Three Standouts Join Billiken Volleyball Team
May 19, 2008
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis volleyball head coach Anne Kordes announced today that Ashley Gaillot (Denver, Colo. / Denver Waldorf) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University and play for the Billiken volleyball team. Additionally, Katie Fleming (San Antonio, Texas / Incarnate Word) and Amelia Karges (Joliet, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) have chosen to attend the University and play volleyball at SLU. All three will have four years of eligibility starting with the 2008-09 academic year. Gaillot (guy-OH), a 5-foot-9 defensive specialist, earned Colorado Class 1A All-State honorable mention accolades as a senior. In 2007, the four-year volleyball letterwinner received 5280 League All-Conference honors in addition to being selected as her school's Volleyball Player of the Year. Gaillot was also a member of the Spartans' basketball team. "Ashley is one of the most feisty players we have seen this year," Kordes said. "We are excited about her ball control, her aggressiveness and the leadership she is going to bring to our team. Ashley has the ability to make an immediate impact in our program." In addition to playing high school volleyball, Gaillot also competed as a member of Tom Paszko's 18-Elite Juggernaut club squad for three seasons. She received the Juggernaut Award, which is presented to the team's hardest worker, in 2007 and was then selected as the Best Libero at the 2008 MLK Challenge. Fleming, a three-time All-State and All-District selection, helped her team capture regional and district crowns en route to state semifinals appearances as a sophomore and junior. As a senior, the 5-foot-3 defensive specialist led her team with 453 digs and was the city leader in digs per game. Fleming earned Academic All-State accolades the past two seasons and was selected as the district Defensive Player of the Year three times. Additionally, Fleming has been a member of the Alamo Volleyball 18 Kaepa club team for the past two seasons.
"Katie is a firecracker who will get on the floor after every ball," Kordes said. "I have watched her improve over the past few years, and she will come right in and fight for a spot on the floor. Katie's ability and energy will be great additions to this team." The second of seven children, Fleming excelled in the classroom as well. She earned high honors all four years en route to being named class valedictorian as a senior. Fleming was voted class president the past three years, is a two-year member of the National Honor Society and is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta National Honor Society. She also serves as the editor of the yearbook and is a member of the Quill and Scroll Journalism Society. Karges, a 5-foot-9 setter, helped lead the Angels to a fourth-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament as a sophomore and bettered that effort with a third-place showing as a junior. Her team earned conference, regional and sectional crowns in 2007 before falling to the reigning state champs in the Class 3A super-sectionals. Joliet Catholic earned four regional championships and three sectional titles during Karges' career. The three-year letterwinner's older sister, Maggie, plays volleyball at Bowling Green State. Karges, who was named Joliet Catholic Woman of the Year, also competed as a member of the Avalanche club team. "Amelia is tall and athletic, and she is an extremely talented setter," Kordes said. "She's a hard worker and will instantly make our gym more competitive. Our program will take a giant step forward with Amelia's addition to the team. She is aggressive offensively and runs a great offense." The third-ranked student in her class, Karges is an officer on the student council, the Respect Life Club, the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta. A Spanish National Honor Society member, she received the National Science Merit Award and the Tim Klotz Scholarship in addition to being recognized by Who's Who Among American High School Students. The trio joins Team Saint Louis volleyball club teammates, and outside hitters, Casey Chernin (Wildwood, Mo. / Lafayette) and Alyssa Deno (Fenton, Mo. / Ursuline) in Kordes' 2008 recruiting class. |
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