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Marion County College Report

Senior Salute: Centralia's Schmidt Realizes Division-I Volleyball Dream

 

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Daniel L. Chamness

Walnut Hill resident Jessica Schmidt is very goal oriented. That focus might be the major reason the former Centralia High star wound up at a NCAA Division-I program and finished her academic career six months early.

Schmidt, who first played for Kaskaskia College, ended her volleyball career with the D-I Chicago State Cougars. "For me, it was all about playing Division-I," Schmidt said. "I didn’t know what Chicago would be like, but I loved the school and the town. I would tell anyone to pick a school they are comfortable with academically, athletically and socially. I tried to list my goals and try to achieve them."

After winning the offensive player of the year at Kaskaskia in 2006, Schmidt played her final three seasons more at CSU, although sparingly at times. Schmidt pounded down 26 kills, had 25 digs, doled out nine assists and had five block assists during her senior season. The outside hitter finished her career with 85 digs, 60 kills and 10 block assists. As a sophomore for the Kaskaskia Blue Angels, Williams had 76 digs, 65 kills, 15 service aces and 15 blocks.

"I have great memories of KC," she said. "We won a big tournament when I was there. At CSU, the thing that was amazing was the diversity of the team. There were athletes from everywhere, and I will never forget those women and the fun we had traveling as a team. I will miss volleyball, the competition and being part of a team."

In addition to earning her team award at Kaskaskia, Schmidt was also the Centralia High School MVP for volleyball during her senior year. Schmidt lettered in four different sports at CHS, winning letters in volleyball, basketball, track and softball.

Schmidt graduated in December 2009 with a degree in business marketing. She is currently looking for a job in her field, which will entail marketing or sales. For her work in the classroom, Schmidt was named a KC Scholar Athlete twice and graduated with a 3.2 grade point average. She posted a 3.6 grade point average in her final semester.

"Looking for the right job, it is similar to looking for the right college or university," she said. "I want the right job, not just any job. I want something that is challenging most of all."

Message from Daniel L. Chamness

We will be running senior articles during the month of August, though that is not the extent of news regarding The College Report Online.

In hopes of keeping the Marion County version of The College Report Online in publication, I will be in Marion County during the coming weeks seeking sponsors for the site.

Centralia and Salem are the two largest cities in Marion County, and we need to get six sponsors from each town. It is hoped the other three sponsors will come from other areas in the county.

Though this report is an online production, there are significant costs to producing The College Report Online each week. Money spent on commercial web space, research, writing, editing, travel to secure sponsorships and computer coding all add up.

We are hoping to begin reporting on collegiate athletes from Marion County at the start of September. If we have the required 15 sponsors, we will begin spotlighting the collegiate athletes. If we do not have the sponsors, we will not.

Other areas have chosen to support the work of the College Report, and that will continue both online and in print. After more than three years of operating at a loss in Marion County, it no longer makes sense for my business and my business partners to lose money following these deserving athletes.

This is why I am spending this month on the road in an attempt to save The College Report Online for Marion County.

For the present time, however, keep your eye on this space as we spotlight the successes of graduating seniors in our Senior Salute articles. You will also find additional updates regarding the future of The College Report Online as we get closer to September. Thank you.

— Daniel L. Chamness