Volleyball: Five to Join the Mountaineers
April 11, 2008 03:26 PM | General
By Kelly Tuckwiller for MSNsportsNET.com
April 11, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University Head Volleyball Coach Veronica Hammersmith has announced that five recruits will join the Mountaineer squad this fall.
Kylie Armbruster (Murietta, Calif.), Michelle Kopecky, (Schaumburg, Ill.), Abby Monson (Centennial, Colo.) and Kari Post (Yuba City, Calif.) have all signed letters of intent. Jaimee Wittman (Washington, W.Va.) will join the Mountaineers in the fall of 2008 as a walk on.
“We are very pleased with this recruiting class,” says Hammersmith. “They will help fill some needs we have and help us to raise our level of play. All five of them have had good coaching and the athletic ability to help us achieve our goals.”
Armbruster, a 5-11 outside hitter, joins the Mountaineers as a second team all-league player from Vista Murrieta High. Armbruster led her team to three consecutive undefeated league seasons from 2005 to 2007, helping it to be ranked third in the nation in 2005 and 2006. She also plays for the 951 Elite volleyball club that recently won the 2008 Hoosier Mideast Qualifier to earn a spot in the Junior Olympic Nationals which will be held in Dallas, in July. Armbruster also has 13 years of club soccer experience.
Kopecky, a 6-1 outside hitter, is an all-conference player from James B. Conant High, where she led her team to win the regional championship in the 2007-08 season. She also was team captain and MVP of the year as she led her team in kills for the past two seasons. Kopecky was a member of the Club Fusion volleyball team that placed 18th at the national level in 2007. It will be attending the inaugural 2008 Junior Volleyball Director’s Association Championships in Louisville, Ky, in June.
Monson, a 6-2 middle blocker, is a two-year letterwinner from Cherry Creek High. She is also a two year second team all-Centennial league player. As a member of the Colorado Performance Club team, Monson aided her team to a 13th -place finish in 2005 and a 19th -place finish in 2007 at the Junior Olympics. In 2007, she was a member of the Colorado Performance 17 Red squad that won first place at the Lonestar Junior National Qualifying tournament out of 150 teams.
Post, a 5-10 setter, comes to WVU as a four-year varsity starter and MVP at Sutter Union High. There, Post left her mark, recording an outstanding 2,578 assists in her career as she was named all-league MVP and all-division MVP from 2005-07. Post was also a Junior National participant in 2006 and 2007 as a member of the North Valley Juniors club team. Post’s mother, Thea Post, played volleyball at UC Davis and has served as head coach at Yuba Community College for the past 20 years.
Wittman, a 5-9 outside hitter and defensive specialist, is a West Virginia AAA first team all-state player and a northern West Virginia all-star from Parkersburg South High. Wittman ranked first in kills and blocks in high school and was captain in 2006 and 2007. She is a member of the North Central Elite Volleyball Club and also plays AAU basketball.
The WVU volleyball team will begin the 2008 season on August 29, with the Colgate University Classic, in Hamilton, N.Y. The Mountaineers will open up their home season on September 12, with a match against in-state rivals Marshall. Conference play will begin on September 27, with a road matches against Seton Hall and Villanova.
