An athlete who played a major role for the women's volleyball team in its back-to-back trips to the Final Four over the past two seasons has left the team because of academic reasons.

Junior setter/hitter Andrea Boner decided to leave the team and concentrate on her studies. The integrative arts major had been one of the first players off the bench for the Lady Lions the last two seasons.

Boner balanced the demands of volleyball and her studies well the past three seasons, as evidenced by her selection to the All-Big Ten Academic Team in 1993. But upcoming classes that would have directly conflicted with practice times factored into her decision.

"I've known for a while that I would have to make a decision between my major and volleyball," the Seven Valleys native said. "I knew that I wasn't going to play volleyball my whole life . . . It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make -- I hope I've made the right decision. It's hard to leave the program, especially because it's such a great program."

Boner said her teammates and Coach Russ Rose have supported her decision, making it easier for her to leave the Lady Lions.

Boner's departure, coupled with the graduation of seniors Laura Cook, Salima Davidson, Saundi Lamoureux and Jen Reimers, creates a void of both talent and leadership. Along with Zeynep Ton, Boner would have been one of only two seniors on next season's squad.

"It puts us in a bind," Rose said. "I don't know if she would have been starting, but she would have been someone we counted on heavily . . . Sometimes you don't need leaders if you have a team of mature players. Now there's an opportunity for younger players to step up and show some maturity and leadership, and I'm optimistic that should happen."

Boner said she will still remain friendly with her former teammates. In fact, she will accompany Jen Burdis and some other Lady Lions on a trip to Cancun, Mexico during Spring Break.

"She's going to be missed a lot both on and off the court," said Burdis, a backrow specialist. "She's a great person and we'll still see her a lot. With practices, lifting and conditioning it is hard to do both (volleyball and academics). I can understand her point of view."

Although Boner's departure will hurt the Lady Lions, Rose said he supports her decision.

"(The fact) that she is leaving to put more time into her studies is fine," he said. "It's perfectly understandable. Kids don't come to college to be volleyball players or football players, they come to get an education."