Index of Sports Press Releases

Feb. 19, 2009

Viney announces first three volleyball signees

Coach Eric Viney

MITCHELL, S.D. – Heading into his second season, Dakota Wesleyan University head volleyball coach Eric Viney has addressed some of his team’s specific needs with his first three recruits for the 2009 season, which he officially announced Thursday.

Viney added some significant size to his frontline in the form of Pierre T.F. Riggs senior Samantha Flynn and Minnesota West Community College transfer Meghan Cronberg, and he brought in a talented defensive player in Philip senior Kayla O’Connell. All three have signed Letters of Intent to continue their volleyball careers with the Tigers next season.

“We are excited to announce the first of our signings for our 2009 roster,” Viney said. “These three young ladies will bring experiences on the court that we are looking to strive for within our program. Sam and Meghan bring size to our front line that we didn’t have last season and Kayla brings a level of competitiveness and desire that is contagious. All three will be difference-makers in their own right.”

Flynn is a 6-1 front line player who can help the Tigers immediately with her hitting and blocking ability. She was an All-Conference pick in 2008, as well as a Player-of-the-Week selection. As a senior, she averaged 2.6 kills and 0.7 blocks per game with a .279 hitting percentage and she had a career high 23 kills against Aberdeen Central.

Over her junior and senior seasons, Flynn helped Pierre rack up a 40-9 record and back-to-back appearances in the state championship match. She was also named the Governors’ Most Improved Player on the 2007 Eastern South Dakota Championship team.

Flynn is currently undecided on a college major. She is the daughter of Steven and Deborah Flynn.

Viney’s other in-state recruit should help him replace graduated libero Dena Kopfmann, the school’s all-time leader in digs. O’Connell led Philip to the 2008 Class “B” State Championship and a 64-8 record over her junior and senior seasons, which includes two district and two region titles.

The 5-4 libero was an All-State Tournament Team selection and over her four-year varsity career, she racked up 1,070 serve receives, 992 digs and a .893 serve percentage with 32 aces. Her single game high is 42 digs, and she recorded the third-most digs in Class “B” State Tournament history in 2007.

O’Connell has earned a total of 13 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and track and field. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the honor roll, and she plans to major in math education at DWU. She is the daughter of Roger and Teresa O’Connell.

Cronberg’s signing gives Viney another tall player along the front line, as well as someone with previous college experience. The 6-0 outside hitter/middle blocker was an All-Southern Division Second Team selection for MWCC in 2008, and she’ll have junior eligibility this fall for DWU.

The Luverne, Minn., native was a three-year letter winner and a two-year starter for Luverne High School. Cronberg plans to major in nursing at DWU. She is the daughter of John and Cheryl Cronberg.

In Viney’s first season as head coach, the Tigers finished 13-22 overall, which was a seven-win improvement from the previous season. DWU lost three seniors to graduation, including two All-GPAC performers.