Maggie Kelly ’08 Eckburg joined the North Central College women’s volleyball program in 2004 and quickly propelled the Cardinals to two of their best seasons in program history in 2006 and 2007. In her junior and senior years, North Central surpassed 25 wins, something only two teams had done before then and only one has done since.
Looking for the right college experience, Eckburg visited campus when her brother played a football game at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. That visit led to an official tour of campus.
“When I walked around campus, I could see myself here and that really mattered to me,” said Eckburg. “It was important to me to choose a school for reasons other than athletics. I knew I wanted to play volleyball, but it wasn’t everything to me. It was clear to me that North Central was a place that felt safe and was a fruitful environment where I could do both education and volleyball.”
To Eckburg, both academics and athletics were important to her time at North Central.
“My expectations were to not have volleyball rule my life, but to have it challenge me to grow as a person, and as a teammate. It definitely provided the discipline I needed for that challenge I was seeking. I went in with an open heart and open mind with a desire to be challenged. I wasn’t expecting how much of a family everyone would become and that the friends that I still have today are from my volleyball team at North Central,” Eckburg said.
On the court, she grew as a player and found her success in the 2006 season when she led the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) in kills and was named a First Team All-CCIW selection and an AVCA All-Midwest Region honorable mention selection.
Eckburg continued to thrive during her senior season in 2007, becoming the first All-American selection in the history of North Central College women’s volleyball. During that year, she set a new single-season kills record of 640 which still stands today. On October 27,2007, Eckburg tallied 33 kills against Benedictine University over four sets, setting a new benchmark for kills in a single-match. She still holds six of the top seven records for most kills in a match as well as the top spot for a three-set match (23 kills). While again leading the CCIW in kills, Eckburg was named CCIW Player of the Week three times in 2007 on her way to her second First Team All-CCIW selection.
“The thing that stands out the most to me from the 2007 season is the mindset I had which was constantly taking myself back and remembering who I was, that volleyball wasn’t my identity, but it was something that I loved doing,” Eckburg said. “Remembering where my gifts came from. I wasn’t finding the success I had from me, my talent comes from God and when I play, I am giving back to Him what He so generously has given to me.”
By the time her illustrious career was over, Eckburg sat atop the career kills record board with 1,632—274 more than the player in second place. She also ranks seventh in career blocks with 228 over her four-year career.
“Playing volleyball enriched my entire experience at North Central. I cannot imagine what it would have been like without that. Being a student-athlete gave me a sense of belonging with a positive and supportive environment that came from educators and teammates,” said Eckburg.
