Bingham starred for Spartans’ volleyball

Meredith (Ferlic) Bingham left quite an impact on Lorain Catholic athletics.

As a three-year letter-winner for the Spartans’ volleyball team, Bingham received many of the area’s top honors, including Division IV Player of the Year, first team All-Lorain County, team MVP and Miss Volleyball runner-up, but it was her dedication to the game that was an example to her teammates.

“Throughout her volleyball career at Lorain Catholic, Meredith didn’t need to say a word to be a leader,” Dr. Marin Waynar said in a letter to the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame committee. “Her dedication and athletic talent spoke by example.

“She learned the game so well that she displayed an uncanny ability to anticipate an opponent’s

next move . ... She was the type of athlete everyone wanted on their team, the glue that held it all together.”

In 1994, Bingham led Lorain Catholic to the state tournament where the Spartans finished runner-up in Division IV and ended the season 26-1. The 1994 Lorain Catholic volleyball team was inducted into the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Upon graduation from Lorain Catholic in 1995, Bingham accepted a scholarship to continue her volleyball career at Tennessee Tech, where she made the Ohio Valley Conference AllLeague freshman team and was selected as team MVP for the Golden Eagles in her sophomore season.

She continued her impressive career as a junior, leading all Division I players nationwide with 5.2 digs per game, guiding Tennessee Tech to its first and only OVC championship and NCAA tournament appearance.

After her senior season, she was just the second OVC player to be named AllLeague four years in a row, and was one of only three women to receive the 199899 OVC Academic Medal of Honor.

Bingham returned to Lorain Catholic as an assistant coach on the varsity team until the school’s closing in 2004 and has since coached several youth teams.

“As a coach, Meredith passes on her volleyball expertise and serves as a positive role model, nurturing the confidence of the girls on her teams,” Waynar said.

Bingham and her husband, Jay, reside in Amherst with their three sons.