Photo by: Steven Prunty
Four Commit to Mountaineers
December 18, 2018 11:33 AM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team has added four newcomers to the 2019 squad, as coach Reed Sunahara officially announced his recruiting class on Tuesday.
Kentessa Lawson (O'Fallon, Missouri), Natalie Winter (Katy, Texas) and Carly Wood (Miami, Florida) committed to WVU in early November as part of National Signing Day and will join the Mountaineers next season. Audrey Adams (Carmel, Indiana) transferred from Xavier and will enroll at WVU this spring as a redshirt sophomore with two years of eligibility remaining.
"We have a talented class coming in next year," Sunahara, who recently finished his fourth season at the helm of the Mountaineers, said. "The three commits, along with Audrey, will add to our young crew and make us better and more competitive in years to come."
Lawson joins the Mountaineers from O'Fallon, Missouri, where she played for Michelle Haynes at Fort Zumwalt West High and Shane Allen at the Show Me Volleyball Academy. A 6-foot-4 middle blocker, Lawson is a USA Today All-American and currently sits at No. 35 on the top-100 volleyball recruits rankings for the 2018 class by PrepVolleyball.com. Lawson also competed on the USA A1 National Training Team and was selected as one of seven alternates for the 12-player U.S. Women's Junior National Team. The daughter of Kent and Latonia, she intends to major in psychology at WVU.
"I chose WVU because the coaches were super welcoming as soon as I stepped on campus," Lawson said. "They were there every step of the way during my recruiting process, which helped me realized that WVU is the perfect home away from home."
Winter comes to Morgantown from Katy, Texas, where she played for Amy Cataline at Seven Lakes High and Chuck Schneider at the Houston Juniors Volleyball Club. A 5-foot-9 defensive specialist, she is the program's career leader in digs (1,531) and aces (168) and was a three-time first team all-district honoree. Winter led her team to four consecutive regional tournament appearances, including its first-ever Class 6A state final in 2017. As a junior, she landed on the Texas Coaches Association All-Star Team, as well as the Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Association (GHVCA) Fab 50 and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Phenom lists. Winter also was named to the AVCA Under Armour All-America Watch List and earned a spot on the Katy/Cy-Fair All-Tournament Team her senior year. Additionally, Winter was a five-time qualifier for the USA Volleyball National Championship as a member of the Houston Juniors Volleyball Club. The daughter of Maurice and Yosmar, she intends to major in business at WVU.
"I felt at home on my first visit and super welcomed by all of the coaches," Winter said. "I immediately clicked with the girls on the team, and I'm looking forward to arriving on campus and getting one percent better with this group."
Wood is a 5-foot-8 setter from Miami, Florida, where she played for Gary Neiditch at Gulliver Preparatory and Austin Capi at the Tribe Volleyball Club. She was a four-year letterwinner and was named a team captain in 2018. Wood also is a current member of the National Honor Society. The daughter of Tom and Kim, she intends to major in communications at WVU.
"I chose WVU because when I visited the campus and met the coaches and players, it immediately felt like family," Wood said.
Adams, a native of Carmel, Indiana, will transfer from Xavier and is available to compete in the fall of 2019 with two years of eligibility remaining. Following a redshirt season her freshman year, Adams played in 174 sets for the Musketeers in 2017-18, averaging 1.94 kills per set for a .294 hitting percentage. Defensively, she posted 127 total blocks to average 0.73 blocks per set in two years at Xavier. In 2018, she led the squad with a .343 hitting efficiency and ranked second on the team in kills (2.19) and blocks (0.93) per set. While at Cathedral High, she helped her team post a 35-0 record to capture the Indiana Class 4A state title as a senior. Adams also was a member of the 2015 Senior Aces List, as well as the All-America Watch List. The daughter of Scott and Linda, she intends to continue her major in early childhood education at WVU.
"I'm beyond thrilled to be a part of the Mountaineer family these next two years," Adams said. "I can't wait to get after it with my teammates in January."
