News Release Date:
Monday, August 16, 2010
WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- When she kicks off training camp later this week, Whitman College volleyball coach Carolyn Papineau will have six first-year players clamoring for court time as the fall season approaches.
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| Carolyn Papineau |
Whitman's volleyball class of 2010, one of the largest and most talented first-year contingents in recent memory, features Jillian Davis, a 5-foot-9 all-city and all-district outside hitter from El Paso, Texas.
But Davis, who also earned Texas all-state academic honors, isn't the only newcomer sporting an accomplished volleyball pedigree.
Papineau expects at least a few of her rookies to step into immediate starting roles once her fourth season at the Missionary helm gets underway Sept. 1.
Last year's talented recruiting class, led by middle blocker Courtney Brewer, also hit the ground running and is back this fall to add a touch of experience to a decidedly young program.
This fall's group of incoming players also includes:
More information about the 2010-11 Whitman volleyball rookies follows:
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| Jillian Davis blocking at net |
Jillian Davis - A four-year captain at El Paso's Coronado High School, Davis capped her senior campaign with all-district and all-city "outstanding hitter" honors, and she was named to the All-District I-5A First Team. She also helped the T-Birds capture district, bi-district and area championships.
In the club ranks, she competed for the Texas Wildfire and also was part of a highly successful El Paso Sunspots squad that rose to No. 5 in the state rankings and earned a bid to the Junior Olympics in Reno, Nev.
"Jillian will help us immediately on the court with her high level of competitive experience," Papineau says. "She knows what it's like to play in big-time matches -- she's done so for both her high school and in the club arena.
"Competition is second nature for Jillian. I saw her drive, her determination and poise the first time I saw her play."
Davis, who is considering bio-chemistry as an academic major at Whitman, says she picked the school in part because of its student-to-professor ratio and the "friendliness and openness" of the campus community.
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| Rachel Cline |
Rachel Cline - An All-Metro League Second-Team selection last season, Cline helped the Cougars post a pair of district tournament upsets to qualify for the Class 3A state championships for a third straight season.
She played at the club level for the Space Needle Volleyball Foundation, training with Raquel Chumpitaz-West, a former setter on the Peruvian National team who competed in the Olympics and won two silver medals at the World Championships.
Cline was chosen for the Puget Sound High Performance Camp in 2008 and for the USA A3 High Performance Camp in 2009.
"Rachel brings a confident, calm demeanor to the setting position," Papineau says. "Blocking also is a real strength for her, and she can attack as well.
"We're very excited to see her development as she works into our system and gets experience running the offense while working with our talented group of attackers."
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| Maddy Bell |
Maddy Bell - Playing for Newport High last fall, Bell earned All-KingCo 4A Honorable Mention recognition while helping the Knights post a 12-6 record. She was named her team's Most Improved player and received the Coach's Award to polish off her senior year.
She played her club volleyball for the Island Thunder (serving as a captain in 2009), which earned a bid to the 2010 Junior Olympics in Reno, Nev.
"Maddy trained with a very good club team," Papineau says. "She is a developing, highly athletic player who has great blocking instincts.
"She brings an incredible focus and drive to her training. She will add some much needed depth in the middle for us."
Bell, a high school AP Scholar, is considering English as an academic major at Whitman. A mezzo soprano, she has won solo and ensemble music championships at the regional level while qualifying for state competition.
Bell's mother, Elizabeth Jones, competed in collegiate rowing at Stanford.
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| Becca Gotz |
Becca Gotz - A teammate of Maddy Bell's with the Island Thunder club team, Gotz also enjoyed a stellar career at Archbishop Murphy, earning All-Cascade Conference First-Team honors as a junior and senior.
As a senior co-captain, she helped power Archbishop Murphy to a 19-2 season record and second-place finish at state. The Wildcats shared their league title (for a second straight year) with a 13-1 mark before winning a district championship en route to the state finals.
She capped her senior season with Honorable Mention all-state recognition and her team's Most Outstanding Player award. She was named to to the All-Area Second Team in each of her final two seasons, after earning All-Cascade Conference Honorable Mention kudos as a sophomore, when the Wildcats placed fifth at state.
"Becca combines her athleticism with a great mind for the game," Papineau says. "She has range, composure and vision. She has good speed and uses it very successfully in the backcourt as a primary passer and good defender."
Gotz was a National Honor Society member at Archbishop Murphy, which earned the Class 2A WIAA Scholastic Cup for the 2009-10 academic year. She lists history and art history as possible academic majors at Whitman.
She played seven seasons of club volleyball. Older sister Allie is on the volleyball team at Western Washington University.
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| Taylor Aschenbrenner |
Taylor Aschenbrenner - Earning All-Evergreen League First-Team honors for a second straight season, Aschenbrenner led Olympia to its best-ever high school volleyball season last fall. The Wolves won league and district titles before placing third at the state tournament.
She was a team captain in her final two seasons and earned her team's Most Improved Award as a junior.
Aschenbrenner also played six seasons with the Olympia, Ohana and EDGE volleyball clubs.
"We saw Taylor play (at the state high school championships) and were impressed by her footwork and touch on the ball," Papineau says.
"She trained in high school with a former teammate of mine at the University of Washington who was herself a setter. I'm excited to see Taylor's skills develop at the next level. I have all the confidence that she has been prepared mentally and technically for the challenge of leading in the crucial role of setter."
Aschenbrenner is looking at biology as a probable academic major at Whitman. Her mother, Leslie Aschenbrenner, played volleyball at Kitsap Community College.
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| Anna Conrad |
Anna Conrad - While Conrad didn't play last fall at Whitman, she caught the coach's eye soon after joining the squad for its spring workouts.
"Anna made an immediate impact in the team's training intensity," Papineau says. "She brings an intensity of focus to whatever she's doing; whether it's in the weight room or on the court learning a new passing style.
"She is fitting in well with our focus on success and with the positive energy of this group. I think Anna is going to play a very strong role in what we accomplish this season."
As senior at Middle Park High School (Granby, Colo.) in the fall of 2008, Conrad was named to the All-Frontier League Second Team as the Panthers won their second league title in three seasons. She also was named to the Academic All-League First Team in each of her three varsity seasons and to the all-state academic squad in two of those years.
In addition to volleyball, she played three seasons of varsity soccer, sharing in a league title as a senior, and was a student athletic training aide for one year. She also logged two years with the Juggernaut club volleyball team.
A National Honor Society member, Conrad was a class valedictorian, yearbook co-editor and senior representative on the student council. She plans to major in politics at Whitman with a minor in Chinese.
Conrad's mother, Karin Conrad, played varsity tennis Gustavus Adolphus College.
Whitman begins its fall season workouts this Wednesday,
Aug. 19. Following a season-opening match against Walla Walla Community
College on Sept. 1, Whitman hosts a four-team tournament on Sept. 4-5.
The
Missionaries begin their Northwest Conference season on the road,
playing Sept. 17 and 18 against Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran.
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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu
