Montana bringing in stellar recruiting class
11/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
University of Montana volleyball coach Jerry Wagner announced recently that five high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Grizzlies next fall. The group includes one from Montana, one from Idaho, two from Washington and one from Manitoba.
Joining the program will be Brooke Bray from Lake Tapps, Wash.; Erika Buchanan from Shoal Lake, Manitoba; Kortney James from Sandpoint, Idaho; Megan Murphey from Bozeman, Mont.; and Kayla Reno from Spanaway, Wash.
???We purposely did not recruit anyone in our 2009 class other than Mie Lindgren because we knew about this class,??? Wagner said. ???We knew we had to improve our depth, but we also wanted to keep the talent level where it is. This group is made up of go-to kids that know how to work hard. They have the right make-up and the right mental and physical abilities, and they want to come in here and go for championships.
???I can???t say enough about these kids??? support systems. It???s a common thread among all of them. The club and high school coaches they???ve been able to learn under have been positive influences and are passionate about what they???re doing. And they all come from outstanding family support. Their parents all do a lot to put them in competitive and high-level situations, and the kids have all flourished in those environments.
???This is a huge recruiting class for us, and not just because of the numbers. These kids are all winners with the desire to get better, and they are going to be fabulous teammates and role models. This group gives a glimpse into where this program is headed. It???s a group we???re going to hear from their whole career.???
Bray, a 6-1 athlete who played middle hitter as a prep, is currently a senior at Auburn Riverside High. She led the Ravens to a 27-8 record in 2009, with a third-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament where she earned all-tournament honors.
Bray was a four-time first-team All-South Puget Sound League (SPSL) North selection and the 2009 SPSL North MVP. She led ARHS to state tournament appearances as a freshman (ninth place at the 3A tournament), sophomore (runner-up at the 3A tournament) and senior.
Bray was named to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer???s All-Star team as a sophomore and the Seattle Times??? All-Area team as a senior.
???The reason I picked Montana is very simple: it just felt right,??? Bray said. ???The minute I stepped on campus, spent some time with the coaches and met the girls, I knew immediately it was the place for me. Not to mention Montana is a great school, too.
???I felt like this was a program I could join and contribute to right from the start. I am so excited to be a part of this program and be a Griz.???
???Brooke???s recruitment is a great story,??? Wagner said. ???When we???re recruiting in the Northwest, people like to approach us and tell us we should be watching certain players. This is another case of listening and not being afraid to follow up and take a look.
???(Assistant) coach (Kandice) Kelly saw Brooke at a tournament and was blown away. She moved courtside to get a closer look, and a very knowledgeable volleyball fan who knew all the kids approached her and said, ???That one???s a keeper.???
???From that moment on we followed Brooke everywhere we went, and each time we saw her she was doing something new that made her better and better, something only a dedicated athlete who wanted to be the best could change in her game.
???She???s improved in every area to where she is now playing all the way around, and that took unbelievable dedication to get to that level. She???s passionate about the game, which is a common trait among all five of these kids.
???Finally last March we said to ourselves, ???What are we doing? We need this kid. I don???t know what she???s going to play for us, but we need her on our team.???
???If you ask me what we???re going to do with Brooke, I don???t know yet. But she???s going to find her way onto the court because she makes a program better. She???s just an outstanding player.???
Bray???s senior season was highlighted by a state tournament-record 53-kill performance in Auburn Riverside???s opening-round win over Richland at the Class 4A state tournament two weeks ago. Bray put down her 53 kills with just 10 errors in 124 attacks to hit .340 in the five-set victory.
???In all my years, and I???ve been a few places and heard some things, I haven???t ever heard anything like that,??? Wagner said. ???Anybody that I???ve told that story to doesn???t have a story that tops it. That must have been an amazing experience to witness.
???But based on what we???ve seen, if that was going to happen to somebody, I could see it happening to Brooke.???
Buchanan, a 6-2 middle blocker who was recruited by more than a dozen U.S. schools, is a senior at Shoal Lake High. She led the Sharks to a provincial championship as a sophomore and a runner-up finish as a junior (with this year???s tournament taking place Nov. 26-28 in Grandview, Manitoba).
Buchanan has been a member of the Manitoba provincial team and is a two-time Manitoba Volleyball Association age-group provincial player of the year. As a 14 year old, she was a member of Club West???s national club championship team.
This past May Buchanan added another national championship to her resume when the Brandon Storm club team won the U17 Canadian title with Buchanan as the starting middle blocker.
