Former DSU volleyball star Aliskan-Sinani to be inducted into NAIA Hall of Fame

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A second former Dickinson State volleyball player has earned induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame.

Funda Aliskan-Sinani, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, was a standout from 1996 to 1999 and a key building block in the Blue Hawks’ success that lasted into this decade.

“She was a big part of raising the bar,” said former DSU volleyball coach Dave Moody, who coached Aliskan-Sinani.

She is one of 15 individuals named to the 2009-10 Hall of Fame class that also includes Olympic gold medalist Brian Clay. Aliskan-Sinani will be formally inducted at the NAIA national volleyball tournament on Nov. 30 in Sioux City, Iowa.

For three years, Aliskan-Sinani played alongside NAIA Hall of Famer Neslihan Yilmaz, also a native of Istanbul, who was inducted in 2007.

Aliskan-Sinani finished her career with with 2,394 kills, 1,680 digs (3.3 per game) and 295 blocks (.58 per game).

She set the DSU career record for single-season kills per game in kills (6.4 per game) during her senior season in 1999. That number still ranks third on the NAIA all-time charts.

Aliskan-Sinani is also fourth in the NAIA for consecutive matches with 20 or more kills. She went 25 straight games with at least 20 kills in 1999.

To this day, she is the only DSU volleyball player to named an NAIA All-American and Scholar-Athlete honors in the same year (1999).

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Tags: funda aliskan-sinani, dickinson state, blue hawks, hall of fame, dave moody, neslihan yilmaz, naia, college, daily updates