November 09, 2005
Texas A&M signed four student-athletes to volleyball National Letters of Intent on the first day of the early signing period, Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli announced today.
Corbelli reloaded at the outside position, signing Sarah Ammerman from Parker, Colo., and Jenny Banse and Mary Batis from San Antonio. In addition, Corbelli added Cara Quayle, a middle blocker from Greenwood, Colo.
"It is really exciting to be able to bring in a class of this caliber," Corbelli said. "All of these players have played for top-level clubs and have top-level club experience at national tournaments, such as finals at Junior Olympics several times. I'm excited because they are court-ready, match-ready just in terms of speed of the game, and they definitely will compete for starting spots.
"It is one of those years where you have to reload, and the more experience your freshmen have, the better, and this is a very experienced group. First-year difference makers are definitely in this group."
With a 6.5 kill average, the 6-2 Ammerman is on pace to lead the state of Colorado in kills per game for the second consecutive year. A three-year letterwinner at Chaparral High School and a member of PrepVolleyball.com's Top 50, Ammerman was named to the all-state team as a junior after leading the state with 4.8 kills per game. She also was named to the Denver Post All-Colorado Team, as well as the Rocky Mountain News All-Colorado Team.
Ammerman plays for Front Range Volleyball Cub and has qualified for nationals each of the past three years, finishing 11th at the 2005 18 Open Nationals. She also was a member of the 2005 Women's Junior National A2 Training Team.
"Ammerman has a lot of experience attacking on the left side," Corbelli said. "She has size and a great arm, and she sees the court really well. One of her strengths is using the block to her favor and how to manipulate the ball around the block. She excels at that skill."
Banse, a Top 50 Recruit by PrepVolleyball.com, is a two-time Class 5A all-state selection by the Texas Girls Coaches Association and a three-time all-district selection at Churchill High School. As a junior, she was named the San Antonio Player of the Year by the San Antonio Express-News and was named to the prestigious Duncanville Tournament of Champions all-tournament team for the third consecutive year.
Banse is a six-year member of the highly successful Alamo Volleyball Association, and her teams have never finished lower than fifth place at Junior Olympics. She earned all-tournament honors after leading her team to the gold medal at the 2003 J.O. 15 Open Division. She was named to her second J.O. all-tournament team in 2004 after leading her team to a third-place finish for the third time.
"Jenny Banse is a very fun player to watch," Corbelli said. "She is athletic, and she is very versatile. She has played in the middle on teams and on the left on teams. We are planning on having her on the left side, and that is primarily because she is so complete. Front row and back row, she is a very balanced player and can do it all, and we are glad that we get a chance to have her balance out our court."
Batis, who has teamed with Banse at Alamo for the past three years, jumpstarted her stellar prep career by being named the No. 1 Performer at the 2002 USA Volleyball High Perfromance A2 Camp prior to her freshman season at Clark High School. In her first high school tournament, Batis was named to the all-tournament team at the Duncanville Tournament of Champions and later was named one of the top 40 freshmen in the nation by StudentSports.com.
As a sophomore Batis was named the most valuable player at the high school state tournament after leading the Cougars to the state 5A championship title and a 35-3 record. In addition, the 6-foot outside hitter was named MVP in Class 5A by the Texas Sports Writers Association, as well as the National Sophomore Player of the Year by PrepVolleyball.com. Batis also was one of only three sophomores nationwide to be named All-American by PrepVolleyball.com.
The four-time all-district first-team selection led coach Kirby Jameson's Clark team to the state semifinals as a junior and once again was named to the state all-tournament team and earned PrepVolleyball.com All-American honors for the second consecutive year. A two-time member of LoneStarVolleyball.com's All-Texas Team, Batis led Clark to its fourth district title and to the state regional quarterfinals as senior.
"Mary also is a very complete player," Corbelli said. "Coming from the Alamo Club just like Jenny, they have been training together for six or seven years. They have been through a lot of the same training drills and just excel in all of the skills all the way around.
"Mary has a big arm and is known for her deceptive attacking. She is very good at changing up her shots with great deception and beating blocks and defenses pretty consistently at the high school and club level. She also is a great server and will be in charge of primary passing duties in our program. She is a great team player, just very, very passionate about winning and committed to this sport."
Quayle, like Ammerman, has gained tremendous experience competing for Front Range Volleyball Club for the last two years. In addition, the three-year middle blocker for Cherry Creek High School, earned first-team all-district honors and was named all-state honorable mention as a junior after leading the Bruins to their second first-place finish at the district tournament.
"We needed one middle, and Cara fills the bill beautifully," Corbelli said. "She has one of the best verticals we saw out there, and she blocks with her head above the tape. She is going to be very physical, and she reminds me a lot of Amber Woolsey (a middle blocker at A&M from 1995-99 and a 1999 first-team All-American) in terms of long arms and big range at the net.
"Cara is very athletic and has a great foundation from her training with Front Range Club. There is just a type of recruit that we like to play in the middle, and she fit that really well with her athleticism and her range."
Corbelli loses five seniors at the conclusion of the 2005 season: All-American outside hitter Laura Jones, outside hitter Cristin Burton, middle blocker Kendra Felder, setter Kari Kelley and libero Holly Clay.
"Next fall, I can guarantee there will be freshmen playing," Corbelli said, "especially on the left side. All four of them are going to see substantial amount of time. The need is there and they have the experience. I'm really counting on that to happen."
VOLLEYBALL FALL 2005 SIGNING CLASS (4)
| Name | Ht. | Cl. | Pos. | Hometown (Current School) |
| Sarah Ammerman | 6-2 | Fr. | OH | Parker, Colo. (Chaparral) |
| Jenny Banse | 6-0 | Fr. | OH | San Antonio, Texas (Churchill) |
| Mary Batis | 6-0 | Fr. | OH | San Antonio, Texas (Clark) |
| Cara Quayle | 6-0 | Fr. | MB | Greenwood Village, Colo. (Cherry Creek) |