New 2010 Women's College Volleyball Recruits at
Pepperdine, Florida International University, Volleyball Quotes, News and Information
November 25, 2009
PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM SIGNS THREE TO LETTERS OF INTENT
MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, under the direction of head coach Nina Matthies, announced today that three future student-athletes have signed letters-of-intent: setter Kellie Woolever and outside hitters Emily Cook and Kelley Larsen.
The Waves lose two senior starters off the 2009 squad – setter Kiah Fiers and outside hitter Rachel Grochmal – so the trio could have the opportunity to make their mark immediately. Each of the three ranked in the top 115 on prepvolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list.
“Our freshman class will be coming in with a great deal of experience,” Matthies said. “All three played at good high schools that did well in their league, have been successful playing at the club level and are used to winning. We’re getting three kids who will be ready to contribute right away. They’ve been playing at a very high level that’s not too far away from what they’ll see at the college level. These are great kids from great families and we’re really looking forward to having them join us.”
Following is capsule information on each recruit:
Emily Cook
Outside Hitter, 5-foot-11, Murrieta, Calif. (Murrieta Valley HS)
Ranks #96 on the prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces list ... A 2009-10 AVCA/Under Armour All-American second team selection ... A four-time all-league first team selection and a three-time all-valley honoree ... Team won the league title in 2009 ... Plays for Orange County Volleyball Club ... Also a beach standout that was named the 2007 AAU Beach Volleyball Player of the year, and a two-time beach national champion.
Cook says: “I chose Pepperdine because I loved the coaching staff and all the girls on the team, and of course the campus is beautiful. It’s perfect!”
Matthies says: “Emily is a really athletic, very explosive player. She has a real live arm. He has a great court demeanor and I’m looking forward to the depth she’s going to provide at outside hitter.”
Kelley Larsen
Outside Hitter, 6-foot-2, Jamul, Calif. (Christian HS)
Ranks between #101-#115 on the prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces list ... Made the all-league first team as a senior and sophomore and second team as a junior ... Earned scholar-athlete honors her final two years ... Most recently played club with the Coast Volleyball Club 17-1s ... Attended the same high school as former Pepperdine All-American Katie Wilkins.
Larsen says: “Pepperdine was my top choice and for me, it’s a dream come true. I chose Pepperdine because of the volleyball program, the coaching staff, the location of the campus, the academic reputation and the Christian background.”
Matthies says: “Kelley is going to develop into a fine college player. She’s perhaps the sleeper of our three recruits, but she’s improved tremendously. She has played for a small high school, but did really well there and was the leader of that team. She adds depth and can play on either the left or the right.”
Kellie Woolever
Setter, 6-foot, Long Beach, Calif. (Wilson HS)
Ranks #38 on the prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces list ... A member of the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Dream Team as a sophomore and junior ... Made the All-CIF second team as a junior and was co-MVP of the Moore League ... A four-year starter ... Team won the Moore League three times ... At the club level, played with Mizuno Long Beach for four years and Cal Juniors for three ... Won a 2009 Junior Olympics title with Mizuno Long Beach as well as a silver medal in 2008 ... Was a JO All-American both years ... Played on the high performance USA Youth National blue team.”
Woolever says: “I chose Pepperdine because the campus is amazing and I feel comfortable with the coaches.”
Matthies says: “Kellie is a tremendous setter and leader. She has a really calm, competitive manner. She played for a great high school team, her club team won JOs and she was the quarterback of that team. We may miss a beat with Kiah graduating but we think Kellie can come in and pick up where Kiah left off.”
Pepperdine concluded its regular season with a 16-11 overall record and in third place in the West Coast Conference with a 9-5 mark. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday (Nov. 29) at noon PT on ESPNews.
Volleyball Inks Three for 2010-2011 Season
Tomic signs a trio of outstanding players to National Letters of Intent
MIAMI - Head Coach Danijela Tomic announced on Wednesday the addition of three student-athletes to the FIU volleyball squad for the 2010-2011 season. These outstanding new Panthers include 2009 UnderArmour All-America Second-Team selection Jessica Gehrke, National Team member Nadja Ninkovic and two-time Georgia state championship team member Briana Spruill.
