2008 Woodie Awards
Four potentials sign letters of intent for women's volleyball
Matt Pavao
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
11/30/07 - A fresh signing effort continues for the University of Rhode Island volleyball team, as the team had four recruits sign letters of intent this week.
Alexandria Benbrook, Lindsay Potts, Kayla Wilson and Stacey Yohannes all signed letters and will join a team that will have 10 freshmen and sophomores on the roster next year. Although the team will be young, with that youth also comes talent.
"This is a really good class, one of the strongest we've ever had," head coach Bob Schneck said. "[The class] will absolutely help us. We were one win shy of the [Atlantic 10] tournament last year and the A-10 is one of the top eight or nine conferences in the country."
The Rams were 13-15 this season and didn't make the tournament because they lost a three-way tiebreaker with two other teams with the same conference record. Schneck expects the players to come in right away and make the team better.
"They're young but all four will come in and challenge, which will make both sides of practice that much better," he said. "In college you don't have time to teach the players, they have to come in ready to play and these girls are."
The 6-foot-2-inch Benbrook brings size, dedication and the athleticism of a former high-school high jumper.
"She has a great work ethic," Schneck said. "She used to drive an hour and a half each day for practice."
Yohannes' wiry 6-foot frame and passing ability will suit her well at the outside hitter position. Meanwhile, Potts provides good setting skills and Wilson will be coming from one of the best high school programs in the country as the most experienced of the four recruits.
The class is a diverse one, with players from Oklahoma, New York, California and Texas. Schneck attributes this to the team being able to recruit players at national qualifiers that feature players on club teams from around the country.
"Geographically, we're pretty diverse," Schneck said. "What we're trying to do now is identify big and strong players with skill and experience. These kids are coming in having played at a high level."
Schneck hopes that the four will have the impact that last year's recruiting had on this season. The team had six freshmen on the team, including Kayla Newberg, who was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team.
"[Last year] was a really good class," he said. "We've never had plays get in like this year. We only had three or four wins before this year and a big part of that is because we struggled recruiting. We improved this year because we were helped by freshmen."
Alexandria Benbrook, Lindsay Potts, Kayla Wilson and Stacey Yohannes all signed letters and will join a team that will have 10 freshmen and sophomores on the roster next year. Although the team will be young, with that youth also comes talent.
"This is a really good class, one of the strongest we've ever had," head coach Bob Schneck said. "[The class] will absolutely help us. We were one win shy of the [Atlantic 10] tournament last year and the A-10 is one of the top eight or nine conferences in the country."
The Rams were 13-15 this season and didn't make the tournament because they lost a three-way tiebreaker with two other teams with the same conference record. Schneck expects the players to come in right away and make the team better.
"They're young but all four will come in and challenge, which will make both sides of practice that much better," he said. "In college you don't have time to teach the players, they have to come in ready to play and these girls are."
The 6-foot-2-inch Benbrook brings size, dedication and the athleticism of a former high-school high jumper.
"She has a great work ethic," Schneck said. "She used to drive an hour and a half each day for practice."
Yohannes' wiry 6-foot frame and passing ability will suit her well at the outside hitter position. Meanwhile, Potts provides good setting skills and Wilson will be coming from one of the best high school programs in the country as the most experienced of the four recruits.
The class is a diverse one, with players from Oklahoma, New York, California and Texas. Schneck attributes this to the team being able to recruit players at national qualifiers that feature players on club teams from around the country.
"Geographically, we're pretty diverse," Schneck said. "What we're trying to do now is identify big and strong players with skill and experience. These kids are coming in having played at a high level."
Schneck hopes that the four will have the impact that last year's recruiting had on this season. The team had six freshmen on the team, including Kayla Newberg, who was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team.
"[Last year] was a really good class," he said. "We've never had plays get in like this year. We only had three or four wins before this year and a big part of that is because we struggled recruiting. We improved this year because we were helped by freshmen."