Hoosiers Sign Five in 2017 Class
4/13/2017 3:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana volleyball head coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan has announced the 2017 signing class, which includes multiple high school All-America honors and student-athletes from winning programs.
The highly touted class includes Julia Gauthier (Sandwich, Ill./Rosary), Bayli Lebo (La Porte, Ind./La Porte), Kamryn Malloy (Roselle, Ill./St. Francis), Nora Meehan (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Alexis Parker (Knoxville, Tenn./Farragut).
Dunbar-Kruzan said she is excited about the versatile class and their motivation for growing the program.
"Looking at this class, they fill several voids in our roster but more importantly, they continue to add to the culture we presently have," she said. "They all come from winning programs and have a clear buy-in to where we're going in the future. We will be young, but I don't think that will hinder us or our goals. Our youth might actually help us in many instances. Spring has been a phenomenal training time for us so far, and I believe this class will just add and learn from our current student-athletes."
Julia Gauthier is a 5-10 setter from Sandwich, Ill. Gauthier lettered four years at Rosary High School and was named GCAC All-Conference each year, and was named to the Beacon News All-Area team the past two seasons. She guided Rosary to two regional championships. In club, her 14s, 15s and 16s teams finished fifth at AAU Nationals and her 18s-team finished second.
Gauthier comes from a family with a long tradition in volleyball. Her father, Dan, is an avid player and her mother, Dana, played at Loyola and went to the Junior Olympics.
"Julia made a hard decision to change clubs this year to get more court experience and that decision has really paid off for her," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "She is setting on an excellent team with many Division I players and is making an impact. It's great to see her confidence build which will only help her playing in the Big Ten. She has a great touch on the ball and will transition to our offense fairly quick."
Bayli Lebo, the younger sister of former IUVB standout Taylor Lebo, is a 5-7 libero/defensive specialist from La Porte, Ind. Lebo saved her best for last as she helped the Slicers earn an overall record of 29-9 and IHSAA Sectional and Regional Championships her senior year. She leaves La Porte as one of the best all-around players in school history as she finished with 1,220 kills, 98 blocks, 1,801 digs and 158 aces.
Lebo earned recognition this year as one of three Indiana girls to be named to the AVCA Under Armour All-American list, earning honorable mention. Additional honors include: 2017 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace, 2016 The Times All-Area First Team, 2015 PrepVolleyball.com Defensive Dandies and 2015 All-State. To cap it off, Lebo is a three-time La Porte Herald Argus Player-of-the-Year (2014, 2015, 2016).
"Another Lebo in our program and I couldn't be happier," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "I do believe Bayli will make a name of her own here at IU as a player and person. She's a very dynamic athlete that hates to lose more than she likes to win. She's been around our program for years and has seen the ups and downs, but she believes in what we're doing. She can help take us the next step in our progress as a program."
Kamryn Malloy is a dynamic 6-0 outside hitter from Roselle, Ill. Malloy played high school volleyball at perineal powerhouse St. Francis in Wheaton, Ill., and helped her team to three IHSA State Championships. Malloy plays club for nationally renowned Sport Performance, and, in 2016, the team won the AAU National Championship for the 18-open division.
In her junior season at St. Francis, Malloy recorded 352 kills (4.0 pet set) and hit at a .374 hitting efficiency. She also tallied 26 aces, 87 blocks and 87 digs for the season.
"Coming off an injury, Kam has worked really hard to get back to playing six rotations for Sports Performance's top team," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "I have seen a lot in her personality that I love while dealing with this injury. Kam has libero skills when it comes to passing and reading defenses. She has a great knowledge of the game being played at a high level and will help us in many areas."
Nora Meehan is a 5-6 libero/defensive specialist from Naperville, Ill. Meehan helped Neuqua Valley to their most successful season in program history in 2016 as the Wildcats finished 29-9, which set a school record for most wins in a season. The team also won the IHSA Regional Championship for the first time in program history.
Meehan finished the season with 441 digs and 32 aces She earned DVC All-Conference First Team honors and was named to the All-Academic team.
"Nora has very solid skills for a defensive player that will only improve playing in our environment," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "She has shown, when pushed, she rises to the occasion and that makes me excited to get her here and start training her."
Alexis Parker is a 5-11 outside hitter/defensive specialist from Knoxville, Tenn. Parker played high school volleyball at Farragut, where her team finished twice the TSSAA State Runner-up.
Parker earned special recognition this past year as a PrepVolleyball.com High School All-American. Parker was also the 2014 Knoxville Player of the Year, two-time district MVP, 2016 District 4-AAA Hitter-of-the-Year, two-time District 4-AAA tournament MVP, three-time region MVP and two-time All-State honoree.
"Alexis will be a fan favorite because she plays so hard," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "She's dynamic, aggressive and will push others around her to be better. On top of that, she's a fantastic teammate and will add to the culture we have right now. She's going to have a chance to play a variety of positions and will make an impact."
