Dec. 2, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M volleyball signed three middle blockers to national letters of intent during the early signing period, Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli announced.
High school seniors Caitlin Adams (6-2) of Kansas City, Mo., Alisia Kastmo (6-4) of Tyler, Texas, and Lindsey Miller (6-2) of Katy, Texas, have all committed to play for A&M and are expected to immediately compete for starting positions as the Aggies lose three senior middles this year.
"We have two middles (freshmen Stephanie Wells and Stephanie Minnerly) training right now who are young, so I think our whole group of middles will be incredibly competitive next fall," Corbelli said. "I am really excited to have this kind of talent in addition to Wells and Minnerly. They all bring something different. It is going to be as balanced of a group of middles that I've ever had, so that will be nice.
"Most definitely we are going to need them to step up and be ready to go. I think one thing that is a big bonus for them is that they will have outside attackers and setters and passers and diggers who have been in the game a long time surrounding them, so it is kind of a nice way to come in as a middle and have a lot of ball control around you and experienced setters and hopefully kind of welcome them to Division I volleyball in an easier manner. That is going to be really nice to be able to maximize what they have from the beginning."
Adams an honorable all-state selection from Notre Dame de Sion High School, was named to PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces earlier this year and also was named to the website's Top 80 Juniors list in 2007. Adams led her club team, KC Power, to the 2007 Junior Olympic Championships and was named to the 16 American All-Tournament Team.
"Caitlin is a very aggressive player," Corbelli said. "One of the things that stands out about her is that she moves along the net really well and quickly. She is very athletic, and at 6-2, she is bringing in the size we are continuing to need and want without sacrificing athleticism. Plus she is a great competitor. Just watching her the last year and a half, she is very fiery and fun to watch, and I think she will bring a good, strong dimension to the middle attack."
Kastmo, a two-time Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Athlete of the Year, was a four-year member of the All Saints varsity volleyball team and was named first-team all-state every year. Kastmo, who had 48 kills in a TAPPS second-round win against Bay Area Christian School on Oct. 29, 2008, also was named TAPPS District 4A Most Valuable Player each of the last three years after leading All Saints to three consecutive state runner-up finishes.
Following her junior year, Kastmo was recognized as one of the top 50 high school volleyball players in the class of 2009 by Prepvolleyball.com and also was listed No. 86 in the website's list of the 150 Senior Aces. In addition, Kastmo, who plays club ball for ACE Volleyball, was named 2008 All-Texas Team honorable mention by LoneStarVolleyball.com.
Also an accomplished basketball athlete, Kastmo has been named the TAPPS 2-4A Most Valuable Player each of the last two years.
"The first thing that everyone will notice is that Alisia brings great size at 6-4, but on top of that she is very well skilled with the sport," Corbelli said. "She is very passionate about volleyball. I think she is going to really contribute a lot in the middle but could also contribute on the right side depending on the type of rotation we use. She is incredibly versatile in that area, and it is unusual to find this size of an athlete with this level of skill, so we feel we are really fortunate to get her.
"Alisia also brings good power and an above average jump. We were really excited, because how high she can play above the net is something we really need, and at the same time she brings the speed that we like. She also is playing some back row in her club. She is surprisingly agile in the back row, so that was really fun to see. She has good range sideline to sideline."
Miller has been recognized by PrepVolleyball.com every year since being named to the website's "Soph 79; the Best High School Sophomores in the Country" following the 2006 season. She was listed on PrepVolleyball.com's list of "The Class of 2009 Top 50 Recruits" after her junior season and was ranked No. 51 in PrepVolleyball.com's list of Senior Aces, which lists the top 150 high school seniors going into the 2008 fall season. Miller, who recently helped lead Cinco Ranch High School to the Texas high school state quarterfinals, also garnered All-Texas Team Special Recognition by LoneStarVolleyball.com.
"Lindsey was a very highly recruited athlete," Corbelli said. "She is a beautiful, graceful, ex-soccer athlete, so we get someone with good footwork who moves along the floor really well. I think her strength is the slide attack. She takes off one leg behind the setter and hits at a very high point. She also has a really great instinct for blocking, which would stand out to all the coaches watching her.
"Lindsey is a great athlete who also is really passionate about winning and very dedicated to improvement. The training has been great for her at Tornados. Her team has qualified very high, so she gets great competition in her own gym and at tournaments. The training will carry over and she'll be ready for us."
The Aggies lose three senior middle blockers - Kelsey Bryant, Darla Donaldson and Jillian Phillips, from the 2008 team that went 16-14 and tied for fourth in the Big 12 with an 11-9 record.
2008 Texas A&M volleyball early signing class:
Name Ht. Pos. Hometown High School Club Team
Caitlin Adams 6-2 MB Kansas City, Mo. Notre Dame de Sion KC Power
Alisia Kastmo 6-4 MB Tyler, Texas All Saints Episcopal ACE Volleyball
Lindsey Miller 6-2 MB Katy, Texas Cinco Ranch Texas Tornados