Lemont’s Amanda Rice, Maddy Wallace sign National Letters of Intent

Lemont High School seniors Amanda Rice (North Carolina State University) and Maddy Wallace (Central Michigan University) have signed National Letters of Intent to participate in women’s volleyball and softball, respectively, beginning in 2021.

Amanda Rice – Career Highlights

• 6’1” right side hitter who has started three seasons for head coach Chris Zogata
• Is slated to serve as a team captain during her senior season
• Two-time all-conference honoree who twice has earned the team’s “Best Hitter” award
• Has earned three citations to the American Volleyball Coaches Association “Phenom List”
• Twice named by PrepVolleyball.com to its Class of 2021 Watch List (2018, 2019), while also earning Soph 79 Special Mention (2018) and Frosh 59 Honorable Mention (2017) accolades
• 2020 AVCA All-Region selection
• Integral part of three South Suburban Conference-Blue Division championship squads
• Has totaled 666 kills over three seasons, averaging 2.97 kills per game
• Twice has led the team in kills
• Is a career .253 hitter who has added 25 service aces, 127 digs and 104 blocks in three seasons
• Cited as a Champaign News-Gazette all-state honorable mention performer as a junior in 2019
• Earned her second straight All-SSC honor and led the team with 248 kills, averaging a career-high 4.00 kills per game
• Tabbed with the team’s “Best Hitter” award for the second straight season
• Posted a career-best .403 hitting percentage and a career-high 40 blocks (0.65 per game)
• Lemont finished 30-8, which included a perfect 13-0 record in SSC play, and won its first IHSA Regional title since 2012
• Earned All-SSC honors as a sophomore in 2018 after leading the team with a career-high 274 kills
• Cited as a special mention all-state honoree by Illinois Prep Volleyball
• Honored with the team’s “Best Hitter” and “Best Blocker” awards
• Averaged 3.47 kills per game, led the team with 36 blocks, and posted career highs with 18 service aces and 74 digs
• Lemont posted a 21-16 record and captured the SSC Blue title with a 12-1 league record
• Made an immediate impact as a freshman in 2017 and was cited as a PrepVolleyball.com “Deep Impact Freshman”
• Finished third on the team with 144 kills while adding 28 blocks
• Lemont finished with a 24-13 record and won the SSC Blue with a 12-1 league mark
• Plays club volleyball for Adversity Volleyball Club, which enters the season ranked eighth nationally
• Formerly played club volleyball for Michio Chicago Volleyball Academy, and earned President’s Day 16 Open all-tourney honors in 2019
• High Honor Roll student
• Will play for head coach Luka Slabe at North Carolina State University, an NCAA Division I institution that is located in Raleigh, N.C., and is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Formerly a member of the USA Volleyball staff, Slabe has led the Wolfpack to a 4-4 record in an abbreviated season this fall.

North Carolina State University Women's Volleyball

Maddy Wallace - Career Highlights

• Three-time letterwinner for head coach Chris Traina
• Impactful player at the plate and in the circle
• Team captain who is expected to lead the pitching staff as a senior this spring
• Has “big game” experience after pitching in IHSA Super-Sectional competition as a freshman and sophomore
• Posted a 7-6 record with a 3.45 ERA as a sophomore in 2019, totaling 85.1 innings over 17 appearances
• Fanned a career high 102 batters, averaging 8.39 strikeouts per seven innings
• Also enjoyed a solid season at the plate, batting .330 with 24 runs scored
• Collected ten extra-base hits (five doubles, four triples, one home run) and slugged .511
• Posted a .927 OPS and was perfect on five stolen base attempts
• Lemont went 24-13, finished as the SSC runner-up, and won IHSA Regional and IHSA Sectional crowns
• Made her varsity debut as a freshman in 2018, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.02 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 13.2 innings
• Tossed a no-hitter against Evergreen Park in her first varsity start
• Lemont went 25-10, finished as the SSC runner-up, won an IHSA Regional title, and captured its first IHSA Sectional crown since 1989
• Currently plays travel softball for Sparks Premier
• Over 73.2 innings this fall, she has posted nine wins, 85 strikeouts and a 1.65 ERA
• Formerly played travel softball for the Lemont Rockers, and pitched in seven of 11 games at the 2019 Premier Girls Fastpitch regional championship
• High Honor Roll and National Honor Society student
• Member of the school’s Athletic Council
• Will play for head coach McCall Salmon at Central Michigan University, an NCAA Division I institution that is located in Mount Pleasant, Mich., and is a member of the Mid-American Conference. Salmon’s Chippewas won six games in an abbreviated 2020 season, her first at the helm. 

Central Michigan University Softball