| Volleyball Team Signs Seven for 2012 | |||
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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Head Coach Mark Jones will welcome seven newcomers to the Manhattan College volleyball program for the 2012 season, it was announced today. Clare Bozzo (Salinas, Calif.), Katie Lang (Breezy Point, N.Y.) and Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) will join the program as freshmen, while Manhattan has also added four transfer students to the roster: Karlee Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.), Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii), Katelyn Nugent (Auburn, Wash.) and Ellie Wiekamp (Laguna Niguel, Calif.).
"I'm very excited about this recruiting class," Jones said. "These newcomers have all played at a high level, and they give us more depth and athleticism than ever." The 5-foot-10 Bozzo, who can play both outside hitter and middle blocker, attended Santa Catalina High School. She was a first team all-league selection in 2010 after leading Santa Catalina to the finals of the NorCal State Tournament for the first time in school history. The Cougars also earned a runner-up finish in the Central Coast Sectional in 2010. Bozzo also played for the Main Beach Volleyball Club. Lang is a 5-foot-4 setter from Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn. A three-time team MVP, she led the Bonnies to a pair of CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens championships. Lang is a three-time All-Brooklyn selection, and she was also named All-City by both the Daily News and New York Post three times. Volovski, a 6-foot outside hitter, was named team MVP and earned an all-conference selection during both her junior and senior campaigns at Oswego High School. She led the Panthers to a regional championship after recording 221 kills and 163 digs in 2011. Volovski played her club volleyball for Sports Performance, where she was a teammate of fellow Jasper Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.). Anderson led San Diego Mesa College to a share of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference title and earned Second Team All-PCAC honors in 2011. The 6-foot middle blocker registered 118 kills and 39 blocks for the Olympians last season. Behrens comes to Manhattan after two seasons at the University of Cincinnati. A 6-foot-1 outside hitter, she appeared in 11 matches for the Bearcats last season, recording nine kills and four digs as Cincinnati advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2010, Behrens tallied 58 kills, 30 digs and 13 blocks in 18 matches, including an eight-kill, five-dig effort in a five-set victory over Illinois. She is eligible to play immediately by virtue of the NCAA's first-time transfer rule and has two years of eligibility remaining. A 6-foot-1 middle blocker, Nugent was First Team All-NWAACC (Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges) after leading Green River Community College in kills, hitting percentage and blocks last season. She also led the Gators in both kills and blocks in 2010. Wiekamp, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, joined the team during the spring semester and played in Manhattan's off-season tournaments. She spent two years at Irvine Valley College before sitting out the 2011 season with an injury. Wiekamp earned honorable mention All-Orange Empire Conference recognition after leading the league in both kills and aces in 2010. "These four transfers bring valuable maturity and experience at a number of different positions, as well as improving our depth," Jones said. "Adding this group (of newcomers) to what we already have on the roster, I think all the pieces are in place for us to compete for the MAAC title." They join a roster that features 10 returning letterwinners from last year's 16-15 squad. The Jaspers are scheduled to open the 2012 season with a tournament at La Salle on the weekend of Aug. 25-26. |


