Athletic Hall of Fame: Valerie (Rydberg) Cole '01

INDUCTED 2014
Outstanding volleyball player and student... earned All-Suburban Prairie Conference honors in each of her three varsity seasons... tabbed as the team’s top defensive player as a sophomore in 1998, as the team went 28-6-1 and won the Suburban Prairie Conference title... repeated as the squad’s top defensive player as a junior in 1999, when the team again was the Suburban Prairie Conference champion... tabbed with team MVP and “Best Hitter” honors as a senior in 2000, as the squad finished with a 29-5 record... served as a team captain as both a junior and senior... National Honor Society student... earned a scholarship to play volleyball at Wake Forest University... redshirted with an injury as a freshman, but went on to earn two letters... led the team in kills, kills per game, digs, digs per game, service aces and services aces per game as a redshirt freshman in 2002, and was tabbed as the Demon Deacons’ defensive MVP... first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference player and team MVP as a redshirt sophomore in 2003... also cited as a first-team All-Region player by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and was an honorable mention All-America pick... led the squad in most offensive categories, including kills (429) and service aces (71), in which she established career highs... also paced the squad with a career-best 372 digs... was the only ACC player to rank among the league’s top five in kills per game and digs per game in 2003... two-time ACC Player of the Week... cited to five all-tournament teams over two seasons... now a pharmacist in Minneapolis, Minn.