12/20/01
ILLINOIS, IOWA STANDOUTS SIGN WITH VOLLEYBALL BULLDOGS

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State University has signed Rachel Cooper of Rosco, Ill., and Jami Hester of Davenport, Iowa to national letters of intent, MSU volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin announced.

Cooper, a 5-11 outside hitter at Hononegah High School in Rockton, Ill., helped lead coach Sherry Diamond's Indians to a 32-5 record and a berth in the Illinois High School Association's class 2A state tournament. She hit .344 and led her team with 231 kills and 252 digs as a senior. She finished the 2001 season with 13 blocks and 18 service aces and reached double digits in kills or digs 17 times.

The MSU signee was a four-year starter at Hononegah High School, earning honorable mention Champaign News-Gazette All-State and first-team NIC-9 All-Conference Team honors in both 2000 and 2001. She served as team co-captain as a senior and was named team co-MVP for the 2001 campaign.

Cooper is also a two-year member of the Rockford Volleyball Association team that advanced to the 2001 national tournament last summer in Salt Lake City.

She is the daughter of John and Linda Cooper of Rockford, Ill.

Hester is a 5-10 outside hitter from Davenport Central High School in Davenport, Iowa. As a senior she powered coach Bill Churchill's DCHS Blue Devils to a 32-4 record and a No. 2 final ranking in Iowa. She averaged 4.54 kills and 3.16 digs per game while registering 53 service aces and 30 solo blocks. She earned second-team all-state honors in 2001 and for the second consecutive year was honored as the Player of the Year in the Mississippi Athletic Conference.

A four-year starter, Hester was a third-team all-state selection as a junior, averaging 3.72 kills and 2.43 digs per game while leading DCHS to a runnerup finish in regional competition. She also played club volleyball in Iowa with area club teams Ilowa and Mississippi Valley.

The MSU signee also earned varsity letters in basketball, track and softball, is a member of the National Honor Society, and was crowned homecoming queen.

She is the daughter of Jim and Christine Hester of Davenport, Iowa.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department