Josh Rohlfing signed four players to SOU for the 2014 season.
ASHLAND – Southern Oregon University volleyball coach Josh Rohlfing said he got to be picky throughout his latest recruiting efforts. Retaining all but three players from a team that went 13-5 in the Cascade Conference afforded him that luxury.
The Raiders' needs have been met, he believes, with the additions of Western Oregon transfer Corynn Kopra and three incoming freshmen: Dallas High's Kiley Barcroft, Phoenix High's Ashlyn Flynn, and Ariana Sattler of La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls in Honolulu.
"We were able to be deliberate with the recruiting process. We had some voids at a couple key positions and feel like we've accomplished our goals this offseason," said Rohlfing, entering his eighth season at SOU. "Our primary goals were to recruit the best volleyball players that are great students, community-minded and fantastic teammates. We're impressed with the caliber of student-athletes we were able to sign and think they'll fit in very well."
Kopra, Barcroft and Sattler should help to replace senior hitters Mona Goudarzian and Liz Madden, who were both starters.
Kopra, a 5-foot-9 product of Sam Barlow High in Gresham, appeared in 45 matches at WOU in 2010 and '11, and started all 23 as a sophomore while averaging 2.13 kills per set. Kopra, who enrolled at SOU this winter, was a two-time MVP of the Mt. Hood Conference – the state's premier volleyball conference.
"She is highly, highly competitive and has an insatiable thirst to improve," Rohlfing said. "That, coupled with her strong physical skills, will allow her to make an immediate impact in our program. She's a six-rotation player that can play on the outside or opposite for us."
Rohlfing has similar positional plans for Sattler, a 5-11 athlete who was all-conference three times in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. She was also on the honor roll for four years and a member of the student council.
"Ari is a great athlete that has a wealth of experience for two fantastic clubs in Hawaii [Jammers VC and 'Ime Ike]," Rohlfing said. "She blocks and hits well, and when she visited we were most impressed with her strong ball-handling at her size. She's a very genuine and strong-character person, and we can't wait to see her on campus this fall."
In Barcroft, an all-conference performer in the Mid-Willamette, the Raiders will get another 5-7 outside hitter who Rohlfing thinks will be more than that.
"She is presently an outside hitter that can also set and play great defense," Rohlfing said of Barcroft, who is additionally an all-state javelin thrower and a scholar athlete at Dallas. "She is an exceptionally intelligent and balanced volleyball player. We feel she is going to be a difference-maker on our campus and in our program."
Flynn, the local product, was brought in as a libero/setter just as the Raiders lost Renee Yomtob, the owner of the second-most digs in program history. Flynn was the Skyline Conference's MVP the last two years at Phoenix and on the honor roll all four years.
"It's great to have a student-athlete in our own backyard that is as talented and competitive as Ashlyn," Rohlfing said. "We are exceptionally excited that she chose to attend SOU. After graduating Renee, we feel like we've shorn up that position for years to come with our returning athletes and the signings of Ashlyn and Kiley."
Fourteen players are slated to return to the Raiders next year, including all-conference outside hitter Paulla Pinheiro, all-conference setter Lauren McGowne, and middle-blockers Nikki Keller and Emma Gasman, who led the CCC in attacking average.