SOU head coach Josh Rohlfing announced the first four signees of 2011 today.
Conference Champs Add First Four For 2011
The defending Cascade Conference regular season and postseason champion Southern Oregon volleyball team announced the first four signees of the 2011 recruiting class today.
Fourth-year head coach Josh Rohlfing announced that Krista Novelli (Palmdale, Calif./Paralette High School/Legacy Volleyball Club), Brookelynn Cole (Gresham, Ore./Central Catholic High School/Nike Northwest Volleyball Club), Ellie Berggreen (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg High School/Webfoot Juniors Volleyball Club) and Kabrissa Beamer (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg High School/Webfoot Juniors Volleyball Club) will all suit up for the Raiders this coming Fall.
"With these first four athletes in this class, we were able to begin to shore up positions lost due to graduation," Rohlfing said. "They are an academically sound group of student-athletes with incredible volleyball upside. All of them have high level club and high school volleyball experience and also have achieved so much in community outreach initiatives. We are excited these student-athletes are so well rounded and we know they will represent our volleyball program, university and community very well."
Southern Oregon went 24-5 overall last year on the way to conference regular and postseason titles and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament.
Novelli, a 5-8 setter, comes to SOU with tons of club volleyball experience. Novelli's Legacy Club team currently ranks in the Top 20 in the always tough Southern California Volleyball Region, which has over 240 teams.
"Krista is awesome, that pretty much sums her up," Rohlfing said. "We love her on court demeanor; she plays with great passion and is a fantastic setter. She has many intangibles that we look for in our setters from year-to-year. Krista is an intelligent and highly motivated person. We expect that Krista will be a catalyst for our future teams’ success."
Cole, a 5-5 defensive specialist/libero, comes to SOU after playing for Oregon volleyball power Central Catholic High School. Cole led CCHS to back-to-back State Championships in 2009 and 2010 and earned All-Conference honors as a senior.
"We love the skill and winning attitude that she will continue to foster in our program," Rohlfing said. "Brooke is a great competitor that played for one of the all-time great coaches in our state, Rick Lorenz. She is an incredible serve receive passer with a great touch on the ball."
After signing her letter of intent, Cole said, "I wanted to be a part of Raider volleyball because it is a very successful program. I respect the coaching style and I love the girls on the team and I felt most at home in Ashland and Southern Oregon."
Berggreen, a 5-11 middle blocker, earned All-Conference honors this past year at Roseburg High School.
"Ellie has a tremendous skill set, she can pass, set, block and hit," Rohlfing said. "She fits in perfectly with the multi-faceted athlete we generally have in our program."
"I'm excited to be a part of the Raider volleyball program because of the emphasis on "team character" and the team's strong work ethic," Berggreen said after signing her letter of intent. "I'm excited to be on another team that wants to succeed and is willing to do what it takes to win."
Beamer, a 5-6 defensive specialist/libero and teammate of Berggreen at Roseburg High School, earned back-to-back All-Conference honors as a junior and senior for the Indians. She is also an honor student that has received perfect attendance for the past 10 years.
"She is lightning quick with a knack for making great defensive reads on the court," Rohlfing said. "Kabrissa has played at a very high level in both club and high school and her high school coach, Bruce Myers, is a top shelf coach that has done a great job with her."
Rohlfing expects another group of signees to be announced this week.