Parke, a senior in advertising from Center Point, Iowa, transferred to SIUC in 1993 after a brief stay at Marquette University. Parke said she made a hasty decision when she chose to go to Marquette on a volleyball scholarship over other schools such as Virginia Commonwealth, Kansas State and SIUC.

I wanted to go to Marquette and just concentrate on my grades, she said. I didn’t think volleyball was as important to me as it really was.

Parke said it was only after she made a verbal commitment to Marquette did she realize she had made the wrong choice of schools.

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After I made a verbal commitment to Marquette I had a dream about walking across campus at a new school the one school I should have chosen. During the dream I saw the sign SIUC’ and woke up. That’s when I realized SIUC was the right school.

Parke said she managed to get out of the verbal commitment to Marquette much to the dismay of her coach and sign with SIUC. She said Saluki volleyball coach Sonya Locke’s straightforward approach with her played a key role in the decision to come to SIUC the second time around.

Parke said an honest approach is something she has always keyed in on when it comes to making a decision. She said Locke was totally honest with her from the start.

Locke said Parke came into SIUC with a wealth of talent and eagerness to make a contribution to the team.

Kelly came to SIUC with a ton of physical talent, Locke said. Since arriving, she has worked very hard on her technique and has gotten a lot stronger physically.

During the 1994 season, Parke’s second with SIUC, the middle blocker led the Saluki offensive attack with a team-high hitting percentage of .319 to go along with 103 blocks. For her efforts, Parke was selected to the second-team all-conference after finishing third in the Missouri Valley Conference in hitting percentage.

Parke said the conference honor is simply not good enough for her. Making second-team is something that I should be proud of, Parke said. But it is not good enough. I’d like to think I haven’t seen the highlight of my career yet.

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Locke said Parke really works hard at blocking and becoming an all around player.

I think Kelly is an all-around player, Locke said. When she first came here, her blocking was very strong but since then, she has improved in a lot of other areas too.

Parke’s blocking remains as solid this season as it did last year.

In the 20 games she has played in this season, Parke leads the team in solo blocks with 23 and block assists with 40.

Parke does not pay any attention to individual stats and said winning is the most important thing for the team a team Parke loves to be with.

I don’t know of any other team in the country that can get along as well as we do, she said. We get together on weekends and always have fun on the road. It helps a lot to have fun.

However, Parke’s volleyball tenure at SIUC has not always been an easy one for her.

During her first year as a Saluki, Parke severed a tendon in her hand which forced her to miss SIUC’s first 13 matches of the 1993 season. The injury failed to keep her down, as she wound up with the third best attack percentage on the team with .207.

Despite being named second-team all-conference last season, Parke had a prolonged illness which prevented her from performing at the level she is capable of.

Athletics have always been a part of Parke’s life, and like most student athletes, her parents have had the most influence on her athletic career.

Ever since I was little, my dad has played catch with me in softball and timed me doing laps around the house, Parke said. Both my parents have always supported me. I remember always hearing my moms voice in the stands.

Parke’s discipline toward her academic career has earned her recognition as well. Last season, she earned honorable mention academic all-conference honors, going on to make the Dean’s List in the spring with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

In May of 1996 Parke’s academic career will come to an end with graduation. However, Parke and fellow teammate Kim Golebiewski plan to continue, if not expand, their volleyball careers by playing beach volleyball in the warm California sun.

I’m going to pursue another dream that I have, Parke said. Golebiewski and I have been planning this for a while now. We are going to head out to California and be beach bums for awhile.

We are going to see what we can do with volleyball out there.

Unfortunately, Parke’s, as well as six other volleyball careers at SIUC will come to an end in the near future. Parke said she is not looking forward to the day they will have to face that aspect of their careers.

I’m going to miss everyone, Parke said. It’s going to be the last match. I know I’m going to be sad.

Parke said even if she plays on the beaches of California, she will never play at the same level of competition as she did at SIUC.

Despite choosing the wrong school out of high school and the fast approaching end to her playing days at SIUC, Parke has very few regrets.

Would she change anything if she had to do it all over again?

Yes, I would change a few things, she said. I would not have gone to Marquette, I would not have cut my hand and I would not have gotten sick.