ST.
LOUIS - Saint Louis head volleyball coach, Kent Miller has announced the addition
of two student-athletes. Ashley Gagen
(Belleville, Ill.) and Rebecca Tipton
(Eureka, Mo.) will join the Billikens in 2013.
"We are
pleased to have Rebecca Tipton and Ashley Gagen joining our program," Miller
said. "They are high-level players and great people who will represent Saint
Louis University well on and off the court."
Gagen is a four-year setter from Althoff Catholic in
Belleville, Ill. She helped Althoff to regional championships in 2010 and 2011.
As a senior for the Crusaders, Gagen earned first-team All-Conference plaudits
and was named co-MVP. She competes with
High Performance Volleyball Club during the club season, under the watch of
Cary Cusumano.
In addition to her prowess on the court, Gagen excels in
the classroom, earning high honors and awards of excellence in: chemistry, biology,
mathematics, English, theology and Spanish.
"Ashley is a very talented
setter with a great feel for the game," Miller said. "She brings a fierce
competitive attitude and is willing to do whatever it takes to win. Ashley is
not just an outstanding setter, she is an exceptional back court player with
skills that we expect to help us beat our strongest opponents."
Tipton returns to the
Billikens after serving as the team's student manager the past two seasons. She
is a 2011 graduate of Eureka High School, where she was a four-year letterwinner
in volleyball. Tipton was a first-team All-Conference and All-District
selection in 2009 and 2010. She competed for the St. Louis CYC volleyball club
for head coach Matt Kalisiak and led St. Louis CYC to a fourth-place finish in
the Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships in 2011. Tipton will have three
years of eligibility at Saint Louis.
"We are excited to have
Rebecca join our team on the court," Miller said. "She has done a great job as
a student manager, but we know she still has a desire to compete. She played at
a very high level in high school and club, and we expect that to continue here.
She already is playing well in our spring practices and having an impact as an
outside hitter. Rebecca has very good skills and is a strong all-around player
as well as a great teammate."
