The Journal

Her stats are solid, but it was her ability to keep the ball in play during the 2009 St. Louis Intercollegiate Conference tournament that earned senior outside hitter Jackie Schall the Most Valuable Player award on Saturday, Nov. 7.

"I was so shocked," she said. "I am extremely honored that I was picked as the MVP. It's such a huge accomplishment and not everyone can say that they've received that award."

Throughout her four-year volleyball career at Webster University, Schall, a media communications major, has typically been the Gorloks' go-to player in every game.

Her adroitness as a strong hitter and attack-leader has been Schall's trademark throughout her four seasons as a WU starter.

"She's almost always our team's leader in kills," said coach Merry Graf. "She's a great hitter; she's very smart and sees the court so well."

For the 2009 conference season, Schall racked up a total of 315 kills, averaging around nine per game.

But during the SLIAC championship match against Greenville College this past weekend, Schall totaled her most kills ever in one game with 16, with the final one clinching the victory for the Gorloks.

Schall also scored 15 kills in the semifinal game earlier that day against Fontbonne University.

"I was so proud of the way I played in both games," she said. "I tried my hardest to score points, and I knew I could put it down, especially in the end against Greenville."

This year, Schall wrapped up her time with the Gorloks with more than 1,000 career kills. She became the fourth person in WU history to achieve this milestone.

In 2006, Schall won the SLIAC's Newcomer of the Year award while racking up 277 kills as a freshman.

In 2007, Schall earned the SLIAC's second team award and averaged 247 kills that season.

And in 2006, 2008 and 2009, Schall received the SLIAC's first-team award. Her coach couldn't be any happier with Schall's performance.

"She had a great year and it was really important for me to see her go out like this," Graf said.

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