EUGENE, Ore. – Fourth-year head coach Mike Gaffaney has announced the addition of three more women to the recruiting class for Fall 2012, all three transfers from other four-year universities. “Our recruiting goal was to attract the most talented student-athletes possible,” said Gaffaney. “These ladies are an example of our commitment to improving the overall level of NCU Volleyball and bettering our competitiveness within the conference.”
Chandler Gabrio (Creswell), a 6-2 Middle Blocker from NCAA Division II Western Oregon University comes in as a sophomore. Gabrio, who will also play basketball for the Beacons, was a highly decorated athlete coming out of Creswell HS, where she earned multiple All-League and All-State honors in four sports. Coach Gaffaney said, “Chandler possesses a great deal of versatility and athleticism. She’s a powerful force at the net and will draw a lot of attention from opposing blockers. Because of her strength, Chandler is one of the most aggressive blockers I’ve ever seen. Being a D2 transfer gives her a tremendous amount of confidence and experience as she begins her collegiate career at NCU. Chandler is a gifted volleyball athlete who’s ambidextrous and can remarkably hit either right or left-handed, along with having both a strong jump and jump float serve. We recruited Chandler out of high school, so it makes the fact she now chose to attend NCU even more exciting.”
Also coming in from the DII ranks is senior transfer Amanda Berry (Grants Pass), from Montana State University – Billings. After two years at Linn-Benton Community College, Berry spent her junior season as a defensive specialist with the Yellowjackets, collecting the fourth-most digs on the team. “Amanda will provide leadership and experience to our back row and overall defense,” said Gaffaney. “Her passing and pursuit skills are impressive; not many volleyballs hit the ground when she’s on the court. Amanda is an accomplished defensive specialist who‘s very vocal on the court and will help better those players around her. She’s comfortable playing within our current system and will make an immediate impact this season.”
The final member of the 2012 recruiting class is sophomore Outside Hitter Kayla Ping (Thurston HS). Ping will red-shirt her first year with NCU after transferring from CCC foe Corban University. Ping played in 22 matches for the Warriors as a freshman in 2011, collecting 81 kills and 14 service aces. Coach Gaffaney said, “Kayla is a pleasant surprise and a great addition to our program. She will help to immediately improve our level of play by her participation in practices and her overall presence with the team. She has exceptional potential as an outside hitter and I look forward to helping her excel as a volleyball player.”
The new additions will join previously announced recruits Tami Brown (Oregon State), Ellie Drain (Sherwood HS) and Taylor Richardson (Clackamas CC). Gaffaney said, “I am very excited and proud of our 2012 recruiting class. We have without question the most talented and experience group of volleyball athletes joining our team in the history of our program. Not only are we filling voids created by graduating players, but we’ve also raised the bar and elevated our standards.
“Our six incoming players were all highly sought after student athletes who were each recognized for their outstanding individual character and work ethic, as well as their academic and athletic accomplishments. They will each bring their own individual skill set and personality to the team, but it’s the competitive spirit and drive that they share which will have the greatest impact. We are extremely fortunate to have these six student athletes coming to NCU and joining the volleyball program.”
With the new additions and a core group of returners that have now played together for a few years, the sky is the limit for how far this team can go. Gaffaney said, “One of our goals as a program is to improve our ability to be consistently competitive within our conference and earn the right to compete in post season play. Our 2012 team is made up of 15 competitive volleyball athletes that are dedicated to improving as individuals and ultimately as a team. As most coaches realize, the improvements in games start with the improvements a team makes in practices. I’m looking forward to a practice environment that will be as competitive, if not more so, then many of our conference matches.
“I think more than ever before, we have a group of volleyball athletes who are capable of competing at a higher level, and a team that coaches can push harder than ever before. This is a group that will respond well to the pressures created in practice, and demand a higher level of performance from themselves and from each other in games. I know both the returning players, as well as the incoming players, are excited about the upcoming season, about being together, accomplishing goals and getting to work on making volleyball history at NCU.”