Women's Volleyball

Hilary TrevinoThe Falcons squared off for the first time against the Shawnee Community College Saints in a Midwest Community College Athletic Conference match. The Saints traveled from Ulin, IL to a packed gymnasium at East Central to come up short against a powerful, offensive display from the Falcons by scores of 19-25, 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 15-3. Hilary Trevino and Tiffany Borgerding both recorded 13 kills each in an excellent offensive output.

Mary Engemann SigningProviding depth at the setter position is Mary Engemann, a 5-8 setter from St. Francis Borgia Regional High School."Mary comes in with great hands and good setting experience,” East Central Head Coach Brad Bruns said. “She’s got good defensive experience, too.”

As a senior at Borgia, Mary had 521 set assists, which led the team. She recorded 186 digs, fifth on team. She had 18 service aces, fourth on the team. She also posted 11 kills and one block assist.

Hilary Trevino Signing
The Hermann pipeline to the East Central volleyball program continues with the addition of 5-10 outside hitter Hilary Trevino.She will be the fifth Hermann product to play for East Central since the school brought back volleyball in 2007. Two, Erica LaBoube and Kasey Kirchhofer, have been All-Americans.

Lauren Baumstark SigningComfortable at either outside hitter or right side hitter, Lauren Baumstark comes to East Central from the traditionally strong St. Francis Borgia Regional High School team."Lauren comes in as a good outside hitter, whether it is outside or right side,” East Central Head Coach Brad Bruns said.

Charis StewartCharis Stewart
The 6-0 middle-right side hitter from Cape Girardeau was the first signing for the East Central College 2010 recruiting class.Stewart is a two-time Missouri High School Coaches Association All-State selection (2008, 2009) and plays club volleyball for Pursuit of Jackson, Mo.

The Falcons (14-7) hosted the NJCAA Region 16 Seeding Tournament and made a statement to the other teams that they are the top team in the region. Flying through the tournament with convincing victories in each of their matches, the home team did not look back. Wins over Cottey College and Northeastern Oklahoma set the tone for the afternoon match-up with region rival MCC-Longview.

Nicole Mannino And Samantha Walch Blocking- Photo by Bill BattleThe East Central College Falcons were in top form as they downed William Woods JV and Central Methodist JV by scores of 25-13, 20-25, 25-20, 25-16 and 25-13, 25-9, 25-11 respectively. Nicole Mannino and Stephanie Heim displayed their sophomore experience in having their best matches of their careers in the hitting efficiency category against the two squads.

Natalie DavisAfter a rocky start to the season in the Johnson County Tournament last weekend, the Falcons are back to their winning ways. The Falcons clawed their way to victory with a match that went the distance at Meramec on Wednesday evening 25-13, 22-25, 20-25, 25-16, 15-8. East Central was led offensively by Natalie Davis who had 17 kills, 5 blocks and a .483 hitting percentage in a match to jumpstart the team in the win column.

Erica LaBoubeFalcons’ Volleyball Team sophomore captain and middle hitter, Erica LaBoube, was recently named NJCAA Women’s Volleyball Second Team All-American. Along with All-American honors, Erica was twice selected to the NJCAA Region XVI First Team and the Midwest Community College Athletic Conference First Team. During her playing career in a newly reinstated program at East Central College, Erica has set the bar high in career statistics.

Jamie Murray and Erica LaBoube Blocking photo by Bill BattleThe East Central Falcons fell short in their first game at the NJCAA National Tournament in the Wisconsin Dells. After dusting of the butterflies and facing an early deficit at the hands of Parkland College, the Falcons made a couple of runs to claw their way back in each game. Eventually, the Falcons fell in three games by scores of 17-25, 12-25, 17-25.