After spending the last four years of her life dedicated to the NIU volleyball program, senior Meagan Schoenrock will hang up her No. 13 uniform after this season for graduation.

From the time she was a freshman on the team, she was a force to be reckoned with. She started strong, making her debut in NIU’s very first game of the 2006 season, a fact no one was more surprised with than Schoenrock.

“I didn’t know I was going to be playing until about 30 seconds before we went out on the court,” Schoenrock said. “I really had no idea I would be playing; [Coach Ray Gooden] put me in the lineup and I about had a heart attack.”

After winning the MAC West that first year, Schoenrock had recorded 334 kills and 360 points for the Huskies, granting her the position of the second highest scorer on the team. Not surprisingly, she produced even greater results the next year, with 424 kills and 466 points. Her progress continued to climb, as she reached 507 kills and 543 points her junior year in 2008. Not only did she participate in every match, but in every set of the season.

Schoenrock entered this year, her senior year, as one of the four returning seniors on the team. Especially in recent in conference games, Schoenrock has been able to make some clutch kills that help clinch a win for the Huskies. With all the new and old players on this year’s roster, an entirely new team was created.

“I think this is the best team I’ve ever played on,” Schoenrock said. “The girls’ characters and personalities just really fit well together, and it makes everything fun. It’s just a really good time.”
But even after all of the success she has been able to achieve in her last four years playing for the Huskies, winning games and scoring points was not the most valuable part of her Huskie volleyball experience.

“The girls make it the best experience,” Schoenrock said. “The sense of a family [is what I’ll miss most after graduating]. What’s really cool about being on a college sports team is that you have a second family. You’re with each other 24/7, and you really have each other’s backs no matter what.”

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