The Mountaineers ended the 2018 season with an 11-19 mark and 2-14 record in Big 12 play.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Kentessa Lawson (O'Fallon, Missouri), Natalie Winter (Katy, Texas) and Carly Wood (Miami, Florida) committed to WVU in early November as part of National Signing Day and will join the Mountaineers next season. Audrey Adams (Carmel, Indiana) transferred from Xavier and will enroll at WVU this spring as a redshirt sophomore with two years of eligibility remaining.
"We have a talented class coming in next year," Sunahara, who recently finished his fourth season at the helm of the Mountaineers, said. "The three commits, along with Audrey, will add to our young crew and make us better and more competitive in years to come."
Lawson joins the Mountaineers from O'Fallon, Missouri, where she played for Michelle Haynes at Fort Zumwalt West High and Shane Allen at the Show Me Volleyball Academy. A 6-foot-4 middle blocker, Lawson is a USA Today All-American and currently sits at No. 35 on the top-100 volleyball recruits rankings for the 2018 class by PrepVolleyball.com. Lawson also competed on the USA A1 National Training Team and was selected as one of seven alternates for the 12-player U.S. Women's Junior National Team. The daughter of Kent and Latonia, she intends to major in psychology at WVU.
"I chose WVU because the coaches were super welcoming as soon as I stepped on campus," Lawson said. "They were there every step of the way during my recruiting process, which helped me realized that WVU is the perfect home away from home."
Winter comes to Morgantown from Katy, Texas, where she played for Amy Cataline at Seven Lakes High and Chuck Schneider at the Houston Juniors Volleyball Club. A 5-foot-9 defensive specialist, she is the program's career leader in digs (1,531) and aces (168) and was a three-time first team all-district honoree. Winter led her team to four consecutive regional tournament appearances, including its first-ever Class 6A state final in 2017. As a junior, she landed on the Texas Coaches Association All-Star Team, as well as the Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Association (GHVCA) Fab 50 and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Phenom lists. Winter also was named to the AVCA Under Armour All-America Watch List and earned a spot on the Katy/Cy-Fair All-Tournament Team her senior year. Additionally, Winter was a five-time qualifier for the USA Volleyball National Championship as a member of the Houston Juniors Volleyball Club. The daughter of Maurice and Yosmar, she intends to major in business at WVU.
"I felt at home on my first visit and super welcomed by all of the coaches," Winter said. "I immediately clicked with the girls on the team, and I'm looking forward to arriving on campus and getting one percent better with this group."
Wood is a 5-foot-8 setter from Miami, Florida, where she played for Gary Neiditch at Gulliver Preparatory and Austin Capi at the Tribe Volleyball Club. She was a four-year letterwinner and was named a team captain in 2018. Wood also is a current member of the National Honor Society. The daughter of Tom and Kim, she intends to major in communications at WVU.
"I chose WVU because when I visited the campus and met the coaches and players, it immediately felt like family," Wood said.
Adams, a native of Carmel, Indiana, will transfer from Xavier and is available to compete in the fall of 2019 with two years of eligibility remaining. Following a redshirt season her freshman year, Adams played in 174 sets for the Musketeers in 2017-18, averaging 1.94 kills per set for a .294 hitting percentage. Defensively, she posted 127 total blocks to average 0.73 blocks per set in two years at Xavier. In 2018, she led the squad with a .343 hitting efficiency and ranked second on the team in kills (2.19) and blocks (0.93) per set. While at Cathedral High, she helped her team post a 35-0 record to capture the Indiana Class 4A state title as a senior. Adams also was a member of the 2015 Senior Aces List, as well as the All-America Watch List. The daughter of Scott and Linda, she intends to continue her major in early childhood education at WVU.
"I'm beyond thrilled to be a part of the Mountaineer family these next two years," Adams said. "I can't wait to get after it with my teammates in January."
The Mountaineers ended the 2018 season with an 11-19 mark and 2-14 record in Big 12 play.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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