« DI Volleyball 2012

Rachel Iaquaniello

School
Eastern Michigan
Position
Outside Hitter
Major
Exercise Science
K
554
Pct
.205
SA
32
BS
6
BA
50
D
368

Classroom

Iaquaniello holds a 3.86 grade point average as an Exercise Science major. She has been named to the 2010 and 2011 Academic All-MAC teams. The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.

Character

Head coach Kim Berrington: “Rachel is one of the kindest, gentlest people I know. She always puts her teammates first and is more concerned about them than herself. She exemplifies the team-first attitude in everything she does. If I ask her opinion, she usually replies, ‘I’ll ask the girls and let you know.’ She wants to please everyone and is so unselfish.  She is the first one to volunteer to take a different size t-shirt, and she is the first one to make sure that everyone is on the bus. She is a quiet leader.  You won’t hear her voice, but she has the attention of every player on the team.  Her teammates respect and adore her. She was a captain as a junior and will be a again as a senior. She is one of the hardest workers on the team, both mentally and physically. I don’t think she has lost a sprint in the three years that she has played for me. Also, she pays attention to details and can tell each player their responsibility in each drill. She only needs to be told her assignments once. And, she immediately is helping the younger players with the task. She would like to work in the health care field upon graduation and I think this is perfect for her. Everyone loves Rachel; from the 90 year old grandmother to the 5 year old younger brother.  She has amazing people skills.  She just has that knack of relating to you.  She is a great ambassador for our program.’

Community

Iaquaniello has been involved in various community service projects both on and off campus.  As a member of the volleyball team, she has been involved in projects through the SAAC program including the following: Haiti relief fundraiser, Big Brothers and Sisters of Ypsilanti fundraiser, SOS Community house fundraiser and local food drives. In addition, she has participated in the following volunteer activities on her own: Locks of Love Donor, Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome Participant, Martian Marathon volunteer, Matt Kerry Walk Volunteer (fundraiser for a local high school football player who was paralyzed), 24 Hour Breast Cancer Relay, Red Cross Blood Donor and Blood Drive Volunteer and participant in Detroit’s Habitat for Humanity Women Build Week

Competition

Iaquaniello is Eastern Michigan University’s two-time first team All-MAC selection. The Plymouth, Mich. native played in each set of the 2011 season, racking up 468 kills. Iaquaniello was second in the MAC with 3.97 kills per set and 4.40 points per set. She not only led Eastern in kills, but aces as well with 32. The senior was exceptional defensively, picking up 323 digs, good for 2.74 per set. She maintained a .968 reception percentage, making just 10 receiving errors in 313 attempts in 2011. Iaquaniello notched 30.0 total blocks, along with 13 double-double performances and was in double-figures for kills in 30 of the Eagles’ 32 matches throughout the 2011 campaign. Iaquaniello became one of the most decorated volleyball players in Eastern Michigan University history at the 2012 Mean Green Invitational when she took over the top-spot for career kills and career attack attempts. The Plymouth, Mich. native came into the tournament 12 kills behind Roxanne Munch’s all-time kill record of 1,537.  With the Eagles leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 24-23, in the third set on Sept. 7, Iaquaniello finished off the Islanders with her 13th kill of the match giving her 1,538 for her career, one ahead of Munch’s 23-year old record which was set in 1989. That wasn’t the only record Iaquaniello broke on the afternoon, as Iaquaniello’s 37 attacks against the Islanders gave her 4,466 career attacks, moving her ahead of previous record holder Jennifer Nighswander.