San Jose—Hanah Blume, a 6-0 outside hitter from Sonora High School, and Sarah Griest, a 6-0 outside hitter/right side from San Mateo High School, have signed National Letters-of-Intent to compete for the San Jose State volleyball team beginning in 2010, as announced by Spartan head coach Oscar Crespo.
Blume was named the Co-Most Valuable Player of the Valley Oak League this season and is a two-time first team All-VOL selection. She recorded 363 kills and 76 blocks this past season. Her team advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Championships. In 2008, Blume played on the USA Girls Youth Bronze team at the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships. She plays club at Delta Valley. An all-around athlete, Blume also played basketball and softball her freshman and sophomore years.
Griest is a two-time All-Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division first team honoree. This past season, she recorded 292 kills, 60 aces and 229 digs. Griest plays club at City Beach.
Arizona State University Volleyball Locks Up Stellar 2010 Recruiting Class
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Sun Devil Volleyball Program is proud to announce three future Sun Devils to the team with the signing of Danica Mendivil, Kylee Terhune and Stephanie Preach. The trio are some of the highest-touted recruits in the nation and look to help bring the program to new heights with their talent and work ethic.
Head Coach Jason Watson commented on recruiting, saying, "Recruiting is a difficult process and for our staff the 2010 class is the result of a tremendous amount of time and effort. Each of these recruits shares in our vision for Arizona State University. We don’t take their commitment lightly. They are a motivated and competitive group. It’s these characteristics that make this an exciting class."
Danica Mendivil, 6-1 OH, Pleasant Grove (Utah), Northern Lights Volleyball Club, MN
A PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace, Mendivil was recently named MVP of the Utah 5A State Tournament after leading Pleasant Grove High School to a convincing State Championship. This comes after of helping her club team, Northern Lights, to a Silver Medal in the 17 Open Division of USAV Junior Nationals in Miami, Florida.
Head Coach Jason Watson on Mendivil: “Danica has made significant progress over the past year. She has looked for and embraced opportunities to better herself on the court. Naturally competitive and with an intense on-court demeanor, she is a much welcomed addition to our program.”
Kylee Terhune, 6-1 MB/RS, La Cueva (Albuquerque, New Mexico), New Mexico Juniors, NM
Terhune, a PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace comes to ASU from New Mexico and La Cueva High School (2009 New Mexico State Runner Up). In 2008, Terhune spent time on the USA Women’s Junior Blue Team at the USAV High Performance Championships in Tucson, AZ.
Watson on Terhune: “Kylee understands the demands and expectations of playing in the PAC 10. I believe it’s what drives her proactively to be better each and every day she gets in the gym. She’s a gifted athlete who is going to utilize the resources available to her at ASU to have an outstanding college career.”
Stephanie Preach, 5-8 S/L, Xavier Prep (Phoenix AZ), Arizona Volleyball Academy, AZ
A member of back-to-back-to back State Championship teams at Xavier Prep, Stephanie was a member of the Arizona Republic’s 2008 All-Arizona Team and the “Big School” Player of the Year. Preach was also named to AVCA High School All-American Second Team as well at the culmination of her 2009 season at Xavier Prep.
Watson on Preach: “Our staff was drawn to Stephanie’s competitive nature. She has achieved considerable success while at Xavier. In doing so, she has developed many of the traits we need to further the development of our program at ASU.”
The Sun Devil Volleyball family is proud to announce the addition of these three tremendous athletes and what they will mean to the legacy that is Arizona State Volleyball, as it continues to build upward in its place in collegiate volleyball.
Maryland 2010 Volleyball Signee Named HS All-America
Outside hitter Mary Cushman named to Under Armour Second-Team All-America by the AVCA
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Mary Cushman, a six-foot outside hitter from Rochester, N.Y., was recently named to the 2009-10 Under Armour Girls High School Second-Team All- America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
“Mary is an athlete that was being recruited by most of the top programs in the country,” Maryland women’s volleyball head coach Tim Horsman said. “She is physical. She plays hard and has an unbelievable personality on and off the court. I think she has leadership ability and is going to be somebody that people are drawn to. I think she’s going to be an unbelievable player. She’s unbelievably athletic and her entire skill set is solid and I think she’s going to be ready to compete right away when she gets here.”