“I am thrilled with our 2010 recruiting class as all three of these young and talented student-athletes have a potential to develop into top collegiate players,” said Tomic. “They have big shoes to fill because they are replacing three outstanding seniors who have helped us build our program into one of the best in the country. All three of them come from great families that have installed in them great values and character, which are the key elements that we look for in our future players.”
Gehrke is a two-sport student-athlete, as the Coralville, Iowa, native is a four-year letterwinner in both volleyball and track at West High School in Iowa City. Gehrke is coming off a senior campaign in which she led the Trojan volleyball team to a 39-3 season and a Class 4A State Championship runner-up finish. The outside hitter is a four-time state all-tournament team pick and a two-time Des Moines Register Elite All-State Team, first-team all-state and Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division Player of the Year selection. Gehrke was a unanimous first-team all-league honoree on three occasions and was named West High School’s Homecoming Female Athlete of the Year as a senior. She also served as the team captain of the 4A State All-Tournament Team.
A 2009 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year Candidate, Gehrke was tabbed a Prepvolleyball.com Senior Ace Top 115 Recruit and was a participant in the Iowa Senior All-Star Game. Gehrke is also a standout high school track athlete, having been named the 2008 Mississippi Valley Conference Athlete of the Year, as she holds numerous Iowa state records as well as indoor and outdoor individual championships and West High School records.
Also recruited by the likes of Marquette, Illinois State, Iowa State, Iowa, Drake and Arkansas State, Gherke is the daughter of Derrius and Michelle Gehrke. Her father and grandfather played football at Iowa, while her mother was also a two-sport athlete in college as a member of the volleyball and track teams at Idaho State University.
“Jessica is an outstanding two-sport athlete who will also compete in track during volleyball off-season,” said Tomic. “She has so much physical talent and she fits well into our system with her power, explosiveness and speed. She comes from a very successful high school and club program and knows how to win. She is very disciplined and competitive and is a perfect addition to our team.”
Ninkovic, a nativeof Belgrade, Serbia, brings vast national experience to FIU, as she helped her country’s national team to a second-place finish at the Junior European Championship in 2007 and a fourth-place finish in 2008, as well as a fourth-place finish in the 2007 Junior World Championships. Ninkovic also led her squad to a championship finish at the Junior Balkan Championship in 2008, a runner-up finish in 2009 and a previous second-place finish in 2006.
Her Senior National Team took first place in the Europen League in 2009 in addition to being voted Best Middle Blocker in the European League. Ninkovic’s club team, Red Star, won third place in CEV Cup in 2008.
A 6-4 middle blocker, Ninkovic, was also recruited by powerhouse Nebraska, Tennessee, South Carolina and Tulane. She is the daughter of Slobodan and Slavaca Ninkovic and has one sister, Anja.
“Nadja will be a dominant middle blocker not just in the Sun Belt Conference, but in the nation,” said Tomic. “She has all the attributes with her experience, size, speed and power to take our team to the next level.”
Spruill hails from Jonesboro, Ga., and is a two-time all-area selection, as well as an All-Star Senior and all-state team honoree. She served as team captain of her Woodward Academy volleyball squad, while amassing 240 kills, 55.5 blocks, 84 digs and 55 aces over her three-year career with the War Eagles. Spruill lead Woodward Academy to a pair of AAA state championships in 2008 and 2009 and is ranked among the Prepvolleyball.com Senior Ace Top 150.
A middle/right side, Spruill was also recruited by Miami, Wake Forest, Clemson, Northwestern, Furman and Southeastern Louisiana. She is the daughter of Norman Spruill and Avril Liburd, and has one sister, Anna.
“Briana is another great addition to our program that brings versatility to our offense because she can play all three front row positions,” said Tomic. “She is a powerful athlete who comes from a very successful high school program, and has a lot of room to grow and develop into an exceptional collegiate volleyball player.”
-FIU-