MALTA – Emily Bodmer has been named the head coach for women's volleyball at Kishwaukee College in Malta.

She is a graduate of Roosevelt University with a B.A. in Educational Studies. The Mendota High School alum received a full-ride scholarship to play volleyball at Illinois Valley Community College and an athletic scholarship to play for Graceland University in Iowa before transferring to complete her degree at Roosevelt.

Bodmer is no stranger to Kishwaukee College. Her mother, Deb (Lilja) Bodmer, wore the Kougar uniform as a softball player at Kish and, as a young player, Emily attended summer volleyball camps at the College, led by then volleyball coach and athletic director, Jodi Lord. During her playing days at IVCC, she took the court to face off against a formidable Kougar team during the regular season. "They were such a strong team when we played them," she said. "I am proud to be joining that winning tradition as the head coach."

As a player with Illinois Valley Volleyball Power club team in middle school, Bodmer played all the way around the court. For her first two years at Mendota High School, she played in the front row. Her MHS coach, John Holzman, flipped her to the back row to play libero/DS (defensive specialist) and she found her strength.

"That really boosted my confidence as a player," she recalled. "It was a better fit for me and I was much more successful." She was named second-team all-conference her junior year in high school and named first-team all-conference and all-area during her senior year.

She has coached club volleyball at the high school level and assisted with the Mendota High School team last season. She served as a student coach with the Roosevelt University team while an undergraduate student.

Bodmer is looking forward to leading the Kougars and honoring a winning tradition as she moves the team into a new era.

"There is a lot of great history and tradition with the Kish volleyball program," she stated. "I think that what distinguished the teams of the past was the work ethic and attitude, the willingness to put in the work. I want to work with a new generation of Kougars and grow a new winning tradition with them, built on those same basic values."