The First-and-Second-Teams each consist of only 24 individuals. For the first time in the award’s four-year history, the organization is also awarding honorable mention accolades. The 100 players represent 27 states and 81 high schools. Many have already committed to play collegiate volleyball at some of the top programs in the country.
Requirements for nomination were that the student-athlete be in her senior year of high school, that she be nominated by her high school coach, that her coach be a member of the AVCA and that her season statistics be entered into MaxPreps, a free service that aggregates and distributes data on high school sports.
Cushman was the 2008 New York Gatorade Player of the Year out of Irondequoidt High School. The New York native is one of the most highly-rated signees in Maryland history, coming in at No. 56 in the nation by prepvolleyball.com. Hailing from Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Ala., Abele gives Maryland a big athlete with ability to play in the middle or left and right side.
The signing class for 2010 also added 6-foot-4-inch middle blocker/right side Carlisle Abele. Hailing from Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Ala., Abele gives Maryland a big athlete with ability to play in the middle or left and right side.
For more information on your Maryland women’s volleyball team visit, www.umterps.com.
– GO TERPS –
Colonel Volleyball Adds One in Early Signing Period
THIBODAUX – Fresh off their second consecutive trip to the Southland
Conference Tournament, and their first official win at the postseason
event, the Nicholls State University women’s volleyball team wasted no
time looking to reload for 2010 as the Colonels announced the addition
of Texas high school standout Kailey McNamara as the 6-1 middle blocker
signed a national letter of intent during the early signing period.
McNamara, who earned all-district honors as a junior, helped Foster High
School to a District 23-4A championships in 2008 and 2009. In 2008,
McNamara helped Foster to an undefeated record in district play, and,
last season, helped lead the Lady Falcons to the Region III Class 3A
semifinals. The 6-1 blocker will be counted on to help strengthen the
Colonels’ front-line blocking defense.
“Kailey will be a middle blocker for us and she will challenge for a
starting position immediately,” head coach Chris Laird said.
A two-time Academic All District 23-4A selection, McNamara has proven to
be equally capable in the classroom.
Coach Carlston Signs Three Recruits For 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State women's volleyball head coach Geoff Carlston announced the signing of three recruits - Kaitlyn Leary, Amy Schwarzwalder and Davionna DiSalvatore - who will join the Buckeyes for the 2010 season.
Leary is a 6-1 outside hitter from Padua Franciscan High School in Parma, Ohio who played club ball for the Cleveland Volleyball Company. She is a two-time state champion and the 2008 district player of the year and earned first team all-state honors in 2008 and 2009. Leary is a member of the 2008 and 2009 USA Youth National Training Team and was a 2008 Prepvolleyball.com high school All-American.
"Kaitlyn is a really strong six-rotation player that can pass and attack at a really high level," Carlston said. "Her experience with the USA National Program allowed her to compete against the best volleyball players in the world which will be invaluable to her in the Big Ten Conference. She has a quiet intensity about her that grew on me as we went through the recruiting process. She will help out our program right away."
Schwarzwalder is a 6-3 outside hitter from North Royalton High School in North Royalton, Ohio. She played club ball for the Maverick volleyball club and is the sister of current Ohio State volleyball player Allie Schwarzwalder. Amy was a first team all-district selection in 2009 and was a second team all-state selection in 2008. She was a 2009-2010 High School Under Armour Honorable Mention All-American selection.
"Amy is a fierce competitor and extremely physical," Carlston said. "She hits the ball as hard as anybody in the class and at 6-3, has the potential to be an impact player for us as a freshman. She has grown up around our team and it is just a perfect fit for her and us."
DiSalvatore is a 5-8 outside hitter from Countryside High School in Clearwater, Fla. She played club ball for the Tampa Bay Jrs. DiSalvatore was a 2008 Tampa Bay Times All-County selection and a Pinellas County Athletic Conference North County first team selection. She will play at libero for the Buckeyes.
"Davi is a fierce competitor and extremely physical," Carlston said. "She is a tenacious defensive player and an excellent passer. She will add some depth to our ball control team. The libero and defensive positions will be extremely competitive next year which we are excited about."
