June 01, 2006
Texas A&M?â„¢s 2006 volleyball recruiting class has been ranked No. 11 in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com.
Coach Laurie Corbelli, who is entering her 14th season at the helm of the Aggies, will welcome seven newcomers when the team reports in August, including three-time PrepVolleyball.com high school All-American Mary Batis (6-0, OH, Clark High School, San Antonio, Texas), as well as National Player of the Year candidate Sarah Ammerman (6-2, OH, Chaparral High School, Parker, Colo.) and Zanny Castillo, (5-10, OH, Cedar Park High School, Cedar Park, Texas), who were named 2005 PrepVolleyball.com All-Americans.
"Maybe the strongest and most exciting recruiting class ever for Aggie Volleyball will be arriving this fall,? Corbelli said. ?These players are experienced and talented, and they bring a great variety of strengths to our program. This class of freshmen is a blend of smart offensive volleyball players and feisty, aggressive defensive athletes.?
Also included in the group is 2004 PrepVolleyball.com All-American and 2005 Mizuno/Volleyball All-American second-team selection Jenny Banse (6-0, OH, Churchill High School, San Antonio), as well as two-time all-state honoree and Prepvolleyball.com Defensive Dandy selection Stephanie Cadavid (5-8, DS/L, Clark High School, San Antonio). Two-time all-state honorable mention selection Cara Quayle (6-0, MB, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colo.) and Courtnee Rhodes (5-6, S, Cypress Falls High School, Houston), a member of LoneStarVolleyball.com?â„¢s All-Texas team, complete the heralded class.
?We had a wonderful time shopping for these players, and our results were very pleasing,? Corbelli said. ?Each one of them longs to be an Aggie, and we look forward to having them arrive on campus and continue our quest for a Big 12 Championship.?
The seven newcomers will replenish an A&M squad that lost six players from last year?â„¢s team, which went 16-14 and advanced to the NCAA tournament for a 13th consecutive season. Four of the players lost were starting seniors, including two-time All-American Laura Jones, who led the nation with a school-record 6.09 kills per game in 2005. Fifth-year senior middle blocker Kendra Felder, setter Kari Kelley and libero Holly Clay also completed their eligibility.
Cristin Burton, who would have been a fifth-year senior in 2006, was scheduled to graduate and chose not to return, and outside hitter/defensive specialist Courtney McCrocklin, who would have been a junior, retired with a recurring back injury following the season.
?It is true that this is an unusually large number of players to bring in at one time,? Corbelli said. ?It's just how the scholarships ended up falling in line for this 2006 class, with the medical redshirting of Felder in 2001 and the early graduation of Burton.?
Prepvolleyball.com recruiting expert John Tawa wrote the following about A&M?â„¢s recruiting class: ?The Aggies needed reinforcements on the left and got them with three experienced attackers in Ammerman, Batis and Banse. None can replace graduated All-American Laura Jones by herself, but the trio may make A&M a more well-rounded, versatile attacking team. Both Ammerman and Banse are prototype attackers: tall with good leaping ability and fast arm swings. Batis also brings tremendous ball control to the table and the savvy and experience of a volleyball veteran. A terrific blocker with impressive vertical ability, Quayle could see time in the middle right away with the graduation of Kendra Felder. Cadavid, a fiery defender, should help shore up a back row that lost libero Holly Clay, while Rhodes could spell Meghan Kainz at the setter position while using her athleticism and experience as a back row passer and defender.?
Penn State?â„¢s recruiting class was rated No. 1 in the nation, followed by Texas, California, Arizona and Notre Dame. Washington, Pepperdine, Tennessee, Stanford and Nebraska round out the top 10.