???I chose Montana because I really like Coach Wagner and his coaching style, and I think the coaching staff and players really get along well and respect one another,??? Buchanan said. ???Everyone made me feel so welcome. And I think we will have a strong team in the Big Sky Conference.
???The campus is great. Everyone was so helpful on my visit, and there is a wide range of academic courses. Missoula is such a neat place and the people are so friendly. I think I will feel right at home there.???
???Erika is going to come in with a lot of good, solid club experience, with a background of excellent coaching from coaches that we know and trust,??? Wagner said. ???She has had some very good experiences, like winning two club national championships.
???She is a middle who can shut down the opponent???s offense with her blocking, and she is also an effective hitter. We think she is going to come in and be a middle who can really establish herself throughout the course of her career.
???I think she is looking forward to putting in the work necessary to play at another level, because she has risen to the occasion each time she has been asked to. We see that as part of her continued development.???
James, a 5-10 setter, is a senior at Sandpoint High. Her oldest sister, Jennie, was a middle blocker at Idaho State. Her older sister, Kelsey, was a setter at Idaho.
James, who also has extensive experience with the Sandpoint Volleyball Club (formerly the North Idaho Volleyball Club), led the Bulldogs to a four-year mark of 100-17. SHS won Class 4A state titles in 2006 and ???08, with a runner-up finish in 2007 and a third-place finish in 2009.
James was a four-time first-team All-Inland Empire League selection and the conference???s co-player of the year as a senior.
???During camps and visits to Montana, I got to know Coach Wagner and the players, and I am really looking forward to playing with them,??? James said. ???Jerry is a great guy. I can???t wait for him to be my coach.
???I think Montana is a great school, and Missoula is a nice town that feels very comfortable because it reminds me of home. It???s great that it will be convenient for my family to come watch our games.
???I really like the program and love the school. I am very excited to become a Griz.???
???There is a funny story with Kortney,??? Wagner said. ???A couple of summers ago, her mother gave me a call and asked if we had any space left in our camp. I asked her, ???Well, how good is she? What level does she play at???? She said, ???Well, she???s pretty good.???
???It wasn???t until later in the phone call that I put two and two together and realized who I was talking to. I knew Kortney???s older sisters from recruiting this region over the years.
???By the end of that camp (after Kortney???s sophomore year), we were already wondering what we had to do to get her to come here and be our setter. It was quite a turn of events. I???m sure glad her mom stuck with me.???
With the graduation of current setter Taryn Wright, James will be competing for Montana???s starting setter position.
???Taryn has established that position at a high level, so there are some big shoes to fill. We think with Kortney???s knowledge and experience that she???ll have the ability to quickly learn the offense and potentially step on the court right away and run this team. She???s a tremendous leader.
???The depth that is coming into the program with this class, plus the experience from this year???s team that???s going to be rolling back (next fall), will make it a win-win situation for her.
???Kortney???s experiences in club and high school volleyball, her upbringing, her family support and the fact that she???s such a strong kid will allow her to come in and compete right away for the setter position.???
Megan Murphey, a 5-3 libero, is currently a senior at Bozeman High. The Hawks are coached by former Griz standout Katie (Almquist) Laslovich.
Murphey, a first-team all-state selection as a senior and second-team pick as a junior, led the Hawks to a 24-7 record in 2009. Bozeman capped its season with a runner-up finish at the Class AA state tournament two weeks ago.
Murphey, Bozeman High???s team MVP as a sophomore, will be a four-time academic all-state selection, was first-team all-conference as a junior and senior and was voted the recipient of BHS???s Outstanding Defense award her final three years as a Hawk.
Murphey has a long history of playing for the Mountain One Volleyball club team. One of her early coaches was Coach Kelly.
???The main reason I chose Montana is the coaching staff,??? Murphey said. ???Jerry, (assistant coach) Gina (Schmidt) and Kandice are all very knowledgeable and supportive. The biggest thing that allows me to love the game is to love and respect the people I am playing for.
???Missoula is away from where I was raised, but not too far from home, which was another plus.
???I couldn???t be happier with my decision. I am extremely excited to play for Jerry, Gina and Kandice and to get to know all of the girls. It???s a very respectable program, and I can???t wait to be a part of it.???
???We know a lot about Megan,??? Wagner said. ???Her parents allowed her to play a lot of club volleyball, and that club experience started years ago when Kandice coached her. That background gave us a real good basis for deciding to go after this young lady. We???ve known for a long time that Megan would be a good fit for this program.
