EUGENE, Ore. – Fourth-year head coach Mike Gaffaney has announced a robust recruiting class for the fall of 2011, including five freshman and two transfers. “To say our incoming recruiting class will help to improve our program is an understatement,” said Gaffaney. “Not only were we able to fill vacancies created by graduation but we made significant strides in raising the bar as well. Each of these ladies brings their own impressive resume, complete with solid academic and athletic achievements as well as outstanding character traits.”
Setter Aly Dorr comes in from East Valley HS in Spokane, Washington. A highly experienced player, Dorr comes in with over ten years of club volleyball experience, having played in both 6-2 and 5-1 systems. She was a First-Team All-Great Northern League selection as a senior. Gaffaney said, “The Eastern Washington area is known for their high quality high school and club programs that produce athletes with sound fundamentals and Aly is a perfect example. She brings an impressive level of experience to the setter position, has great poise and demonstrates excellent ball handling skills. She sets on target with a high level of accuracy and can manage an offense, spreading sets from pin to pin with efficiency.”
Joining the front row is 6-1 Maddy Seevers (Mountain View HS). Groomed in the highly successful Oregon Volleyball Academy in Bend, Seevers led the Mountain View Cougars to a fourth-place finish at the state tournament during her senior season and earned Second-Team All-IMC honors. “Maddy is one of our most versatile athletes coming in this season,” said Gaffaney. “She is a gifted three-sport athlete and we’re extremely pleased that she chose volleyball and chose NCU to continue her collegiate athletic career. Her athletic and academic accomplishments are impressive. She is a quick and athletic middle blocker and her quickness and understanding of the position will give her the much needed confidence as she joins the Beacons.”
LeeAnn Fudge will join the Beacons next season out of Okanogan High in Malott, Washington. Coming from a small rural town, Fudge was an off-the-radar recruit, despite setting school records for aces, hitting percentage and digs. After playing all six rotations in high school, she will most likely be featured in NCU’s back row as a defensive specialist. Coach Gaffaney said, “We feel very blessed to have LeeAnn coming to NCU. She is a very talented, quick, and athletic player. She’s a solid defensive player who will provide us with exciting and relentless pursuit of the ball. LeeAnn is the sort of player who makes the position look effortless and I was impressed with her all-around skills and concentration on the court.”
Next in the recruiting class is Liz Blazer, a front row player from Mesa, Arizona. Blazer played at Seten Catholic Preparatory High School where she led the Sentinels to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior. She was an All-Region selection both seasons. A pure athlete, Blazer competed in volleyball, basketball, softball, and ran track at SCP. “Staying with our goal of recruiting quality athletes who are also outstanding volleyball players, we are excited to welcome Liz to our volleyball family,” said Gaffaney. “She is a talented star with impressive credentials and even greater potential. She’s a diverse and competitive player who will bring depth to both our outside and middle positions.”
Also joining the Beacons, from the ranks of the NCU student body, is Chelsea McGowan (Harrisburg). A 2010 graduate of Harrisburg HS, She was recruited by the Beacon staff during her senior year but came into Northwest Christian with a focus on academics as she began college. McGowan led the Harrisburg Eagles in volleyball, track and basketball and was a two-time First-Team All-PacWest selection while earning All-State nods in both volleyball and basketball. Coach Gaffaney said, “We are very blessed that Chelsea made the decision to play volleyball next year. She has made tremendous improvement over the spring and is quickly getting back into volleyball form. At 6-0, she will provide us with additional height at the net and gives us depth in the middle and on the right side. We are confident that she will contribute early and we have high expectations for Chelsea as she continues to become familiar with our system.
A pair of junior transfers, both from Chemeketa Community College, also join Northwest Christian Volleyball for the 2011 season. Brittany Smail (Gresham, Ore.) and Emily O’Neal (Gervais, Ore.) played the past two seasons together for the Storm.
Smail, a defensive specialist, earned All-Tournament honors at the NWAAC championships and was named an NWAAC Academic All-Star as a sophomore. “Brittany will bring experience and leadership to our program,” said Gaffaney. “Her skills and ability are sound and she will provide both depth and strength to our back row. Brittani complements an offense by her ability to play solid defense. Her knowledge of the game is impressive and I look forward to her becoming a part of our very strong group of defensive players.”
O’Neal, a former First-Team All-State player at Gervais HS, is expected to challenge for a starting spot in one of the outside positions after playing primarily on the right side at Chemeketa, where she led the Storm to the 2008 NWAAC Championship. Gaffaney said, “Emily is an exceptional offensive minded type of player whose focus is on one thing; scoring points. She hits a very heavy ball with tremendous velocity. It’s the sort of ball most passers have difficulty seeing, let alone controlling. Emily is a smart hitter who understands the importance of playing error-free volleyball. Her experience at perfecting this strategy will elevate the level of efficiency of our entire offense.”
Gaffaney is anticipating an exciting training camp this fall. “On the whole, I’m very pleased with the recruits we’ve added to the program, and I’m very excited to have them on the court in August,” he said. “They are skilled position players who will challenge our returners and help to increase the level of intensity at practices. We’ve improved our depth in every position and definitely have a group of 14 volleyball players who are athletic, quick, experienced, and mindful of wanting to make noticeable improvements to NCU volleyball. What I’m most impressed with is the enthusiasm these individuals have for becoming part of a faith based Christian university, and their commitment of high academic and athletic accomplishment.”
The Beacons went 8-19 during the 2010 season, taking ninth place in the CCC. They will open up the 2011 season on August 22nd against Simpson University as part of a four-game road trip in Northern California.