The Ohio State (24-9, 12-8 Big Ten, tied-fourth) women's volleyball team received an at-large bid to the 64-team NCAA Championship and will host first and second round matches in St. John Arena, Fri.-Sat., Dec. 4-5. The Buckeyes will host Cincinnati (25-10, 12-2 Big East, tied-second) at 8 p.m. Friday. The first match, at 6 p.m. Friday, will have ninth-seeded California (18-10, 11-7 Pac-10, fourth) facing Lipscomb (28-3, 20-0 Atlantic Sun, first). First round winners return Saturday at 7 p.m. for a berth in the Gainesville (Fla.) regional semifinals Dec. 11.
BYU Women’s Volleyball Team Welcomes Two for 2010
PROVO, Utah (Nov. 30, 2009) – BYU head coach Shay Goulding announced that Bingham High School volleyball standout Taeja Afalava has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Cougars in the 2010 season. She also announced that rightside hitter Jennifer Hamson who signed an NLI to play basketball for BYU will also play volleyball as a multi-sport athlete.
“As a staff and team we are very excited to welcome both Jen Hamson and Taeja Afalava to our program next year,” BYU head volleyball coach Shay Goulding said. “Both were outstanding leaders and top point scorers on their respective high school teams.”
Afalava comes from South Jordan, Utah where she has resided for the past two years after moving from Kahuku, Hawaii. She has led the Bingham High School volleyball squad under the tutelage of head coach Melissa Glasker.
Named to the Region Team I, All-State second team and team MVP in 2008, Afalava has been a welcome addition to the Miners. In 2009 she was named Region MVP and team MVP. She has participated on Club 801 in Utah and Club Hawai’i in Kahuku.
“Taeja is a fierce competitor with a very sound mind for the game,” said Goulding. “She is an all-around volleyball player that is capable of filling many roles during her time here at BYU.”
Hamson hails from Pleasant Grove, Utah, to play both basketball and volleyball for the Cougars. Her mother, Teresa Spaulding Hamson played basketball for BYU and was a seven-time All-American who still holds several school records.
Most Valuable Player of the Pleasant Grove High School volleyball team, Hamson helped her team to a state championship in 2009 while recording 307 kills on .483 hitting for the season. She was named to the Academic All-State team and the All-State team while playing for Pleasant Grove.
“Jen is just coming off a state championship at Pleasant Grove and will enter our program with a great deal of experience competing at high levels,” said Goulding. “We are thrilled that she will add an enormous amount of depth to our team and raise our level both offensively and defensively on the right side. I look forward to her having a tremendous career as a Cougar.”
“We expect both of these outstanding young ladies to contribute to our success right away,” said Goulding.
Below is a breakdown of biographical information:
Taeja Afalava
Outside Hitter
5-11
South Jordan, Utah / Bingham HS
Before BYU
Club: Played for Club 801 of Utah and Club Hawai’i in Kahuku, Hawaii.
High School: Moved to Utah her junior year of high school, playing for the Bingham High School Miners under head coach Melissa Glasker … awarded Region Team I, All-State second team, team leadership award and team MVP in 2008 … named region MVP, team MVP and to the All-Tournament team in 2009 … also participated in basketball where she was named to the All-State second team and All-Region first team.
Personal
Parents are Kesi and Kay Afalava … has three brothers and two sisters … father, Kesi, played football for the University of Hawaii and professionally in Canada … enjoys spending time with her family and friends and working out.
Jennifer Hamson
Rightside Hitter
6-6
Pleasant Grove, UT / Pleasant Grove HS
Before BYU
High School: MVP of the Pleasant Grove High School volleyball team under head coach Jamie Schapper … team won state in 2009 … recorded 307 total kills for a .483 hitting percentage and 22 assists in 2009 … Academic All-State, Senior All Star, All-State team, All-Tournament team … she will play both volleyball and basketball while attending BYU … 5A honorable mention who averaged 16.5 points last season for the Vikings … garnered Academic All-State honors as a sophomore and junior for basketball.
Club: Played on the Utah Elite Chaos team under head coach and former BYU volleyball player Mike Burke.
Personal
Parents are David and Teresa Hamson … has two brothers and two sisters … mother Teresa Spaulding Hamson played basketball for BYU, seven-time All-American who still holds several school records … Aunt Britt Hamson Kelly played volleyball for BYU … Aunt Lisa Hamson Hele played volleyball for Boise State and on BYU’s spring team … Uncle Ben Hamson played BYU club volleyball.