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The highly touted class includes Julia Gauthier (Sandwich, Ill./Rosary), Bayli Lebo (La Porte, Ind./La Porte), Kamryn Malloy (Roselle, Ill./St. Francis), Nora Meehan (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Alexis Parker (Knoxville, Tenn./Farragut).
Dunbar-Kruzan said she is excited about the versatile class and their motivation for growing the program.
"Looking at this class, they fill several voids in our roster but more importantly, they continue to add to the culture we presently have," she said. "They all come from winning programs and have a clear buy-in to where we're going in the future. We will be young, but I don't think that will hinder us or our goals. Our youth might actually help us in many instances. Spring has been a phenomenal training time for us so far, and I believe this class will just add and learn from our current student-athletes."
Julia Gauthier is a 5-10 setter from Sandwich, Ill. Gauthier lettered four years at Rosary High School and was named GCAC All-Conference each year, and was named to the Beacon News All-Area team the past two seasons. She guided Rosary to two regional championships. In club, her 14s, 15s and 16s teams finished fifth at AAU Nationals and her 18s-team finished second.
Gauthier comes from a family with a long tradition in volleyball. Her father, Dan, is an avid player and her mother, Dana, played at Loyola and went to the Junior Olympics.
"Julia made a hard decision to change clubs this year to get more court experience and that decision has really paid off for her," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "She is setting on an excellent team with many Division I players and is making an impact. It's great to see her confidence build which will only help her playing in the Big Ten. She has a great touch on the ball and will transition to our offense fairly quick."
Bayli Lebo, the younger sister of former IUVB standout Taylor Lebo, is a 5-7 libero/defensive specialist from La Porte, Ind. Lebo saved her best for last as she helped the Slicers earn an overall record of 29-9 and IHSAA Sectional and Regional Championships her senior year. She leaves La Porte as one of the best all-around players in school history as she finished with 1,220 kills, 98 blocks, 1,801 digs and 158 aces.
Lebo earned recognition this year as one of three Indiana girls to be named to the AVCA Under Armour All-American list, earning honorable mention. Additional honors include: 2017 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace, 2016 The Times All-Area First Team, 2015 PrepVolleyball.com Defensive Dandies and 2015 All-State. To cap it off, Lebo is a three-time La Porte Herald Argus Player-of-the-Year (2014, 2015, 2016).
"Another Lebo in our program and I couldn't be happier," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "I do believe Bayli will make a name of her own here at IU as a player and person. She's a very dynamic athlete that hates to lose more than she likes to win. She's been around our program for years and has seen the ups and downs, but she believes in what we're doing. She can help take us the next step in our progress as a program."
Kamryn Malloy is a dynamic 6-0 outside hitter from Roselle, Ill. Malloy played high school volleyball at perineal powerhouse St. Francis in Wheaton, Ill., and helped her team to three IHSA State Championships. Malloy plays club for nationally renowned Sport Performance, and, in 2016, the team won the AAU National Championship for the 18-open division.
In her junior season at St. Francis, Malloy recorded 352 kills (4.0 pet set) and hit at a .374 hitting efficiency. She also tallied 26 aces, 87 blocks and 87 digs for the season.
"Coming off an injury, Kam has worked really hard to get back to playing six rotations for Sports Performance's top team," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "I have seen a lot in her personality that I love while dealing with this injury. Kam has libero skills when it comes to passing and reading defenses. She has a great knowledge of the game being played at a high level and will help us in many areas."
Nora Meehan is a 5-6 libero/defensive specialist from Naperville, Ill. Meehan helped Neuqua Valley to their most successful season in program history in 2016 as the Wildcats finished 29-9, which set a school record for most wins in a season. The team also won the IHSA Regional Championship for the first time in program history.
Meehan finished the season with 441 digs and 32 aces She earned DVC All-Conference First Team honors and was named to the All-Academic team.
"Nora has very solid skills for a defensive player that will only improve playing in our environment," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "She has shown, when pushed, she rises to the occasion and that makes me excited to get her here and start training her."
Alexis Parker is a 5-11 outside hitter/defensive specialist from Knoxville, Tenn. Parker played high school volleyball at Farragut, where her team finished twice the TSSAA State Runner-up.
Parker earned special recognition this past year as a PrepVolleyball.com High School All-American. Parker was also the 2014 Knoxville Player of the Year, two-time district MVP, 2016 District 4-AAA Hitter-of-the-Year, two-time District 4-AAA tournament MVP, three-time region MVP and two-time All-State honoree.
"Alexis will be a fan favorite because she plays so hard," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "She's dynamic, aggressive and will push others around her to be better. On top of that, she's a fantastic teammate and will add to the culture we have right now. She's going to have a chance to play a variety of positions and will make an impact."
Follow Indiana Volleyball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
#GoIU
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