are extremely bright and we look forward to watching them grow and mature through the years here at Upstate."
The Spartans graduate three seniors from the 2012 team in Emily Sanders, Emily Bingham and Mindy Quimby.
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