???She is going to come into a position that is already very strong for us with Brittney Brown. What we???re hoping is that this is the start of a long line of high-caliber liberos in this program. Megan will allow us to do the things we???re doing now, then help us move even further in establishing Montana as a defensive-minded program, known not only for our blocking but also our back-court defense.
???Megan has got a very good feel for the game, and she is easy to play next to. She has the ball-control and the defense and the type of serving mentality we want to have from that position. She???s going to be a great one.???
Reno, a 5-11 outside hitter, is currently a senior at Graham-Kapowsin High. She led Graham-Kapowsin to a 31-6 record in 2009 and a sixth-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament where she earned all-tournament honors.
Reno was the Tacoma News Tribune???s All-Area Player of the Year and the MVP of the SPSL South as a senior. She was a second-team All-SPSL South selection as a sophomore and first-team pick as a junior. Reno was also a first-team All-SPSL basketball selection as a sophomore after leading the Eagles to the 2008 Class 4A state tournament.
The two-time G-KHS Female Athlete of the Year plays for the University Place Volleyball Club. UPVBC finished 17th in the 16 National division at the 2008 Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships in Dallas, Texas, and 27th in the 17 Open division at the 2009 championships in Miami, Fla.
???I chose the University of Montana over other colleges because of the academic classes, the team chemistry, the great coaching staff, the beautiful campus and the support the community has for the University,??? Reno said.
After an early recruiting visit to a West Coast school, Reno was leaning toward committing to that program. She later made an unofficial visit to Montana, which obviously made a strong impression on her.
???I went on my visit to Montana ... (and) I fell in love with it. The campus. The coaches,??? Reno told CoachesAid.com.
???I came back and sat down with my parents and couldn???t make a decision for a few days. Then I just knew. I guess it???s a good thing I went on that visit.???
???Kandice and I were recruiting over in Spokane at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier (club tournament) and there was a kid that caught Kandice???s eye from about 10 courts away,??? Wagner said. ???We talked to her coach and watched her more and more, and this kid just jumped out at us.
???From that moment on, we dedicated a lot of our time at tournaments to Kayla, because we knew we had to have her on this team. This is an exciting outside hitter coming into the program.
???Kayla is going to be a ball-control, go-to left-side hitter. She has risen to the occasion time and time again in her experiences. Her club has won some pretty major tournaments, including the Pacific Northwest Qualifier to advance to nationals.
???I really like the style of play that her club coach employs, because that???s how we coach. I think Kayla and her family realized we???re very supportive and that the style of play we???re running is the type that she???ll flourish in.
???Last July we were making a home visit to Brooke when we got a call from (a still uncommitted) Kayla. She asked if she could meet with us on our way out of town because she had one more question she needed to ask us. We thought that we had covered all our bases, so we had no idea what that one question could possibly be.
???We met up with her and her parents close to their home, and she took out a folder and opened it up. On the inside was a photo of her in a Griz T-shirt. The burning question that she just had to ask us was, ???Do you think I can become a Griz???? ???
Montana will be replacing three standouts from its current team in 2010 in Wright and senior outside hitter Whitney Hobbs, who are both graduating, and Lindgren, who will be returning to university in Denmark and that country???s national team.
The five signees will be joining eight returning players from this year???s team. Wagner also expects to add a sixth newcomer in the spring.
Among the returners will be arguably the Big Sky Conference???s top middle blocker in Jaimie Thibeault and the league???s best libero in Brittney Brown.
Outside hitter Amy Roberts, a second team All-Big Sky Conference selection as a sophomore in 2008, will be back next season after missing the final 17 regular-season matches this fall with a season-ending injury.
Middle blockers Brittany Quick and Emma Olgard, outside hitters Stephanie Turner and Paige Branstiter and defensive specialist/setter Karyn Mockel have all played in at least 21 of Montana???s 27 regular-season matches this fall.
???To credit the right people for this recruiting class that we???re so high on, I have to credit my assistant coaches,??? Wagner said. ???They brought to life what our recruiting and overall program goals are, and their efforts should be commended.
???One of our strengths as a staff is the depth of knowledge and personality of our staff, and that proved true in the recruitment of this class.
???The connection that we were able to make with the families and these players??? coaches and the feeling that these players have when they come to Montana are exactly what we want all the people we choose to recruit to experience.???
